# New hamster???



## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi there everyone, 
Well I've just got a new syrian hamster, who is soooo beautiful and the softest hamster i've ever had, with ruby red eyes. Well we got him from Pets at Home, and both males and females are in separate tanks, we got Fluffy in the males, but i'm convinced fluffy is not a he but a she lol..we just lost our Little Ronnie who was very much a male syrian, so i'm wondering was i sold a female by accident or does it take a wee while for the males to develop their bits lol....also when he/she wakes up , he/she goes in her loo and does the business, then for about 15mins flies around the two storey cage, scratching his/her back against all the bars, and stickbridges, is this normal !!!! he/she even rolls on her/his back its quite funny to see lol...well many thanks in advance.
Paula


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## clairescunny55 (Dec 18, 2008)

congrats on your new baby! i dont know about the back scratching, but my fudge does it too...


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## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

marking his scent maybe? he sounds great  if its a very fluffy hamster, its bits might not be visable  have you got any pictures


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Thank you peeps for getting back to me, well i'm just going to upload some pics for you to see of fluffy, but fluffy isnt a long haired hammie, its just he is sooooooooooo soft , we couldnt call him softie so fluffy was the next best thing lol...but after having our Ronnie for 2yrs, i deffo know a male syrian lol..fluffy hasnt got that long bottom like ronnie had, this is what makes me think fluffy is a girly lol....she is constantly chewing the bars, yet she has so much room in her cage to run and play and climb but all she does it chew the bars, which is very irrating at times lol...but the rubbing of the body against the plastic tray, and all the bars was worrying me, i even put some flea/mite powder on her at first, but i dont think she has anything on her, shes is funny to watch though lol...i'll get them pics on soon as...
many thanks 
Paula


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Pictures of Fluffy as promised .....


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## Nicky09 (Feb 26, 2009)

I want your hamster s/he's so cute.


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Awwh Thank you x


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Sounds very much like a female to me! I've only ever had females do that crazy rubbing thing, it actually scared me the first time I saw it, thinking there was something wrong with her! Your little one is beautiful!

Although boys do sometimes just take a bit longer to devlop. Have a check for nipples, males do not have any nipples.


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya Happysaz, yes fluffy has nipples lol...when she is climbing , which she does all the time , like a little monkey as she is dangling, i rub her belly and you can count all the nipples on her body. Its funny you say that, cos i dont remember our little ronnie having them lol...so my suspicions have come true havent they ? well she is a darling anyway, she is certainly an active hammy, she loves the ball, and we brought one of those paddling pools with the rigid sides and put all her toys in and she has a good run around in there, but you have to laugh at her, cos i've trained her like i did ronnie to use the loo (Bottom end of orange bottle) as soon as she gets out of the ball and into her cage, shes straight in the loo lol....and then straight to the door and chewing lol....she chews that much its now marking her little face, but it disappears once she has been off it a while......


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

happysaz133 said:


> Sounds very much like a female to me! I've only ever had females do that crazy rubbing thing, it actually scared me the first time I saw it, thinking there was something wrong with her! Your little one is beautiful!
> 
> Although boys do sometimes just take a bit longer to devlop. Have a check for nipples, males do not have any nipples.


Yes ours was doing that a few weeks ago and was rubbing herself like mad on everything in her exercise pen. I thought she had mites and did her with Xeno. I didn't realise they did this because this is the first hamster I have seen do it and I've had females before.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Fluffy is gorgeous.:001_wub::001_wub:

I'm just wondering - if she has been in a tank with boys then there is a good chance she might be pregnant.


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya Jazzy, Yes i've that worry also lol....yes she was in a tank of males, thats what we wanted in the first place lol...because we had Ronnie, and he was soooo tame , we wanted another male so we could do the same as we did for ronnie, our ronnie used to sleep on our laps, sat in our pockets lol...so that was the only reason we went for the male tank lol...but yes my worry is she could of got pregnant, we have had her a 9days now, and she was supposed to of been 5/6wks, so fingers crossed she wont be, but watch this space lol...this has happened to me before though, i'm going back to when i was really young (18) i brought a hamster from a pet shop in a market, and i only had the hamster a week, and the first weekend came and i cleaned the hammy cage out, i put the hamster in the ball, and thru all the stuff in a big old brown paper bag, the old sainsburys ones lol..showing me age now lol...and put all new bedding and sawdust in like you do, and when i put the hamster back it was going frantic, squeaking and alsorts, dont ask me why i went back and had a look in the paper bag outside in the garden, but i did, and thank god i did, cos in the bag was 5 bright pink babies, they looked like pigs lol...well i did no more, but picked them all up in the bedding they was in, i didnt touch them, i put them back in the house and thankfully mum didnt disown or harm them, and once old enough i took them back to the man on the market and he was tickled pink lol...
Well i'm gonna have to read up on how old a female is when it can get pregnant lol...


