I Suspect My Hamster Is Pregnant

Well, sometimes accident just happen... No choice, we can't change what is already happened, you have to be responsible to deal with all the possible consequences as well as to take good care of the pregnant mother.

There are a few symptoms of pregnancy:

- Sudden increase of food intake.
- Increase in weight, with body shape resembling a pear.
- Sudden aggressiveness towards her partner or the rest of the colony.
- Nest are build. Good nest building skills increase the pup's survival rate.

Signs when delivery is drawing near...
- Protrusion of nipples which can be seen by observing her underneath.
- Red / bloody stains observed at her genitals.

There are certain things to be done and not to be done when a hamster is pregnant.

Seperate the female from the colony if possible. This is because the female might turn aggressive when her due date is arriving. Another reason is to prevent the male from mating with the female during her nursing period. Consequences are dreadful. There is a very high chance of hard labour as her constitution is still weak which will results in death of both mum and the pups if she not well taken care of.

Give the pregnant hamster adequate supply of water and food. The mum needs plenty of nutrition especially protein while she is nursing her pups. Add protein rich supplements such as:-

-Fresh veggies -> Broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, watercress, choy sum etc. Make sure washed well. Avoid onions, garlic.
-Fresh fruits -> Apple, banana, papaya, honeydew, pear, mango etc. Do not give avocado and citrus fruits.
-Other protein rich food -> Wheatgerm, japanese soft tofu, hard boiled egg white, crickets, mealworms etc. Do not give milo or anything containing cocoa.


Pups and Birth

When the pups are arriving, the female will lie on her back and tightens her abdominal muscles. She will then sit up and crouches over such that her mouth is able to reach her vagina to enable her to retrieve her pups. A small red blood sac will normally be released after each pup. This blood sac is their placenta which the female will normally eat it as it is full of protein. Males may help to fetch the pup from her vagina and place it in one corner. Pups are not born continuously, but with an interval of around 30s and may every stretch till 10 mins before the next pup arrives. Females are active between each birth and is common for them to run about the cage. Hence, do not be alarm when all the pups are found lying everywhere. Blood stains/spots are usually found at the place of birth. The duration of the whole process depends on the size of the litter and can last up to 20 mins. Once all the pups are born, the female will fetch all the pups to her nest. She will then start cleaning her vagina which is full of blood stains. The pups are then checked for health conditions by the female. Weak ones will be eaten up. She will then stretch and arch her back over the pups, which this posture is known as huddling. It this way, the pups are kept warmth and well protected without being crushed.

Females eat more than usual, as energy is needed to produce milk. As the metabolism increases, body heat is generated to keep the pups warm. As the pup sucks the milk, more heat is generated. When the female becomes too hot, she will leave the nest for a short moment to cool down. Before she leave, she will hide the pups with nesting materials to keep them warm and protected. In a colony, if one of the mother passed away, another mother might adopt the pups and add to her nest. However, there are cases of cannibalism too. Other females would help to keep the pups warm when the mother is away for a break.

Pups are nidi-colous, born hairless, blind and deaf. As they are born without eye lids, one can determined their eye colour just by looking. A dark eyed hamster can be seen. However, a red eyed hamster appears to have no eyes. Pups are unable to thermoregulate, hence dependent on their mother for warmth till their fur are developed. They have transparent skin and one can see their intestines. Milk can be seen in their stomach during feeding time. Pups grow double in size when they are week 1. Eye lids start to develop. At week two, fine hairs can be seen. Areas with obvious patches are coloured fur. Areas that remain pink are white areas when they grow up. At this time, they will crawl around the cage. The female will have a hard time fetching all of them back to the nest. They do try to eat solid food at this stage. At week three, their eyes are opened and they start to run around. They start to reduce their milk intake greatly with higher substitute of normal hamster food. At week four, they are weaned and are ready for new homes.

Things strictly not to be done:
*Try not to mate two siblings together as inbreeding reinforces negative traits. Do not breed any of the members carrying family genetic defects to prevent passing down of the defects.


Causes of pups' death:
- Female eating her young which could be due to foreign scent on her pups, resulting confusion of others' babies. If pup is found to be weak when borned, female would eat it so that she can concentrate on nursing others which have a better chance of survival. Another reason is that weak pups failed to squeak when their umbilical cord is pulled off the navel, and the female kept chewing and eating till she finish the whole baby. The reason for weak pups are due to poor dietary management. Lifestage food is needed for females and pups. Females with adequate intake of Vitamin E is said to have smoother delivery and healthier, larger litters.

Female was a first time mother who do not know how to nurse her pups. Nothing can be done except to pray that she learns it when her next batch arrives. Another scenario is after the female have deliver a pup, she would chew up the placenta. Sometimes the pups are eaten together with the placenta which she did it unknowingly.

Female escaped, leaving her pups behind. If the pups are around 1 week old or older, you can try to feed them with milk yourself, but chances of survival are rather slim. Either obtained milk powder meant for small animals from pet shop or cat milk and feed them with the help of a small syringe by squirting it to their mouth. An alternative is to introduced the pup to another friendly nursing female, hopefully she would foster the pup. However, try to distribute to various families in case of increasing the burden of the particular mummy.

Pups died within a day after birth. Its observed that they have bloated stomach and white areas are observed in their intestines. Deaths are caused by infected milk, resulting in 'milk fever'. Anti-biotics treatment have to be given to the mother. Seek veterinary advice and take note of food contamination and sanitary conditions.