It is very important to recognize hamster pregnancy early. In this way, you will be able to offer the necessary care and prepare the house for the birth of the puppies en route.
If you have chosen to have a good pair of hamsters at home, please note that there is a high chance that the female will become pregnant if it does not separate from the male during the fertile period.
- In this article we will talk a little about the pregnancy of these little rodents that have become very popular pets in recent decades and show you how to know if the hamster is pregnant.
One of the advantages of having a hamster as a pet is the ease of adapting these animals to small environments like apartments. Another advantage is the simple daily care, necessary to maintain the good health of these animals so loved by children and adults. Simply maintain a balanced diet and enriched environment that stimulates you physically and mentally.
Hamster gestation may vary slightly depending on the body of each female. Pregnancy usually lasts between 15 and 16 days. However, depending on the type of hamster, this period can be extended. A golden hamster usually gives birth after 16 days of pregnancy, while a dwarf hamster takes 21 days to give birth. Chinese or Roborovsky females usually have a minimum gestation period of 23 days.
An agreement between pregnancies of different hamster breeds is that the female’s abdomen only expands in the last 4 or 5 days. This means that, to recognize pregnancy in time, you should not rely solely on abdominal dilation. That’s why we’ll show you other symptoms below to help you know if your hamster is pregnant.
If you want to know how to tell if your hamster is pregnant, we’ll show you the most noticeable symptoms below, and we’ll also tell you how to care for the hamster during pregnancy:
Depends on the type of hamster. A Russian hamster, for example, causes the number of newborns to fluctuate between 4 and 8 puppies, while a golden hamster can reach 20! As you can see, the number of babies in the same litter differs from one type to another, so it is always advisable to go to the veterinarian for an examination and to locate yourself.
Once the hamster has given birth, it is very important to avoid approaching the cage. Don’t forget to touch newborns either! Hamsters need privacy during pregnancy and breastfeeding to adapt to their new maternal reality. Exposure to stressful situations is very detrimental to the health of the mother and her children. In addition, if we touch newborns, the female can eat them because she considers them vulnerable and not trained to survive.
If you have observed or suspected that the hamster eats its young, be aware that this is a natural and common phenomenon in these rodents. However, there are preventive measures to prevent the hamster from eating its offspring. Provide excellent nutrition, that of other hamsters and provide parents with a calm and positive environment throughout the gestation and lactation period.
After 15 to 20 days of birth, you can clean the cage again. From that moment on, you can resume your usual contact with him and also allow the puppies and their mother to interact with the other hamsters. Now it’s time to enjoy with your new teammates! However, keep in mind that hamsters are animals that mature sexually very quickly. Depending on the type of hamster, after one or two months of life, they may begin to reproduce both. For this reason, evaluate all options and consequences before creating rodents.
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