Help, I think my hamster is pregnant!

[Rmv1983]

Below are pictures of my hamster, Nala. I got her and another "female" from petsmart. They only sell female animals, I thought. My mom and I tried to sex them tonight, my mom thought they looked different but I'm not 100% sure. Nala looks pregnant to me, but I'm not sure if she is just fat? If she is pregnant can the twenty gallon tank be split in half? I am probably going to see if I can get another tank tomorrow, would a ten gallon be okay for a single dwarf hamster? I don't have room for another 20 gallon in my bedroom. Pictures are below. I tried to take them with my phone, since I don't have a digital camera.





I have had them over three weeks so I dont think it's possible for Nala to have come to me pregnant, if she is. I can try and get better pictures if needed. It's just hard because they still won't let me hold them. Thanks so much! I'm totally freaking out here

[vanilla-yazoo]

3 weeks would be due any day, tho i have heard the two russian species can suspend pregnancy for a few days, she dose really look like it, and i belive pyo is not known in dwarfs, so ild say give her some supliment foods chicken, veg, babyfood, egg, keep wheels out for a few days. clean the cage out as if she is, you cant clean her till they are over 14 days old. good luck and all the best x

[KatiePillow]

a ten gallon tank is really not large enough for a hamster, if the two hamsters look different it's safest to seperate before she gives birth, female hamsters come into season immediately after giving birth so the other hamster could impregnate her immediately.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Yeah... Thats er... round... So I'd separate the two asap if you can.
On the bright side - if you want the adults to have company you can let them keep a baby each
(After sexing them carefully!)

I'd try to avoid panicking though, as long as you read up a bit and follow all the rules about pregnant and baby hams you should be able to let her raise her litter ok.
If you're unsure about the adults sexes maybe get them into clear plastic boxes/jugs whatever you have and take photos from underneath then upload them here?
If you get help then one can hold the hamsters up and another can take the photos maybe.

Most of us are pretty good at sexing hamsters so that might help you be sure about if they're both girls or not.
(Not that theres any guarantee Nala wasn't brought home pregant, it'd just confirm if you need to separate them or not.)

[Rmv1983]

I took them back to the petstore to be sexed. I have a male and female. The sales associate dropped my female. I yelled at her, the fall was about three feet. Im so mad right now. She appears to be okay, could it have hurt the babies? :/

[kyrilliondaemon]

Ah... Bad pet store selling both sexes in one group...

Have you separated the hamsters now?

And I don't know if the fall would have hurt the babies or not, but I'd try and avoid worrying about it. Nala will know if the babies are ok or not, so the best thing to do is focus on letting her have a quiet birth and the conditions she needs to raise her family.

[vanilla-yazoo]

O.O she is heavily pregnant so it could have done her and the babys harm. ild say let her settle, get her into a bin cage a.s.a.p, she will need the space when she has up to 12 pups (dwarfs normally have 5-8, but she will need some space!)
its soo anoying when they dont sex them correctly, it looks like she def is now.

I recomend getting her some egg and a babyfood thats chicken baised (chicken with veg, no onions, garlic, spices, ect- we have a 'cow and gate grandpas sunday lunch' something like that is ideal, it will give her more protien and its great for pups to be weaned with)

keep the bin for her as simple as you can, just lots of bedding, lots of shavings/carefresh/what you use, water bottle in a way you can access without disturbing her too much, and a large food bowl
you might get away with a few card tubes.

only touch the cage to change water and put in food. when the babys are old enough, then you can clean out and start handling (14-16 days old, if mum will let you)

Do not have a go at the pet shop, just say the situation, the dwarfs where sold as females, one was a male, as a result there are pups, some nice pet shops will supply you with a few cages for the babys to go into when old enough. tho i would say you took them in to check the genders, and the assistant dropped the female, and how you where worried for her health, and her babies.

I have been reserching breeding syrians, its only a few weeks away for me now, if you need any advice, please feel free to PM me, im normally on alot.

I hope that mum and her babys to come are well.

[Rmv1983]

I ran to the store and bought a cage for the male. They gave me 50% off. Im going to separate them as soon as I get home and change Nala's cage. I was going to take her wheel out and give her a tunnel instead. The pet store was nice about it. They said they would take the male back, but of course I said no. I'll just have two cages. What a Suprisre! I'm kinda mad at the store, but excited at the same time. It will be interesting to see what the babies look like!

[Shaedde]

Oh yeah, the pet store did that to me and my sister as well, they were both in the same cage when we bought them and found out they were different genders! -_- and you should ask for something else too because they freaking dropped her!! Not to be free loading, but c'mon, if someone dropped my pregnant hamster I would go ballistic!! Well I hope everything will go well!

[Rmv1983]

I have Nala in a twenty gallon aquarium. She seems annoyed though, and so does Chinny (my newly discovered male) now that they are not together. Nala is pacing, she is also a wheel addict but I took that away.