Why didn't my pregnant hamster give birth?

Question

Ok my hamster Daisy I think got pregnant on February 5th and after 16 days they are suppose to give birth right? Well her due date was February 21st. Well now it's past that and she hasn't given birth. She seems all healthy and everything but why hasn't she given birth? ( I don't think she ate them, she still looks pregnant though.) Please help me. Thank You

Answer 1

You didn't specify which species of hamster Daisy is. Only Syrians have a 16 day gestation period, the other species have longer gestations.

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.asp

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.

You've indicated that you bred Daisy on the 5th so I would assume that means she's a Syrian. Why is it that you think that she's pregnant? Is her abdomen enlarged? Do her nipples look bumped out at all? Can you see any milk in her nipples? Unfortunately there are a few diseases in hamsters that will give the hamster the appearance of being pregnant. One of the diseases is fatal, the other is fatal unless her uterus is removed.

The other thing that I suspect that may be going on is that Daisy is older than 6 months old. Hamsters older than 6 months can have significant problems if they've never had a litter before. At about 6 months of age, a female hamster's hip and pelvic bones will fuse. If she's already had a litter, then their bones will have already been shifted and separated to allow for more litters to be delivered without a problem. If she hasn't had a litter before her bones fuse, then her bones will fuse too narrow for the pups to be delivered easily. Many times, the pups are born stillborn as they receive severe head trauma if the female does manage to push them through. Other times the female will strain to the point of hemorrhaging. Unfortunately, what usually happens is the pups are unable to be born and they will die inside the female. This will either kill the female immediately or cause an infection that will lead to a slower death for her. IMany people suggest that the pups are reabsorbed. This only happens with embroyos that are not too term. If you're positive that she's pregnant and hasn't delivered her pups then I suggest you find a vet that can take a look at her and possibly do a spay procedure on her. I haven't called it a C-section because the pups have probably already died and the few hamsters that I know have had C-sections did not accept the pups after the operation. Unfortunately, I have looked into this operation with my local vet and got a quote of $600 for the procedure and was told she may not survive it. I opted to have the female humanely euthanized.

-Janice
http://www.holmdenhillhaven.com

Answer 2

Hamster Giving Birth To 20 Babies

Answer 3

The gestation period 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

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.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

This may be a strange answer, but hampsters eat their young, so hampster owners need to be very watchful of their pet when she's pregnant. She could've been pregnant, gave birth during the night, and then ate her babies?

Answer 6

She's probably just late. Keep an eye on her and if they are not born in a day or two call and talk to your vet.

Answer 7

She not ready yet, but what you can do to help her

Give her some boiled egg white, It gives ur the nutrients she needs to feed the babies, and it keeps her from eating the babies, which she will do if she doesnt have propor nutrients. Also give her beets, they help to

Answer 8

Hamsters gestation period is 21 days, not 16. She's not late, she's just not due yet.

Answer 9

take her to the vet they may have to do a c-section on her. one of the babies could be stuck.

Answer 10

late delivery, or she's not due. talk to a vet to check it out.