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## Nicky09 (Feb 26, 2009)

I bought what I thought was a male hamster took him to the vet next day and was told he was a she. Luckily no signs of pregnancy or babies yet.


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Gorgeous hammie you have there 

Females can get pregnant from as little as 8-10 weeks old. Their gestation is only 16-18 days so she will begin to show pretty quickly if she is pregnant


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Fluffy said:


> Hi ya Jazzy, Yes i've that worry also lol....yes she was in a tank of males, thats what we wanted in the first place lol...because we had Ronnie, and he was soooo tame , we wanted another male so we could do the same as we did for ronnie, our ronnie used to sleep on our laps, sat in our pockets lol...so that was the only reason we went for the male tank lol...but yes my worry is she could of got pregnant, we have had her a 9days now, and she was supposed to of been 5/6wks, so fingers crossed she wont be, but watch this space lol...this has happened to me before though, i'm going back to when i was really young (18) i brought a hamster from a pet shop in a market, and i only had the hamster a week, and the first weekend came and i cleaned the hammy cage out, i put the hamster in the ball, and thru all the stuff in a big old brown paper bag, the old sainsburys ones lol..showing me age now lol...and put all new bedding and sawdust in like you do, and when i put the hamster back it was going frantic, squeaking and alsorts, dont ask me why i went back and had a look in the paper bag outside in the garden, but i did, and thank god i did, cos in the bag was 5 bright pink babies, they looked like pigs lol...well i did no more, but picked them all up in the bedding they was in, i didnt touch them, i put them back in the house and thankfully mum didnt disown or harm them, and once old enough i took them back to the man on the market and he was tickled pink lol...
> Well i'm gonna have to read up on how old a female is when it can get pregnant lol...


Oh dear - thank goodness they were okay.

Just read on the internet that they can get pregnant from around 6 weeks.
Have you noticed her getting fatter because she would be around halfway through her pregnancy now - it says 15-21 days with Chinese hamsters having the longest pregnancys.


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

OMG lol....thats all i need , just as i've got my last lad leaving school in a weeks time, i could be looking after babies again lol.....
well i'm just gonna have to keep a close eye on her arent i ??? i'm gonna have to read up now on things i should be looking out for ....Thank you to
all of you for your advice, and so glad you like HER lol...


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

If she is pregnant, a couple of days before the birth, you'll notice her frantically making a nest and she'll become a bit uncomfortable. She'll stretch alot and possibly lie on her side alot too


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Fluffy is adorable, hope she isn't pregnant. I got given a little dwarf hammie last week, I was told it was a boy and she had babies today, ooops. Apparently with Campbells obvious nipples is a sign of pregnancy but I would ask one of the more knowledgeable members if that is the same with Syrians.


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## u-look-like-a-hamster (Aug 17, 2008)

boys grow ther balls pretty quick

sooo yh probs a female!!

nd maybe pregnant.

yhh she is scenting her cage

rubbing her hips on the cage so u know its hers ^^

Xx


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Well thank you for that hun, cos yes she is stretching loads, and always yawning lol....her nipples are quite prominent, I think i'm talkin myself into
thinking she is, oh i do hope she isnt lol..but it would be fun, but i'd have to tell [email protected] about their mistake I think lol...
Well i'm gonna keep a very close eye on her , ( i do anyway) but i'm gonna be extra vigilant, as i've been here before.
Thanks everyone for your help and advice. At least i now know she isnt losing the plot with all this rubbing of the hips on everything in the cage lol...
cya 
Paula


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Fluffy said:


> OMG lol....thats all i need , just as i've got my last lad leaving school in a weeks time, i could be looking after babies again lol.....
> well i'm just gonna have to keep a close eye on her arent i ??? i'm gonna have to read up now on things i should be looking out for ....Thank you to
> all of you for your advice, and so glad you like HER lol...


Oh you've got the prom to shell out for too have you? I had that last year and the year before - it's bloomin expensive.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Fluffy said:


> Well thank you for that hun, cos yes she is stretching loads, and always yawning lol....her nipples are quite prominent, I think i'm talkin myself into
> thinking she is, oh i do hope she isnt lol..but it would be fun, but i'd have to tell [email protected] about their mistake I think lol...
> Well i'm gonna keep a very close eye on her , ( i do anyway) but i'm gonna be extra vigilant, as i've been here before.
> Thanks everyone for your help and advice. At least i now know she isnt losing the plot with all this rubbing of the hips on everything in the cage lol...
> ...


They might loan you some cages if you tell them as it's their fault for sexing them wrong. I've heard that they do this.


