pregnant hamster ...?

[xoblinkbunnieox]

i just recently got a hamster less than a week ago and i picked her up to put her in the cage and i noticed she was a bit chubby underneath. so i thought she could be pregnant. i looked into it and some of the things i found was she could be jumpy, hoard food, and make a big nest. she does all of those things...but im not sure how jumpy is jumpy and how big is a big nest?

[xoblinkbunnieox]

ah sorry for the double post..i feel so stupid right now...

[whiteswan]

Originally Posted by xoblinkbunnieox

ah sorry for the double post..i feel so stupid right now...

Don't feel bad we call make mistakes

[KiTTyStiches]

well just if shes more jumpy than she... well oops if she was pregnant when u got her i guess u have nothing to compare her to, i guess all u can do is wait and see. i had a pregnant hamster once andi never even knew she waspregnant, i just went to clean her cage one day and BAM there were like... a ton of little red hairless babies!! BUT oh be careful... she was mean and ate the runt, i mean just riped his head clean off... it was SOO sad, i dont know if all hamster moms are like that, she was a dwarf, but i hear that they do that :| its sad. just fyi...

[Cammiehammie]

Try rubbing her down her back with two fingers firm enough she can feel it, not hard, and not to soft. Do this for the next 4 days.If she freezes,and puts her tail in the air she is not. This only works for some, not all. Also smell her near her hips, to see if she is sending a musky smell. My ham in heat kinda smells like cheerios. My other female that was pregnant never had a smell. Now that she has had her babies she has a musky smell again.

[SnowPrincess]

You may not be able to tell if your hamster is pregnant in the first few days from her appearance but some owners say that she might act differently. you might notice her start to hoard bedding material and food or become more nervous or jumpy. Some hamsters don't build nests right away so this is not a good indication. In the last few days, she should be quite big and it will be quite noticeable.

If your female is noticeably large around the abdomen, she is probably past her 11th day and will give birth within the week. The gestation of the syrian hamster is one of the shortest of all mammals about 16 days. The gestation of that of dwarfs is from 18-22 days. try changing and setting up her cage now for the babies, you know...just in case.

Nearing the day of the birth, which is usually the morning of the 16th or 17th day (for syrians), you will definitely be eager and waiting to see the babies. However, you should keep in mind that hamsters will cannibalize their babies if they are frightened, alarmed or feel that there is a threat present. For this reason, try not to disturb her by going to the cage often.

You will know that she has given birth if there are signs of blood on the shavings. You might not see this though and instead will hear the soft squeaking noises of the pups. Do not touch the young under any circumstances, unless she FULLY trusts you.
This might induce the mother to cannibalize her young.

What to do:
1.) Try to handle her less often if you suspect a pregnancy.
2.)You should change her wood shavings, a nesting box, some extra tissues for bedding and give her some table scraps in the form of cooked chicken, fish, dog kibble or anything high in protein.
3.) you will know she is giving bith by the tiny little squeaks you will hear. don't shine flashlights, open the nesting box or any type of disturbance. if she feels threatened she might end up eating the babies.

when my aunt bred hamsters (her's fully trusted herself, my uncle, me and my cousin) so we were able to handle them about 2 days afterward. we could of probably handled them sooner but my aunt wanted to be safe.

well...if you have anymore questions just post and we'll all be glad to help.

if she is pregnant good luck and post the details and some pics if you can!!

and BTW is she a syrain or a dwarf????