Science1 min ago
how do I know if my hamster is pregnant
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.If the female hamster and male hamster are housed in the same cage, the female is pregnant. Remove the male before the babies are born, he will kill them.
If they were recently purchased from the same store, out of the same cage, the female is pregnant.
If the female was recently purchased from a store that does not seperate the genders, the female is pregnant.
If all else fails, check her underbelly. If her nipples seem pronounced, and her belly is bulgy, she is pregnant. If you determine that she is pregnant, do not pick her up any more, especially since you say she is shy. The stress of handling (both physical and mental) might be enough to cause major problems.
It is not true that mom will eat her babies. She will only do that if under extreme stress, or if she percieves her confines as being too small. As you say she is shy, then leaving her alone in a quiet area should solve this problem. Excessive handling of a hamster who is shy of people would be considered "extreme stress". This also gives rise to the myth that female hamsters will eat their babies if you touch them - some will, some won't, it depends on how comfortable they are with being handled themselves, and with people in general. The unfortunate result of not being able to touch the babies of a shy mother from birth is that they will grow up to be shy themselves, having not been handled since birth and learning the behavior from mom. Therefore it is advised that you only breed female hamsters who are outgoing and friendly towards people. (Not your choice, in this case.)
Another reason a female hamster may eat young is if she feels there are too many in a litter for her to nurse. In this case, she will "cull" some of the weaker for the good of the entire litter. Average litter size of hamsters is 8-10, but there can be as many as 20.