Have you always wondered if your hamster is male or female, but you don't know how to figure it out? It is really important to know the sex of your rodent friend, especially if you own more than one and don't want to have puppies. The process is pretty quick, but you also need to know what to look for. Your hamster won't like being turned upside down to get checked, but the operation will be quick and you will eventually know if you have a cute boy or girl.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Catch the Hamster
Step 1. Wait for the right moment to check on the animal
To understand its gender, you need to check its rear end and under the belly. The best thing to do is to wait until the hamster is awake and relaxed. If you grab it while it sleeps or is stressed, then it may bite you.
Try giving him a treat and give him some cuddles. Hamsters don't like being turned upside down (that's just what you're going to do), so a little pampering will make the whole procedure easier
Step 2. Consider working over a large bowl or box lined with a napkin
This way the hamster will fall onto a soft surface in case it wriggles out of your grip. At the same time, the container will prevent the animal from escaping once it has fallen.
Step 3. Grab the hamster by the scruff of the neck
To lock it safely, you need to approach it calmly and not catch it by surprise. Place the palm of one hand over the pet with your thumb and forefinger on its shoulder blades. Gently grab the excess skin between his shoulders to control his head and prevent him from biting you.
Do not pull on the skin and do not lift the animal with this grip
Step 4. Lift and turn the hamster over
Use the rest of your hand to support the animal's body. With your free hand, support the weight of your furry friend, lift him and turn him so that his back rests on the palm of the hand you used to pin him to the scruff. At this point his whole body should be well supported.
Part 2 of 3: Determining Gender in Adult Specimens
Step 1. Evaluate the size of the animal
Males are usually larger than females. If you don't have another specimen to compare with, then this feature may not help. However, if you have another hamster, you can place them close together and evaluate their size. While this isn't a defining test, it still gives you a good idea of whether your pet is a boy or a girl.
When you look at an adult male from above, you notice that his back is more pointed and raised, while females have a rounder butt
Step 2. Check the abdominal part of the hamster, in the tail area
These animals reach sexual maturity around 35 days of age and, in adult specimens, genital differences are easy to see. Males have prominent testicles which make the back area rather swollen and almond-shaped. Females have a rather rounded bottom.
Step 3. Check the abdomen for nipples and check the area under the tail
If you see the testicles, it's a boy. If you don't see testicles, but prominent nipples, then you are holding a female hamster. Females have six pairs of protruding nipples.
- Male Russian hamsters have very prominent scent glands. In an adult specimen they are yellow in color, positioned in the umbilical region, in the center of the belly.
- If you can't figure out the sex of your hamster, then the animal may still be sexually immature.
Part 3 of 3: Determining the Gender of the Pups
Step 1. Locate the two openings at the bottom of the hamster
They usually look like small pink circles with slightly raised edges. The anus is under the tail and the urogenital opening (where the genital and urinary organs are located) is located under the anus, towards the center of the abdomen.
Step 2. Determine the distance between the anus and the urogenital fissure
It is much more difficult to understand the gender differences in puppies, but it is possible to recognize whether it is a boy or a girl by calculating the distance between the two openings. In the female specimens, the two slits are very close, so much so that it could be almost impossible to identify them as two separate openings; sometimes the anus and vulva seem to merge together into a single structure. In male hamsters, the openings are more widely spaced, making it easy to identify the anus and the urogenital cleft as two divided zones.
If you have a male, you may also notice a swollen area near the groin. These are the developing testes
Step 3. If in doubt, check the animal again
If you can see only one opening that looks quite large to you then you may think you have a female, however it is best to double check your puppy often or take him to a small rodent vet just in case you haven't noticed the second opening. In very young males it is not easy to see the urogenital cleft, especially in very small Russian hamsters.
The specimens of the Syrian breed, the most widespread among the hamsters sold as pets, are solitary and must be kept in single cages, for this reason knowing their sex is not essential. Russian hamsters, on the other hand, should be kept in separate cages based on sex. If you have puppies, you need to check them often until the genitals are noticeable; will allow you to avoid unwanted pregnancies
Advice
- Remember that hamsters are animals preyed on in the wild and are vulnerable to stress. You may be tempted to comfort an upset one by stroking and talking to him as if he were a kitten or puppy dog; however, it is best to leave it alone in its cage after handling it for a long time.
- The more hamsters you can observe, the better you learn to determine their sex, even if they are very young cubs.
- If your rodent friend is putting on weight suddenly, then there's a good chance it's a pregnant female. You will have to learn how to take care of puppies, but at least you will know that your puppy is female!
- Divide the males from the females. Once you have determined the sex of your specimen, you should separate it from those of the opposite sex if you do not want puppies. If you don't, you can be sure that the female will get pregnant. Quite often, the best thing to do is to leave each hamster in their own cage, as some breeds, such as the Syrian, tend to be aggressive towards other adults.
