I'm not sure!

freyashamsters · 06-11-2016, 02:23 PM

I'm concerned

My mum was holding her hamster, Rusty and my sister was holding her hamster, Snowy (I wasn't there) when apparently Snowy jumped out of my sisters hands whilst Rusty was free-ranging (mum was in another room) and met with Rusty. Both hams are Syrians - Snowy female and Rusty male.

According to my mum's description of it, Snowy went all flat and didn't display any interest in being aggressive towards Rusty, who was apparently trying to get on top of her. Mum said that Rusty wasn't really that successful and Snowy kept running away because she apparently seemed too big!?

Exactly how long does it take for hamsters to mate and the female to conceive? I have no idea whether they're actually sexually mature or not - we got Snowy around July-August last year and she was 6 weeks old at the time and we estimate Rusty to have been born around January this year.

I have no idea about pregnancies other than the absolute basics like don't handle babies when eyes are closed, bin cages are best for nursing etc etc but I don't know anything about genetics/colouring. I'll try and get some photos of them up soon.

freyashamsters · 06-11-2016, 02:39 PM

Here are some pictures:

Snowy:

Rusty:

Pebbles82 · 06-11-2016, 04:43 PM

I don't know I'm afraid - but to be on the safe side you'd better have Snowy on pregnancy watch

GreySyrian · 06-12-2016, 05:35 AM

It does sound like they mated ... They usually mate over a time period of 20=30mins but they mate numerous times during this time so it is possible for her to be pregnant even if they were together a short period of time.

You'll be better able to tell when she's at 10 days after they were together, she'll start to form a pear shape and get larger at the back and form bumps either side. You may also notice her nipples become easier to spot and she may change in behaviour.

Like Serendipity7000 said I'd put her on pregnant watch, I've only recently bred hamsters myself but I'm sure someone with far more experience will offer their opinion

Update: I just had a look on Google (as I didn't know offhand) and syrians can be sexually mature by 4 weeks so they are definitely old enough. From your dates Rusty is around 6 months and Snowy is just under a year which isn't an ideal age for a female to be having a first litter so you will need to keep a close eye on her. In the picture of Snowy, how long ago was it she was with Rusty? She does look a bit big but it could very well be just the way she's sitting

Kissa · 06-12-2016, 09:23 AM

Yeah, Snowy is very possibly pregnant. The actual mating action takes literally seconds, breeders just tend to leave the hamsters together for longer to make sure, especially because some boys don't always get it right first time! Your description of Snowy going "all flat" does sound a bit like the way they stand when they are in heat too, if a female isn't in heat she is much more likely to turn around and bite the male rather than letting him mount her.

Pregnancy in Syrians is 16 days, though I'd keep her on pregnancy watch until day 18 just to make sure. Give the cage a full clean out about day 14 so that you can then leave her to it, just giving her food and water, until the pups are old enough to be handled and you can clean the cage again. Make sure she has protein rich foods like scrambled egg and plain chicken, and plenty of other healthy extras as well as lots of hamster mix.

freyashamsters · 06-13-2016, 08:03 AM

Thank you all, I will definitely keep her on watch. I have one question though - would a barred cage be suitable for the pups? I know that they are tiny, spacing is 1cm

To answer your question GreySyrian - it happened a couple of hours before I posted, she is naturally quite big but she doesn't normally look that chubby lol!

GreySyrian · 06-13-2016, 08:45 AM

My female did appear slightly bigger during the first few days but you'll only really be able to tell for sure at 10 days on wards, I found it easier to see her bumps and pear shape when I held her across two hands though rather than trying to look at her in one/in cage

Good Luck! Hopefully it's a false alarm or a happy, healthy, problem free pregnancy and litter!

CMB · 06-13-2016, 12:45 PM

My first female had her litter in a barred cage. I moved them into a storage box once their eyes opened and they were leaving the nest to explore as there were ten pups and the cage looked too small with so many hamsters.

You could move her before the pups could be born (maybe a week. So she settles into the new cage/bin) or wait until the pups eyes are open and they start leaving the nest.

freyashamsters · 06-13-2016, 01:02 PM

Thank you CMB, I will move her into a bin cage probably

What size would you say would be good? Some say that it's best to go bigger (like 80x50cm) however some say that a smaller bin is more appropriate as the pups can't venture out too far

CMB · 06-14-2016, 11:18 AM

My box was about 80cm x 50 and at first it looked too big (mum and 10 pups moved in once their eyes opened) but quickly looked crowded as the babies grew.

I put the base of her cage in the box complete with nest and substrate. Then filled the rest with new substrate.