Once you start noticing that your little friend is expanding, there will usually only be a few days to go before the birth takes place. You may not know that your hamster is pregnant right at the start of the gestation period, but there are some important things you need to do as soon as you find out:.
As the day of the birth approaches your hamster will make sure that they have a snug and secure nest ready. Sometimes they will even build a separate nest just for the birth.
All you need to do is just provide the right food and nesting materials. You may notice a slight increase in girth or a larger abdomen in a pregnant female a few days before she gives birth.
As pregnant hamsters approach the time to deliver the litter, they may become restless and active and may have vaginal bleeding. When they are ready to give birth, provide them with nesting material. This helps them feel secure and lowers the chance that new mothers will abandon or eat their offspring. Mothers and litters should not be disturbed for at least 7 days after the offspring are born, especially if the mother has never given birth before. Fostering abandoned offspring onto a different mother is rarely successful.
Limit your activity around the cage to providing food and water as needed. Normal litters contain 6 to 8 pups, and offspring are weaned after about 21 to 28 days. The safest way to mate a hamster for the first time is by asking a more experienced breeder to guide you through the process. A mentor can point out the behaviors which mean your female hamster is happy to be approached by a male.
Other than the swollen belly, you may also notice your hamster has enlarged nipples in the final days of pregnancy. While your hamster is pregnant, there are some simple ways to keep her healthy and strong, all the way through to giving birth:.
She is likely to find it stressful, and react aggressively. Persisting could cause her to abort her unborn babies. Also, be very careful when putting in fresh food or water. Both the dwarf Campbell Russian hamster and the dwarf Winter White Russian hamster have a pregnancy term of 18 to 21 days.
Hamsters like to give birth in private, a day or so before her babies are due, you might notice your hamster retreats into her nest for most of time. But, you must leave mom and her litter alone as much as possible for the first week after the birth. Attempting to touch them or pick them up too early can result in mom rejecting or even killing them. They have fewer babies when the temperature is colder than average. Interestingly, their litters also have a higher ratio of male pups as winter draws closer.
In captivity, the number of pups a hamster has is also linked to how many other hamsters they share a habitat with. If you see the mother abandoning the whole litter, you should separate her from them and take the babies to your vet. Whilst it is important that no hamsters get harmed in the process, it is not uncommon for the female to act aggressively towards the male. It is her way of testing him to ensure that he is capable of fertilizing her eggs.
As with any species, hamsters have the genetic makeup of choosing the right mate for the job and ultimately their survival. Rather than just guessing if your hamster is pregnant, there are some key symptoms to look out for. You will recognize it as it is thick in consistency and white color. Gestation varies between different hamster species, with Syrian hamsters being the shortest at around 16 days, and dwarf hamsters remaining pregnant for up to 22 days.
Around the 10 day mark, a female hamsters belly starts to swell, and usually becomes pretty noticeable a couple of days before birth. Whether it was an intentional pregnancy or not, as soon as you find out that your hamster is having pups, then you must start to provide them with additional care.
Gestating hamsters should have the cage to themselves, as they can be quite aggressive. It will also keep the babies safer once they arrive and avoid any fighting between adults. Make sure you feed your pregnant hamster plenty of food that is rich in protein and their water is constantly topped up.
Also ensure that there is plenty of bedding material, as the female will need it for making a nest for her and her young. Remove the hamster wheel and any other toys from the cage.
This is important in order to prevent your hamster from using up all their energy beforehand and will ensure the safety of the pups once they are born. As pregnant hamsters approach the time to deliver their litter, you will notice that they become restless and have little spurts of activity.
You may also notice some vaginal bleeding. When the moment comes, you will know when the mother to be is in labor as they will be quite vocal, releasing little squeaks from inside their cage. It is important that you do not intervene at all during this process. The mother is fully capable of giving birth herself although it can take anything between 10 to 30 minutes between pups.
Normal litters contain 6 to 8 pups. The pups are born without any fur and their eyes and ears are closed; however, pups do have their front teeth incisors from birth. Unfortunately, if you purchased a pregnant hamster from the pet store it is probably too young to be having babies and will therefore not have the best mothering abilities.
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