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

If they offer to take the babies back say no! They will sell them for profit, and they aren't kept in the best conditions, and you can easily find buyers on preloved. Ask them for a refund because its their responsibility to sex them right. If she is pregnant it can be dangerous at her young age. give her plenty of chicken to get her protein levels up and don't touch her babies till their fur is growing.

Char
xxx


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Thanks for that bit of advice Char, Well today Fluffy does seem to look 
bigger lol...especially when she hangs onto the bars, her little nipples are really noticable, but i'm still not positive she is, but she does all that stretching and constantly yawning lol...and she will have a wee in her loo, then she goes totally loco and starts turning over, rubbing her hips on just about every item in the cage lol...never seen this in any of my hamsters lol....
still i'll keep you all posted , we have had her 12days now, so it could still be a good few days yet lol....
thanks for your advice
Paula


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Fluffy said:


> Thanks for that bit of advice Char, Well today Fluffy does seem to look
> bigger lol...especially when she hangs onto the bars, her little nipples are really noticable, but i'm still not positive she is, but she does all that stretching and constantly yawning lol...and she will have a wee in her loo, then she goes totally loco and starts turning over, rubbing her hips on just about every item in the cage lol...never seen this in any of my hamsters lol....
> still i'll keep you all posted , we have had her 12days now, so it could still be a good few days yet lol....
> thanks for your advice
> Paula


Sorry, definately not a hamster breeding expert but if her nipples are really noticable and she is looking bigger then it probably won't be very long, they don't usually start to actually look pregnant until a couple of days before they give birth. Is the cage she is in suitable for the babies (bars narrow enough to stop escapes)? I only got Spike into her tank a couple of days before she had the babies. She only actually looked slightly bigger the day before she had them and even then she didn't look huge. I convinced myself that I was imagining it, right up till I found the babies.


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

Enlarged nipples does sound like she is pregnant! When the babies are born, take the wheel out of the cage, because mummy hamster may crush her baby hamster when they start moving around out of their nest, mummy hamster also might move them about, so best to take wheel out when you realise they have been born. Have you got any piccies of her?

Char
xxx


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

CharleyRogan said:


> Enlarged nipples does sound like she is pregnant! When the babies are born, take the wheel out of the cage, because mummy hamster may crush her baby hamster when they start moving around out of their nest, mummy hamster also might move them about, so best to take wheel out when you realise they have been born. Have you got any piccies of her?
> 
> Char
> xxx


Why do you take the wheel out????  Sorry you can't tell from this post but I am freaking out here, Spike has made her nest underneath the wheel.


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

I always left the wheels in but away from the nest. I felt that it offered the female a chance to have a bit of peace away from her litter


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya everyone, No dont panic, fluffy is still without child lol....
She has just been motoring around the downstairs in her ball, is it ok for her to be bombing around the place ?? wel as i type this to you, she is chewing the bars,which she tends to do for about 20mins after she has been out and about. 
Regarding taking the wheel out, i wont have that trouble for a while, as Fluffy sleeps downstairs, and the wheel is upstairs, and when i say upstairs , she goes up two flights of stairs, i've got a standard peggy cage from P&H, which was our Ronnies's (R.I.P Ronnie) and then we got another cage and customised it , so you litterally go thru the roof into the new cage upbove, i'll have to take a pic of it, cos its prob hard to picture, but all the activities are upstairs, and downstairs is the bedroom and toilet and feeding areas.....
cor the things you do for your little furry friends lol.....
But if fluffy does have little fluffies, how do you go about cleaning out their nest, cos where do they wee ??? if they cant get out and about they must have to go wee's in their nest surely ??? 
Do they feed off mum like kittens and puppies do??and for how long, 
oh i think i need to be doing some research on this lol....
I'll try get some pics for you 
Paula


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Fluffy said:


> But if fluffy does have little fluffies, how do you go about cleaning out their nest, cos where do they wee ??? if they cant get out and about they must have to go wee's in their nest surely ???
> Do they feed off mum like kittens and puppies do??and for how long


You must not clean out the cage until the pups are weaned. The cage will smell during this time - that's unavoidable, any attempts to change the bedding material would increase the likelihood of cannibalism.

The pups will suckle on the females milk until an average of 2 weeks. They will be fully weaned at 3 - 3 1/2 weeks. Then you must remove them from the mother and put them into same sexed groups. They can be kept in their groups until 6 weeks of age and then they're old enough to sell or if you keep them all, they must be put into a cage each.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Any ominous little sqeaking noises or nest building yet fluffy?


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

I'd take it out because when the little babies start to come out by themselves, mummy hamster may crush them on wheel if she goes on it, i think a wheel would be dangerous for little pups and could cause harm which is why i'd take it out! I think its tempting fate.

