How many hamsters go pregnant, how to recognize and determine pregnancy in Djungarian and Syrian hamsters

The owner of the female may be interested in the question – how many hamsters go pregnant if there was an accidental or planned mating. How long pregnancy lasts in hamsters depends on their species. On average, 16-20 days, and this is a record short time compared to other mammals.

How to know if your hamster is pregnant

Already at the age of a month, the animals begin puberty. For this reason, young animals must be kept separately.

Visible signs that the female is “in position” will appear only by the 10th day.

The seller can easily convince an inexperienced buyer that this hamster looks so strange because it is “overweight”. To find out that it was a pregnant female, it turns out only after an unplanned birth.

If the animal is an adult, and mating is planned, it is easier to determine that the hamster is pregnant. The owner should be aware of the signs of estrus in a female hamster. If estrus occurs after 3-5 days, offspring should not be expected. If there is no heat, you can wait for external signs of an interesting situation.

About a week after mating, you can try to examine the female with your hands (feel the fruits). The animal is placed with its front paws on the surface and wrapped around with its hands from behind. The thumbs will be on the back, and the rest on the stomach. Gently probing the abdomen from the ribs to the pelvic bones, you can feel the fruits. They feel like balls to the touch.

This method is suitable only for large and calm rodents; with jungars it is uninformative. If signs of pregnancy are doubtful, the female should be weighed. Weighing on accurate scales is repeated regularly: at first, the mass remains the same, but from day 10 it increases rapidly. Depending on the number of fruits and the type of hamster, weight gain is up to 20 g. If the female loses weight, this is a formidable sign of illness or missed pregnancy.

What does a pregnant hamster look like?

During pregnancy, the female’s tummy increases. A pregnant dzhungarik strongly resembles a pear. Determining pregnancy in a Syrian hamster is more difficult, especially in long-haired individuals. The size of the belly depends on the period and number of fruits.

The nipples also increase, visible from under the fur, because the female has to feed the cubs. In addition to external signs, there are indirect ones – the behavior of the animal.

How does a pregnant hamster behave:

• curls up into a ball;
• shows increased aggressiveness;
• walks carefully and slowly;
• looking for secluded corners, equipping a nest;
• increased appetite and thirst.

How long does pregnancy last for Syrian hamsters

It is the Syrians who provide the bottom number of statistics – 16 days. The average number of cubs is 6-12 pieces, and sometimes 16-18 hamsters. The duration of pregnancy in Syrian hamsters ranges from 16-20 days.

How long does pregnancy last in hamsters and other dwarf hamsters

Just like other dwarf species – Chinese hamsters and Campbells, the gestation period for Djungarian hamsters is 3 weeks, more precisely – 18-21 days. The number of cubs in a litter is on average 4-7 pieces, rarely – up to 9 pieces.

The general pattern for all species: how many hamsters bear cubs – depends on their number. The more fetuses, the shorter the pregnancy.

Deviations and contacting a veterinarian

There can be no upward deviations: if the pregnancy in hamsters drags on for more than a couple of days, this is a pathology, or the female was not at all on demolition. It happens that the hamster gave birth at night and ate the cubs. Then the unlucky breeder expects childbirth, but they are all gone.

Due to the fact that the gestation period for Djungarian hamsters is short, and for Syrians even less, it would never occur to owners to carry a rodent for an ultrasound scan to a veterinary clinic. Theoretically, a good specialist will determine the very fact of pregnancy, but it will be impossible to say the term or number of fetuses.

For the animal, visiting the clinic is the strongest stress, which must be avoided by all means.

It is permissible to consult a doctor for an ultrasound diagnosis only if the owner suspects health problems (abdominal enlargement can cause ascites, pyometra) or pregnancy pathology (frozen fetuses). To understand if a hamster is pregnant, it is enough to watch him at home for a couple of weeks.

What to feed a pregnant hamster

Pregnant hamsters are very different in their needs from ordinary adult animals. The fetuses develop in record time, exhausting the mother’s body. Therefore, food should be high-calorie, easy to digest, and not negatively affect the process of bearing cubs.

Juicy forages

In addition to the strict exclusion of prohibited foods, most of the fruits and vegetables allowed at normal times are stopped.

Do not feed apples and pears.

Allowed – carrots, zucchini and pumpkin. They are given daily, in pieces of 1 cm. Sometimes you can diversify your diet with dried herbs, dill. Seed sprouts (oats, wheat) are very useful. You need to feed a pregnant hamster with the most “clean” vegetables and salads from chemistry, if not from your own garden, then at least seasonal ones. They are peeled, if necessary, soaked.

Protein feed

For the normal development of the cubs, a pregnant hamster should receive food rich in protein and calcium at least 2 times a week (2-3 times). It could be:

• boiled dietary meat without salt and spices (chicken, beef, rabbit);
• good quality baby meat puree (turkey, beef);
• boiled egg (quail or chicken);
• fat-free cottage cheese, yogurt (up to 1%).

Dry food

The grain mixture remains the main source of energy when the animals bear offspring. Dry food should be of good quality, and you can give it plenty – a pregnant Dzungarian or Syrian eats much more than usual.

After 7-10 days after mating, a double portion of the grain mixture is already poured.

A good addition to the feed would be herbal rings with alfalfa. Treats “8 in 1 – Multi-VitaminDaily Cruncy Treat” or “Vitakraft – Grignote Rolls” are a safe source of calcium and vitamins. You can give them every day, and if the rings are not to your liking, then soaked in warm water, she will eat without a trace.

Water

The female hamster can drink a lot during this period, this is not a cause for concern. It is necessary to change the water in the drinking bowl daily, to monitor its sufficient amount. You can add liquid vitamins for rodents to the water.

Conditions of detention

Pregnancy of Djungarian hamsters is a short but crucial period. If the owner is interested in offspring, the female should create comfortable conditions for reproduction.

Single content

Hamsters are solitary territorial animals, they must be kept separately, in individual cages, regardless of the physiological state. But if several animals were kept in one cage, it is very important to transplant a pregnant female. Otherwise, she will begin to show the strongest aggression towards relatives, and then to offspring.

Mat

Signs of pregnancy include active nest building for childbirth. The animal must be provided with suitable and safe material – paper towels will do.

Inexperienced owners strive to create sterile conditions in their home, but cleanliness is not as important for the animal as peace and comfort. Complete litter change is not carried out later than 5 days before birth. If you know how long the pregnancy lasts in Djungarian hamsters, then after mating it is easy to calculate when to expect offspring.

Shelter

It is good to give the female the opportunity to hide in the house – a small cardboard box will do. You should not once again take your pet in your arms, pregnancy in hamsters does not encourage communication.

Conclusion

Information on how to understand that a hamster is pregnant will not help to avoid buying a young female. How many animals go pregnant already in a month – on the conscience of the seller. But it will be useful for beginner breeders. Animals go pregnant for a very short time, but it is useful to know how many days are left before birth in order to properly prepare, and most importantly, not to interfere with the process.