Is she near delivery? Hamster question?

Question

My dwarf hamster is pregnant. She is a couple days away. Her teats have appeared. Now I felt her tummy and I could actually feel a baby. It was lumpy and felt like another body. Her teats have shown on Thursday. Is she near delivery yet? I think she might give birth during the night or tomorrow night.

Answer 1

I could only tell my hamster was pregnant, two days before she was about to give birth o_O

Mainly because she suddenly swelled up like this balloon.

So I'd say that if you can actually see she's pregnant, without picking her up then she's due soon.

And don't worry about the birth, she'll be completely fine on her own - don't disturb the nest for ten days though.

And it's best if you remove the male from the cage if you have one.

Answer 2

yes she is very close.  i wouldnt be suprised if the babies came early either.  keep a good eye on her.  while you are asleep try to listen to any squeaking.  it sounds hard but when you are excited about babies then you wake up pretty fast.

Answer 3

My cousins hammy had babies overnight when they were camping, so almost like magic they appeared, Poppi (hamster) had no trouble at all with the delivery so i wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 4

Characteristics

Hamsters are stout-bodied, with tails much shorter than body length and have small furry ears, short stocky legs, and wide feet. Their thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, can be black, grey, white, brown, buff, yellow, "sapphire" or red depending on the species, or a mix of any of those colors. The Djhungarian hamster (Phodopus campbelli) and the striped dwarf hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) have a dark stripe down the middle of the back. Dwarf desert hamsters (genus Phodopus) are the smallest, with bodies 5 to 10 cm (about 2 to 4 inches) long; the largest is the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), measuring up to 34 cm long, not including a short tail of up to 4 cm. The tail is often difficult to see; usually it is not very long, and on a long haired hamster it is barely visible. Hamsters are very flexible; and their bones are somewhat fragile.

Habitat

Hamsters' northern range extends from central Europe through Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China to Korea. The southern portion of their range stretches from Syria to India. Throughout dry, open country they inhabit desert borders, vegetated sand dunes, shrubby and rocky foothills and plateaus, river valleys, and mountain steppes; some live among cultivated crops. Geographic distribution varies greatly between species. The common hamster, for example, is found from central Europe to western Siberia and northwestern China, but the golden hamster has been found only near a small town in northwestern Syria.

Diet

Hamsters are omnivorous. Their diet consists mostly of grains (such as whole grain oats and corn) but also includes fresh fruit, roots such as carrots, green parts of plants. Hamsters carry food in their spacious cheek pouches to a cache in the burrow. Hamsters in the Middle East have been known to hunt in packs to find insects for food

Pet stores sell a variety of treats that are suitable for hamsters. However, it is important not to give a hamster too many of these, especially ones that are high in fat or sugar, because they may lead to the hamster getting diabetes. It is better to give hamsters fresh vegetables over fresh fruit, as fruit is also high in sugar. If you give hamsters fruit it is always best to do so as a treat and in extremely small amounts. The skin of fruits such as apples and pears is also good. It is also important not to give a hamster too much fresh fruits, as they can cause diarrhea.

Most people try to feed their hamster everyday foods found in their kitchen. It is best to avoid human foods that will make them unhealthy or be hard for them to digest. Any fruits or vegetables should be chosen carefully. It is also important to thoroughly wash fruits, vegetables and greens before feeding, as they can have traces of pesticides. Some foods to avoid giving hamsters are kidney beans, onion, garlic, large amounts of citrus fruit, and potato sprouts. Some hamsters also shouldn't eat iceberg lettuce, as it causes diarrhea. Dark leafy greens are preferred, such as kale and spinach. Celery, green beans, carrots, broccoli on occasion are great also.

Behavior

Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are generally solitary and will fight to the death if put together, whereas dwarf hamsters can get along with others of the same species. Hamsters are primarily considered crepuscular and at one point were considered nocturnal as they are sometimes active all night. They are excellent diggers, constructing burrows with one or more entrances and with galleries that are connected to chambers for nesting, food storage, and other activities. They will also appropriate tunnels made by other mammals; the striped hairy-footed hamster (Phodopus sungorus), for instance, uses paths and burrows of the pika. None hibernate during winter, but some (mostly Syrian hamsters) experience periods of torpor lasting from a few days to several weeks. This probably means that conditions are too cold for them. Hamsters are known to stockpile large amounts of food, because of natural instinct from the wild. Because of this behavior it is alright if you leave a hamster alone for a few days if you need to go somewhere. Once you tame a Syrian hamster, they remain so for a very long time. However, once you tame a dwarf hamster, you must keep playing with it. If left alone for a maximum two weeks, it will become untame again.[3]

Reproduction

Hamsters become fertile at different ages dependent on their species, but this can be from one month to three months of age. Male hamsters remain fertile for the rest of their lives, though females do not. Females are in heat approximately every four days.

Breeding season is from April to October, with two to five litters of 1 to 13 young being born after a gestation period of 16 to 22 days.[3] Gestation lasts 16 to 18 days for Syrian hamsters, 18 to 21 days for the Russian hamsters, 21 to 23 days for Chinese hamsters and 23 to 30 for Roborovski Hamsters. The average litter for Syrians is about 7, but can be as great as 24, which is the maximum number of pups that can be contained in the uterus. Campbell's Dwarf Hamsters tend to have 4 to 8 in a litter but can have up to 14. Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters tend to have slightly smaller litters, as do Chinese and Roborovski hamsters.

Siberian hamsters form close, monogamous bonds with their mates. If separated, they may become very depressed. This happens especially in males. Males will become inactive, eat more, and even show some behavioral changes similar to some types of depression in humans. This can even cause obesity in the hamster.

Chinese hamster females are known for being aggressive toward the male if kept together for too long. In some cases, male Chinese hamsters have died after being attacked by the female. If breeding Chinese hamsters, it is recommended to separate the pair after mating.

Hamsters are born hairless and blind in a nest which the mother will have prepared in advance. She uses shredded material such as leaves in the wild but prefers cotton or toilet paper in captivity. After one week they begin to explore outside the nest. They are completely weaned after three weeks, or four for Roborovski Hamsters. Most breeders will sell the hamsters to shops when the hamsters are anywhere from two to eight weeks old.

Classification

Taxonomists generally disagree about the most appropriate placement of the subfamily Cricetinae within the superfamily Muroidea. Some place it in a family Cricetidae that also includes voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice; others group all these into a large family called Muridae. Their evolutionary history is recorded by 15 extinct fossil genera and extends back 11.2 million to 16.4 million years to the Middle Miocene Epoch in Europe and North Africa; in Asia it extends 6 million to 11 million years. Four of the seven living genera include extinct species. One extinct hamster of Cricetus, for example, lived in North Africa during the Middle Miocene, but the only extant member of that genus is the common hamster of Eurasia.

Answer 5

Yeah I think she is only a couple of days away. Hamsters normally deliver at night so just be ready to face the litter one morning when you wake up. Also keep the cage in a noiseless dim area and do not disturb the mother hamster so that she has a peaceful time during delivery and baby caring. Put in a roll of toilet paper into her cage so that she can rip it up and use it for her nesting purposes.