Is it normal to have a large baby Syrian hamster?

[BeckyG]

Hi there.

We had our Syrian hamster, Poppy yesterday. She is 5 months old this month, but she is a large hamster. We had a Syrian hamster before, Carrie, who lived until she was around 2 and a quarter years old, and Poppy seems bigger than Carrie ever was.

Is this normal? Good wise we have given her a bowl of food and tried her with a piece of carrot about half an hour ago (small piece, which she nibbled at and now hidden whilst she goes back to sleep), so I wouldn't say she had been over fed, so I don't think she is obese, just naturally large.

[Piebald]

Hi Becky. It's hard to say without knowing any details, but as your baby is new it's best to just relax and let her settle in before trying to weigh her or take any pictures. Some Syrians are quite large. As long as she is healthy I wouldn't worry. Hope that helps.

[Shana]

Syrians usually stop growing at around 6 months, so she's probably close to her full size now. They also vary in size by quite a bit - most adults are somewhere between 100 to 300 grams. It's very likely that she's just a larger girl than your previous Syrian.

[Thin Lizzy]

Syrians are regarded as adults at 6 months. Some are bigger, I wouldn't worry about it.