How to determine the gender of a hamster

Of course, you can just ask the seller at the pet store. But sellers can be mistaken, and someintentionally give out females for males. And if you got a hamster as a gift or as an acquaintance, there will be no one to ask, just as in a situation when your hamster has got offspring: you will have to determine the sex of your offspring yourself.

Please note that determine the sex of the hamster can only be when the animals reach four weeks of age: in young calves the difference between females and males is invisible. In addition, to determine the sex you will need to take a hamster in his arms, and with the cubs, it is better not to do this.

The most reliable way to determine the gender of a hamster is to look at the the distance between the genitals (the urethra) and the anal opening. To do this, you need to lift the hamster over the scruff, so that it stretches out and spreads its hind legs. Please note that you need to do this carefully, so as not to give the pet unpleasant sensations.

However, many hamsters, if lifted by the scruff, experience discomfort and begin to wriggle. Therefore, it is better to do a little differently: gently grab the hamster with your fingers under the front paws and Put his belly up on your palm. The head and upper part of the body lying onThe palm of the hamster should be carefully held with the thumb of the same hand, and the back part let hang freely (it can be very gently supported by the thumb and forefinger of the second hand).

In females the distance between the vagina and the anal opening is about 3 mm (both holes are located almost closely). Distance between penis and anal opening in males several times more - about 1-1.5 cm.

In males, the location of the genital organsusually covered with thick wool, the female in this area wool is more rare or even completely absent. Sometimes in females on the abdomen you can see nipples arranged in two rows. A in male dwarf hamsters in the center of the abdomen may be visible gland, resembling a navel, the secretions from which they mark the territory. In females, it is usually invisible. In Syrian hamsters, the gland on the stomach can not be looked for, they have two glands located on the sides of the back.

Also distinguish the male from the female by the presence of testicles. At the age of four weeks of malesthe base of the tail is usually well marked by the scrotum. However, this method of determining the sex of hamsters can not be called 100% reliable, since in some males the sexual glands can remain inside the abdominal cavity (the so-called cryptorchidism), in addition, the dwarf breeds of hamsters are not noticeable.

A very unreliable way to determine the sex of a hamster - by behavior. It is believed that males are more quiet, calm andfriendly, and females - more mobile and aggressive. But each animal has its own character, in addition, the behavior of your pet can be influenced by various factors (health, conditions of detention, etc.), so we would not recommend trying to determine the gender of the hamster by its behavior, it is very easy to In this case, make a mistake.

It is important to remember one thing: it is highly undesirable to contain together both same-sex and different-sex hamsters. Hamsters are single territorial animals,so two hamsters in one cage, most likely, will begin to conflict and can harm each other. And if the hamsters are heterosexual, during the estrus the female, most likely, will become pregnant. Honestly: are you ready to mess with her numerous offspring?