Sexing Dwarf Hamsters is the process of determining if your hamster is a male or a female. It is important to do this yourself even if the pet store staff have advised you of their gender.
They are often uneducated about such matters or don’t bother and lump them all together. In fact – More often than not, I have purchased a miss-sexed hamster from my local Store, and it is a very well known chain of pet stores in the UK!
It is often quite difficult to sex dwarf hamsters because they are so small and wriggly, however, with practice, you will soon learn to tell very easily. If you have a miss-sexed dwarf hamster and it turns out to be a female, there’s a chance she could be pregnant.
How To Tell The Sex of a Dwarf Hamster
Male Dwarf Hamster Signs / Determining Gender
- Males have testicles and a tapering body towards the rear. Their testicles are prominent when they have fully grown.
- Males have scent glands in the middle of their tummy. Sometimes their glands might be a little oily and yellow from their secretions. Females also have scent glands, but they are much smaller and barely noticeable. You might notice the strong odor from your hamsters, especially if you have been handling them. Purebred male dwarf hamsters can have strong scents when they reach adulthood.
- Male Hamsters are bigger.
- Male genitals are much further apart. About the distance of the width of your little finger.
Female Dwarf Hamster Signs / Determining Gender
- Females have nipples on their belly area. Their nipples might be difficult to see underneath their fur. When they are pregnant and close to birth, they will become more prominent.
- Females genital vents are very close together. Sometimes you might mistake them for one hole. Look carefully.
Sexing Dwarf Hamsters
I can’t seem to get this right. So far I have had 14 babies from 4 different hamsters I thought were males. My bedroom looks like the local pet shop. The five babies and one from another cage I found this morning will be going to the pet shop as soon as they can leave their mother. It is very difficult to sex them when they are biting you and drawing blood!