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Checking The Sex Of A Hamster
When bringing a hamster home you will want to find out what sex it is. When buying from pet shops it is always good to double check even if the staff have already told you the sex as pet shops are notorious for missexing their animals.
(Below are some visual aids for checking your hamsters sex.)
How To Check The Sex
In order to check the sex of the hamster you will need to look at the space between their rear legs where their genitals are. With a tame hamster this can be done by scruffing the hamster or holding it on it's back and using two fingers to gently separate the rear legs. Even a tame hamster may find this stressful and may not hold still so it is not always an easy task.
For hamsters who do not like to be turned over or for untamed hamsters the easiest way to check their sex is by placing them into a plastic or glass container with a clear base. Hold the container with the hamster in above your head and look through the base to examine the sex. This can be more tricky that holding the hamster but is less stressful for them.
Males
Males hamster genitals are spaced further apart than female genitals. There is usually a small gap a few millimetres wide between the area of the penis and the anus. Males will usually have fur around this area.
The area of the penis resembles a small lump that may look similar to an 'out-y' bellybutton.
The testicles of males are located beneath the tail and will make the bottom end of the hamster stick out. Testicles can be retracted into the body when the hamster is cold so they are not always visible. The lack of testicles does not guarantee that the hamster is not male.
In dwarf and Chinese hamsters a scent glad can be located on the upper part of the torso, this usually looks like a small yellow stain in the fur and is much easier to see on hamsters with white fur. Again this may not be visible and not being able to see it does not guarantee that the hamster is not male.
Females
Female hamster genitals are much closer together than males with the vaginal opening being located immediately above the anus. Occasionally you may have a female with a slightly larger gap. There is often little to no fur around the female genitals.
Female hamsters also have nipples unlike male hamsters. A female hamster has 8 nipples in total, that's 4 nipples on each side of the torso. Nipples can be hard to spot on some hamsters but if your hamster has nipples it is a female.
