The gestation period of Dwarf Russian Hamsters is 18-21 days and if mating was observed then the time of the expected arrival of the litter can be roughly calculated. If mating was not observed then it is often not possible to know tell when the litter is expected. Many females do not appear pregnant until a couple of days before the birth but an increased aggressiveness of the female towards her mate, colony hamsters or humans is often an indication of pregnancy. The female will often banish the male or other hamsters from the nest a couple of days before pregnancy and/or after the birth. Therefore as soon as it is noticed the female is pregnant it is best to clean the cage.
The male will help to rear the young, particularly with Campbells Russian Hamsters, and so it is not necessary to remove when the female is noticed to be pregnant. However, the hamsters will often mate immediately after birth so if it is not intended to breed further litters the male should be removed prior to the birth.
Dwarf Russian Hamsters have an amazing ability to delay implantation, meaning that mating can take place but implantation of all or some of the fertilised eggs can be withheld by the female until a later date and so even if mating takes place the female may not give birth until some time much later.
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