*Help* could my hamster be pregnant?

[evel_lin]

Has she gone on heat since the escape? Just wondering whether he'd have tried to mount her if she'd been pregnant or whether it could indicate she's still fertile?

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Originally Posted by evel_lin

Has she gone on heat since the escape? Just wondering whether he'd have tried to mount her if she'd been pregnant or whether it could indicate she's still fertile?

I don't know in all honesty, as I've never been able to tell when she's in heat. Never once has she frozen or anything whilst she's out and I hold her every night. The only things I know for sure is that she escaped out of the cage, let him out and they could have been together for nearly 2 hours unsupervised. They were in each other's cages when I found them, and Sunny was on her wheel. They have not tried to fight at all, an from what I've read a long time ago, is the only time you can put two Syrians together fairly safely is to breed them. Are hamsters like dogs, in that they'll try to reach each other? As she let him out of the cage for some reason, she could have just ran around instead.

[Queen Of The High Teas]

It it ok for Summer to be in a cage with a wheel and levels? She cannot fall far (if at all), but is stretching to climb a ramp ladder and running on a wheel ok for her? And can I still hold her, or should I leave her alone? I'm going to be putting them both in the new cages either tomorrow or monday, but would Summer be better off in something like a zoozone 1 for now? I am about 90% certain she's been mated so I'm airing on the side of caution just in case.

[souffle]

He should not be near enough to 'try to mount her' wobbles because it causes stress to a female to have a male like that near her is she is pregnant Don't let him anywhere near her. Males will not normally try and mount a female unless she is in heat so maybe she isn't expecting at all? Leave the wheel in till you do the clean 2-3 days before she is due and make the cage one level at that point too.

[Gazmo]

take her wheel out and give her lots of bedding, jst in case

[DrKMcK]

Wobbles, I left Sandy Bear's cage alone until about 3 days before she was due. Then I took her wheel out, changed her bedding and did a good clean, set her up with fresh food and water, and gave her some nice toilet paper squares to use in her nest. Other than changing her water and putting food in her bowl daily, I left her alone. I came home the day she was due and went to check on her. I lifted her house and nearly fell over. She looked up at me and she had a whole bunch of little pink babies all around her. I couldn't tell how many, because I immediately put the house back and let her be. It wasn't until they were coming out and beginning to eat with mom and escaping her clutches that I realized there were 16 babies. Don't fret so much, exercise is not bad for a hammy. I held Sandy all the way up to about 2 days before she was due. She didn't mind.

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Thanks for replies I have now put Summer in the gerbils 30" long glass tank, as I was too afraid of her chewing out of a zz1. I've had to leave the wheel out though, as it wont fit due to the partitioning on top of the glass. I still can't tell anything, so I guess its a waiting game.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Er... I'm not being funny Wobbles but is there any way at all you could manage to provide her with a wheel?
As it stands you've either removed her wheel a week early (at best) or (at worst) you've taken it away for longer than needed when she's actually completely fine. She's going to be really bored without her wheel and bored for 10 days is much worse than bored for 3 days. It doesn't matter how big a cage, how much is in the cage e.t.c - Scamp and Fwirl would get bored without wheels and they've got some of the biggest cages I know of.
I think everyone on HC knows how important wheels are for hamsters, and I really can't think its fair for Summer to go without so soon.

[Queen Of The High Teas]

I've tried, I can't fit the karlie through the gap. The stupid tank (which I got off my college for a fiver), has got some glass bar things along the top, so instead of one big open gap, there's two smaller ones a wheel won't fit through. I don't know if their glued or not, but I'm afraid if I ask my brother to wrench them off, the tank will break and I'll be stuck. I really don't want to move her again, she's all settled down and I don't want to upset her. I still dont know for sure, but I weighed her earlier and she's put on 6/7g.

[sully]

I know the glass bars you mean, can you see if they are stuck on with tank sealant?