After mating, expect your pregnant hamster to begin putting on weight, particularly between 10 and 18 days after conception. As mentioned above, she’s spending far more time ‘nesting’ – bringing more and more bedding material into her nest, and storing more food. For Syrian hamsters you can expect birth to occur anytime after day 16, while dwarf hamsters gestate over a period of 18-30 days, with birth usually occurring around day 21 for the Winter Whites and the Campbell’s, and anywhere from day 23-30 for the Roborovskis. The gestation period for the Chinese hamster is also 21 days.
In the hours leading up to birth, the pregnant hamster’s rate of breathing will increase by 50% and she will grow increasingly restless. As each pup is born the mother severs the umbilical cord and, depending on the species, can either eat the placenta or store it for a later meal.
One pup is born every 10 to 30 minutes, with a total litter size varying between species. For Syrians, the average litter size is 8, but up to 26 pups can be born. For dwarfs, the average is 6, but up to 14 is not uncommon. The entire birthing process can take up to two hours, during which time the mother will clean each pup and tidy the nest. Once all the pups are born she gathers all her newborns around her and begins to nurse them. |  Report
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