My New Friend

[black angel]

I hate buying animals on impulse but i saw her today and just couldnt resist.

She is the biggest hamster i have ever seen and is only 11 weeks old, or so they say.

and here she is next to my hand so you can see what i mean.

Shes on her wheel as we speak,walking.

Oh, and her name is Honey.

 

[tank212]

Wow! She sure is big for 11 weeks they say? That can't be healthy right?....I was thinking about getting another hamster but I like my rats they don't nip as much!

 

[starrynightxxi]

oh dear! pregnant, maybe?

 

[sisco16]

i bet she is

 

[black angel]

omg i never thought about that. Heck I hope not

Ummmm, how long if she is? hell.....

 

[tank212]

Wow I didn't even think about that! I wish you lived near me if she was I been wanting to get another teddybear/syrian hamster.

EDIT: Well if she is from the time she was initially pregnant I'd say somewhere around 20 days... Rats take like 23 days I'm about 95percent sure

 

[black angel]

Im still in shock...babies...nah...she just eats alot....eeep.

Will let you know if she does. Any tips?

 

[tank212]

Hmm give her a nice little cave or something to have the babies in and something soft for bedding. I've never raised baby hamsters althought I will try it one day. Just make sure she has plenty of food, water etc. I don't think you're suppose to touch the babies either for awhile.. Hope this helps

I've seen big hamsters.. NOTHING like that size. I would think she is pregnant. I think you will enjoy the babies tho.

 

[starrynightxxi]

She'll want privacy or she may eat the babies. Oh, and don't forget to seperate them when you can. you don't want more!

How can I tell if the mating has been successful ie that the female hamster is pregnant?

If the female doesn't come into season again 4 days later, she's regarded as being pregnant. Given that the babies only stay in her for 16 days, 10 days after the mating, she will start to become decidedly pregnant - her abdomen will swell (no, she's not getting fat), and her nipples will start to become more pronounced.

What do I do after the mating?

You return both hamsters to their respective cages. Female hamsters will need extra food during the pregnancy. High protein foods like tofu, boiled egg, wheat germ (to aid in birthing) can be added to the diet. She can still be handled but it's best to leave her alone when it's closer to the expected birth date. Clean out her cage at day 14 and take out the exercise wheel, provide her with extra nesting material (eg shredded paper). Then put her cage in a warm, quiet spot with as little disturbance as possible and wait...

Ooo - the babies are here - what now?

Let her nurse the babies till they are about 3 weeks old. DO NOT disturb the nest during this time as she may decide to turn on them and eat them. The cage will smell during this time - that's unavoidable, any attempts to change the bedding material would increase the likelihood of cannibalism so it's best to just leave it for the moment and put up with the smell. Sometimes despite all this, the female hamster will still cannibalize her young, this is common in female hamsters bred under 4 months and in older females who will cull some babies to reduce the numbers in the litter. Continue with the high protein foods (other ideas are bread soaked in milk) during this time. At about 3 1/2 weeks of age, the hamsters are ready to be sexed and weaned - they are no longer reliant on their mum for nourishment. You can keep them in 2 different boxes/cages (all the male hamsters in 1 cage and the females in another). They can be kept in these groups for a further 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, you can find new homes for them and they can go to their new owners at 5-6 weeks of age.

from here

sure there's more info to be had, but this should start you out. good luck

 

[lisie]

I hate when pet stores keep males and females together. A person should be able to buy a female animal without having to worry about her being pregnant. <_< Usually pet stores will take the babies, but I dunno how good of a store it is, as I guarantee you'll get pretty attached to the little ones and will want good homes for them.

If she is pregnant though, and she's -that- big, I doubt it'd be very long before she has the babies.

Oh, and she's uber cute by the way.

 

[snowyangel]

Cute soon to be mom....atleast I'd hope she isn't that obese naturally.

 

[Synirr]

Wow, she looks pregnant to me! What a huge hamster!!
She's a cutie pie though, for sure

 

[Bloo]

She's definitely ginormous but she's a real beauty
If she is pregnant, you might be able to feel if you very gently feel her body - it becomes quite hard as she's carrying the young, instead of soft and squidgy. If she's not pregnant, she's obviously been on a very bad diet of excess sunflower seeds

Let us know how it goes

 

[black angel]

Thanks for the replies and the extra info
I will handle her gently later and feel her tummy. I will deffinately let you all know if she has babies. Im quite excited now, but if shes overweight then I will have to put her on a diet,though at the pet shop she seemed to have the same amount as the others to eat.

 

[tank212]

Well if she was with other males she is definently pregnant.