how many days does it take for pregnancy for a hamster?

Answer 1

There are five species of hamsters commonly kept as pets. Only two of them have the same gestational time. The five species are: Syrian, Campbells Russian Dwarf, Winter White Russian Dwarf, Roborovski Dwarf and Chinese. A Syrian hamster is what pet stores always incorrectly sell as "Teddy Bears", "Black Bears", "Calicos", "Panda Bears", etc.. The pet stores create these "fancy" names to sell them for more money but they are all the same kind of hamster. Much like a chocolate lab, black lab and yellow lab are all the same. Or a blonde haired girl is the same as a brunette. Hamsters are the only species that I am aware of that has this problem. It is so exaggerated that most people think a "Teddy Bear" hamster is a different species than a "Black Bear" hamster. Unfortunately, it is not limited to Syrians anymore as I am starting to see Campbells being sold as "Blueberry" or "Blackberry" dwarves, but they are still Campbells. You need to know exactly what kind of hamster you have. If you still aren't sure, check out this link that had photos of the five species:
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_species.htm

So back to gestational periods. Gestate means pregnancy, gestational periods means the length of time of the pregnancy. The easiest one is the Syrians. They gestate for EXACTLY 16 days. I have never heard of a Syrian delivering even a day early. I have had over 300 litters and being one of the top breeders in the US, have almost daily contact with the other top breeders. Unfortunately, I have had around four deliver a day late. The ones that deliver a day late do so because there is a problem with the delivery. I have only had one female that delivered a day late survive. Since Syrians must be housed separately, it is very easy for a breeder to know when a female is mated because the breeder has to introduce the male and female.

Next up is the Campbells Russian Dwarf. It has a gestation period of 18-20 days so they are not as exact as a Syrian. Campbells also have the ability to delay implantation so if this is occurring, there is no way to tell when actual implantation occurs and thus can't accurately predict the delivery date. Campbells are usually housed in pairs or trios so it will also be hard to know when the female is mated.

The Winter White gestation period is also 18-20 days and they can also delay implantation.

The Roborovskis have the longest gestation period of the five species, 23 days. It is not confirmed whether they can delay implantation or not, but it has been suggested.

The Chinese hamsters have a gestation period of 20-21 days, though there have been observations of gestations shorter than this.

If you purchased your hamster from a pet store and think she could be pregnant, then you just have to wait between now and the uppermost gestational time for her species. Hamsters don't appear pregnant until a few days before delivery. If she does have babies, you must leave her alone. No peeking at the babies, no touching the babies, no handling mom until the pups have their eyes open and are walking around the cage on their own. They will be around 16 days old. At this point, lower the water bottle so the pups can reach it. The pups can be weaned at 4 weeks, no later than 5 weeks.

Something else you can offer your female, both while she's pregnant and the entire time she has her pups with her is additional sources of protein. Scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, tofu and dry kitten food are all excellent to offer and have high amounts of protein.

-Janice
http://www.holmdenhillhaven.com

Answer 2

it takes any where from 21 - 26 days depending on the type of hamster you have and how many litters she has raised a more mature hamster will gestate longer for some unknown reason

Answer 3

dwarf hamsters:19 to 22 days golden hamsters:16 to 18 days

Answer 4

Gestation for hamsters is about 21 days. It is best not to touch newborn hamsters or the mother will eat them.