Could my new Syrian be pregnant

[Angels&SmudgesOwners]

Hi

As you know i recently got Angel from pets@Home last saturday she has been with me for a week now and she is acting different to smudge the other hamster we also got from the same litter. Smudge is fine and they both in different cages but when we got them they were in a cage with 3 or more different hamsters. Angel keeps rubbing her side against the cage and she is quite jumpy now she seems on edge and has a bloat tummy she has a nice looking nest type thing. Could she have got pregnant before we took her home from pets at home ? should i be worried?

thank you

[StarlightSerenity]

It's possible, I can't help with most of what you've described but the rubbing thing sounds like her scent marking which is normal behaviour.

[Angels&SmudgesOwners]

12311 caould this be a baby belly? tried to get it as best as i can she moves allot xx

[Pie]

Looks like she could be pregnant to me :( I could be wrong, but you should still treat her as if she's pregnant just to be sure.

Hugs,
Jess xx

[Ellisxxx]

Hiya, I agree with moonlight but im no expert but if she is we can help you through it so dont worry!

Ellis, xx

[souffle]

It's hard to tell but always possible with a pet shop hamster. Does she have any nipples showing? Often they just plump up when they have access to their own food supply etc. The only thing to do is to ensure she has good food and extra protein and wait till you have left 17 days clear since you got her. If no babies arrive by then she will not be pregnant

[Angels&SmudgesOwners]

yes you can see her nipples i can see them all on both sides. I hope she isn't as wasn't planning on having pups but she is acting quite strange tonight.

[Pie]

What you should do before the birth of the pups is the following:

- Give the mother enough nesting material (plain soft toilet paper will be best)

- Provide the mother with plenty of food (about 2 handful for her and when the pups are born, 2 handful for them too)

- Make sure what you are feeding her is healthy and contains lots of protein

- Also give her extra protein such as dried insects (crickets, mealworms etc.), dried meat or yogurt

- This is very important: Do NOT feed her live insects during the pregnancy and the time when the pups are still with her as in some cases this can cause the mother to eat the pups ... yeah, so don't do that ...

- Don't feed her parsley either as this can possibly induce labour

- Syrians carry for about 16-19 days and dwarfs for roughly 20 days (Campbell: 17-20 days, Chinese: 20-22 days, Winter White: 19-23 days Robo: 19-22 days)


And after the birth:

- The most important thing is: Do not disturb the mother under any circumstances!

- Be very quiet as noise will stress her out and may cause her to harm or abandon the pups

- Until the pups are at least 14 days old and are running around the cage with their eyes open, do not do anything other than giving food and fresh water to the mother

- No nest check when the babies are younger than 14 days old. Too many mothers eat/kill their babies because the owner just couldn't help themselves and had to take a look at the nest. If a baby were to die in the nest, the mother will eat it in 98% of cases so that the nest is not contaminated.

- Checking the nest for the removal of dead babies is not necessary unless you smell odor of decay. In that case you should try to lure the mother from the nest/cage so that you can look carefully. If a dead baby is in the nest, you remove it with a plastic spoon you've previously rubbed with substrate from the cage.

- Do not touch the babies until they're 17-18 days old and even then, it's all up to the mother. If it's the mother's first litter (in this case, it is) or if she is showing any signs of stress or nervousness you should wait longer.

[Angels&SmudgesOwners]

okay i am pretty sure she is pregnant she is really fat now and when i went to give her more food she went to attack my hand....she is sleeping allot and her breathing seems a bit laboured will keep you all posted if she has any pups xxx

[Siouxsie]

Aww, good luck with it! For next time, check if the hamsters are gender-separated... this will prevent a lot of unlucky things. Hope all goes well!

[Ellisxxx]

Good luck!, make sure you keep us updated!