I just recently bought a teddy bear hamster, and the pet store said it was a male. But the behavior it has been having is really similar to that of a pregnant hamster. It is borrowing and eating and drinking an awful lot and the past 2 days it has been getting lazier, like it doesn't want to run in its ball or on the wheel, also it wont sleep where it borrowed, and it had been getting larger quickly. I don't know what I should do, I am treating it like it is pregnant, but I don't know whether it is a girl or boy, and if it is a girl if it is pregnant how can I tell? (Laura Johns - Massachusetts)
Pet shops typically don't have the money to hire experts on every type of pet they carry, so most cannot reliably tell you the sex of any given hamster. To sex your hamster, locate the underside of his/her belly near the tail. There will be a small opening (as well as the anus) in both sexes about 1cm from the anus. In males, there is also a small, whitish protrusion on the side farthest from the tail.
If you know that your hamster is female, it is very difficult to tell if your hamster is actually pregnant. Only from about 2 days before giving birth will your hamster look fatter than normal. Syrian hamsters are pregnant for around 16 days so you will know for sure in a fairly small period of time.
If she is pregnant, you need to be prepared. Get yourself a nice book on the subject of breeding hamsters and follow the diet and housing advice in it. Occasionally hamsters will cannibalize on one or more of their own pups - this is thought to happen when the mother is very young or overly agitated. For this reason, try to give the new family lots of peace and quiet in a warm room for the first few days after birth. As soon as they are born, you should try to start finding homes for the young, as you don't want to still have them past sexual maturity. However, don't separate them from their mother until after 4 weeks of age.
Disclaimer: This service is meant to provide advice only and is not meant to replace an appointment with a registered veterinarian. Users should always seek a second opinion. Unfortunately we are only able to answer several questions per week so not everyone gets a published answer. And, unfortunately we can't answer by email.
Readers' Comments (Newest to Oldest)
There are currently no comments for this question and answer.
![35%](/images/polls/pollpixel1.gif"){kind=tracking}
![65%](/images/polls/pollpixel2.gif"){kind=tracking}
I just recently bought a teddy bear hamster, and the pet store said it was a male. But the behavior it has been having is really similar to that of a pregnant hamster. It is borrowing and eating and drinking an awful lot and the past 2 days it has been getting lazier, like it doesn't want to run in its ball or on the wheel, also it wont sleep where it borrowed, and it had been getting larger quickly. I don't know what I should do, I am treating it like it is pregnant, but I don't know whether it is a girl or boy, and if it is a girl if it is pregnant how can I tell? (Laura Johns - Massachusetts)
