Reproduction Of Syrian Hamsters

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By peace | November 14, 2006

The gestation period for pregnant Syrian Hamster is 16 days and so the female will normally give birth 16 days after the date of successful mating. Very occasionally a female may not give birth until the 17th or 18th day. The female will usually start to show pregnancy at around 10 days after mating. Her abdomen will become swollen and the nipples will become more prominent.

During pregnancy, high protein foods such as scrambled or boiled egg, wheatgerm, cheese and tofu will be beneficial. Handling the female can continue until a few days before the pregnancy when this is best kept to a minimum. It is also a good idea to remove the wheel a few days before the birth and whilst the mother is nursing the babies. The cage should be cleaned out two days before the expected litter is due and the female should be given plenty of suitable bedding. The female should be disturbed as little as possible around the time of the expected birth.

If a pregnant female does not give birth after 18 days this is usually an indication of phantom pregnancy, labour not occurring or problems giving birth. It is possible for a vet to induce pregnancy but this is very difficult and most vets would not be willing to attempt this. If the female does not show signs of giving birth this is normally not a great worry as the babies will be re-absorbed into the bloodstream causing no harm to the female. However, if a female seems to be having difficulty giving birth or seems sick then veterinary advice should be sought immediately.

Females usually give birth during the evening, night or early morning but sometimes give birth during the day. The female is active right up to the moment of birth. Before giving birth to each baby she tightens her abdominal muscles two or three times then sits up and crouches over as she gives birth to a single baby within a couple of minutes.

A placenta, which looks like a small red blood sac, may be released after the birth of each baby and this is normally eaten by the mother as it is a good source of protein. Babies are born at approximately 10 minute intervals and the mother may be active between each birth. Therefore babies may be born around the cage but the mother will usually collect them all up and place them in the nest once birthing is complete.

After the female has given birth there is often spots of blood on the bedding or around the cage. This is caused by the passing of the placentas and is normal and nothing to be alarmed about. Severe bleeding from the female though should be cause for alarm. The pups are born naked, blind and deaf, weighing only 3 grams. If the hamsters are to be dark eyed the eyes can be seen under the skin but if they are to be red eyed the eyes cannot be seen at birth. They are born with teeth which allow them to suckle and their skin is transparent and once fed the milk can be seen in the stomach.

The female should not be disturbed whilst giving birth.

Syrian Babies
The nest should not be disturbed whilst the female is nursing and the babies should not be touched as this will change their scent and may cause the mother to reject them. During this period the cage cannot be cleaned. The mother will nurse the babies allowing them to suckle from her teats in order to gain milk. In order to do this she will often lay on the pups but this does not harm them. The mother will also ensure the babies are kept warm whilst she is away from the nest by covering the nest with bedding or shavings and so it is often not possible to see the babies at all. However, they can usually be heard squeaking or suckling if listening carefully.

Young mothers, bred under the age of 4 months, have a greater tendency to neglect, reject or even cannibalise the litter due to their mental or physical inability to cope with rearing the young and so extra care and minimal disturbance are needed. However, even older females may cull a litter to reduce the number of babies reared and studies have shown that females ensure that a larger proportion of males remain in small litters and a larger proportion of females remain in large litters.

The continued feeding of high protein foods to the mother will help her to nurse her babies successfully.

Depending on the colour of the babies the skin will become dark or flesh coloured and so at around 4-6 days the skin may start to pigment, become darker depending on the colour of the baby. At 5-7 days hair begins to emerge and the ears open and by 9-10 days the babies are covered in short fur and the eyelids are developing. At this time the babies may also start wandering around the cage, even though still blind. The female will usually collect the wandering babies and return them to the nest – this may be accompanied by squealing from the babies but is not usually anything to worry about. At 14-16 days of age the eyes open and the babies are covered in fur. It is safe to handle the babies for short periods at this time and so the cage can be cleaned.

During the time babies are developing plenty of hamster mix should be provided and young babies will also easily manage grated carrot, and scrambled or boiled egg. High protein foods and a shallow dish of low fat milk or bread soaked in low fat milk can be beneficial.

At 3 weeks of age the babies are fully weaned and no longer require the mother’s milk although they may still suckle if she has milk available. The babies should be moved into two separate cages (one for females and one for males) to avoid breeding at this young age. This removal from the mother can be a little stressful for the babies and the mother may also take a day or two to adjust to her babies having been removed.

The babies should be kept with their brothers and sisters (in their single sex cages) for another 2-3 weeks before being kept singly. The babies will still benefit from high protein foods and so these should continue to be fed with plenty of hamster mix. During these weeks the babies will adapt to being away from the mother and benefit from a continued care routine whilst they develop their confidence. During this time small squabbles may occur as their solitary nature starts to develop. The babies should be handled regularly once removed from their mother to get them used to being handled before going to new homes.

At 5-6 weeks of age the babies will be sufficiently confident and developed that they can go to their new homes.

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