Char
xxx


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

CharleyRogan said:


> I'd take it out because when the little babies start to come out by themselves, mummy hamster may crush them on wheel if she goes on it, i think a wheel would be dangerous for little pups and could cause harm which is why i'd take it out! I think its tempting fate.
> 
> Char
> xxx


My wheel is on a stand and the base of the stand is actually under the nest, the nest is actually directly behind the wheel so I can't take it out safely. Spike went on it today  but luckily it didn't go round because of all the bedding stuffed behind it. I wish I had taken it out before she gave birth, the more I read about Dwarf hamster breeding the more it says about dwarfs being much more likely to eat the babies :crying:.


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya folks,
Well no little fluffies as yet lol....but she is acting perculiar lol...when fluffy comes out, she runs around and when you go to stroke her, she stops and shes like a scorpion....her tail goes bolt upright lol...new one on me i'm afraid, and when she does it, it sort of lets out a smell, but she has just been in the ball,which she loves soooo much, its like a dog, when you tap the ball she comes flying out of her house and straight into the ball lol...
But i still cant get my head around this skittish behaviour, she is running up and down, but flipping over , rubbing her sides on everyting in site, whats this all about? i think someone told me its called scenting , but she does it soooooo ofter lol....
but as i type yet again she is chewing the bars, she chews so much , she marks up her little face ?? still i'm keeping a close eye on her, i've attached some pics of her customised cage i made. Just to give you an idea where she lives lol...
I'm gonna go on the website you gave me to help me with the do's and donts on looking after hamster and pups lol...


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Pics of fluffys abode , and just took a pic of her chewing lol


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Just an update on Fluffy,
Still no Baby Fluffies lol....but i'm still convinced she's pregnant lol...
We have had her 14days now, and I think she has got really big in the 2wks we have had her, so going by the advice i've had from you, she should of had something by this weekend then ??? if not shes just a fat hamster lol....
I'll keep you all posted.
Paula


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## Gobaith (Jun 6, 2009)

Your hammy is gorgeous! 

Jus a quick note, you want to be careful because as you said the hammys were segregated into male and female cages and she came out of the male cage causing them to believe she was a he.. You need to be careful that as she was in there she isn't already pregnant. It depends on how old she is 
I had a male hammy called Ziggy and you could tell from pretty early on that he was a HE lol, and yeah as ou said he had the long tail/bum thingy :L

Also.. I have a rat at the mo called Ronny!! 
Good luck with your cutey cutey CUTE hammy


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Any news on Fluffy, any little surprises yet?


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hello everyone...
Well there is NO sound of pitterpatter of tiny feet as yet, i'm beginning to think she
is just a fat hamster now lol.....we have had her 16 days today, i'm kind of thiniking well she could of mated on the day we got her, so she still could have a litter, but I dont know........lol......
Well she is still behaving quite wierd, but then again, i've only ever had male syrians before so perhaps this is just how the female behaves, but she does have this habit of stretching out and then her tail goes bolt upright and she seems to let off a scent, its a sweet sickly smell lol...
still i'm still keeping a close eye on her.
Thanks for your interest. take care all
Paula
:laugh:


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

If her tail sticks up in the air when you touch her then she isn't pregnant. When female hamsters stick their tails up, they're in heat


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Whoooo  , well I do hope this is the case lol....but i'm still not sure , but i know by the weekend if she is pregnant she should of given birth by then, if she hasnt then she's just been tricking me .
Many thanks
Paula


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya All,
Wel just to let those of you that have been interested in Fluffys Pregnancy/Or No Pregnancy lol...
Well i'm now convinced she is just a little fatty now lol...
Well we have actually had her 17days now, so i'm taking it that she could of fallen pregnant on the day we purchased her, so would she have had her little babies by now ??? its weird cos she does feel large at the back, but then some have said she acts the way she does cos she's on heat, so i'm really confused .
I just keep saying to myself if by the weekend no babies, then its a deffo NO NO lol....:sad:
Hope everyone is well, take care
Paula


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

If you post a pic showing us her tummy area then we might be able to help. I used to breed from syrians so i know what shape tummies their suppose to have.
It could also be a false pregnancy


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hi ya Marcia,
Well i've tried getting a pic of fluffys tummy, lol....but its been a job, she dont keep still long enough for me to click the button lol...
I'm just gonna have to wait and see. 
I've never had a hamster like her, shes a total nutter, when she has been in the ball, and returned to the cage, she just goes skittso lol...flipping on her back, skirting herself along all the toys and edges of the cage, so i've decided she's not pregnant but just a screw loose lol...
Paula


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## Fluffy (Jun 3, 2009)

Well I dont know if you can tell from these pics Marcia, but Fluffy was climbing , so i quickly caught her on camera....lol...and also one of her eating , you can sort of see the width of her....
Paula


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## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Her nipples are def very visable although she doesn't appear very pear shaped, give it another day or 2 and if she hasn't popped then, it was maybe just a false pregnancy


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