Djungarian hamsters can become wonderful friends for both children and adults. These funny, clean little animals are most often adopted by those who do not yet have experience keeping pets at home. Even children can cope with them. This is exactly what serves common cause purchasing animals of this species as a gift for a child.
Often when buying an animal, people do not think about whether they chose a boy or a girl. But if the purpose of purchasing a rodent is to further breed hamsters, or if you already have a hamster at home, it is important to learn to distinguish between males and females by gender.
Why be able to distinguish hamsters by gender?
Anyone who plans to acquire a small ornamental animal should understand that distinguishing between females and males is as important as knowing how to choose the right cage for it, etc.Why is it important to determine the sex of these rodents? There are several answers to this question.
Firstly, a male and a female are specially purchased if they want to breed rodents at home. In this case, future breeders simply need to know how to distinguish Djungarian hamsters by sex, so as not to acquire two same-sex animals. In addition to the fact that such a couple will not produce offspring, they can also seriously mutilate each other. This is especially true for adult representatives of the breed staying in the same cage. Their nature is as follows: they do not put up with competitors on their territory.
Secondly, sometimes a store clerk or a novice breeder from whom you can buy an ornamental rodent does not know how to determine the sex of the animal. In this case, the buyer must learn to independently distinguish females from males of this breed in order to choose a suitable animal for himself.
Third, sometimes a person wants to have a boy or a girl Djungarian hamster. Anyone who wants to have a male animal needs to be especially careful when purchasing. After all, there are cases when a female is sold to an inexperienced buyer, and at that time she may already be pregnant. Such an acquisition will not please a person who planned to keep one animal, but instead acquired a large family of rodents.
Fourth, in order to choose a name for your pet. After all, if you don’t know who he is (a boy or a girl), then what should you call him?
How to properly restrain an animal for inspection
It is easy to determine the sex of an adult representative of the breed, because his external sexual characteristics are clearly expressed and visible during examination. But if you need to find out the sex of the cub, you should wait until it is 3-4 weeks old. It is from this age that it becomes possible to understand whether it is a boy or a girl. To begin with, the pet needs to be placed in such a way that the external sexual characteristics become visible. There are two ways to do this:
1. In order for the rodent to show its genitals, you need to grab it by the scruff of the neck with your hand and lift it up. Thus, the body is stretched, and the areas that need to be examined become clearly visible.
2. Another method is not as stressful for the animal as the previous one. The baby should be placed on the palm of his hand with his belly up, while carefully holding him with his thumb. It is possible that at first he will not really like this position, but the animal can be calmed by gently stroking its tummy. In this case, it becomes possible to examine the area of interest of the body.
In order to find out the gender of this cute pet, you need to carefully examine it. Naturally, the main characteristics of both the female and the male are the genitals. Additional information about whether an animal is female or masculine can tell the size of the rodent’s body, as well as its character.How to identify a male hamster
- In a male Djungarian hamster, starting from the age of four weeks, you can already notice the testicles, which are located near the base of the tail. Having placed the animal on your palm with its tummy up, you need to very carefully press on the abdomen so that the testicles become visible. The distance between the penis and the anus in adult representatives of the breed should be from 1 to 1.5 cm, and in babies approximately 0.5 cm.
- In males, the navel can be easily felt. It is with its help that these animals mark their territory.
- If, when examining an adult pet, you can see a slightly pointed edge of the back, it means the pet is male, and when this area is more rounded, it is female.
- If the cubs of these animals feel swelling in the groin area, it is the testicles that are maturing and, accordingly, these babies are male.
- Males have thicker fur than females.
How to identify a female hamster
- In females, the distance from the genitals to the anus is approximately 3 mm.
- In girls of this species of animals, two rows of nipples stretch on the abdomen all the way to the chest. There are eight of them. The navel cannot be felt.
- Girls of Djungarian hamsters are usually larger than boys, so by raising several pets of this breed at home, in most cases you can correctly determine their sex by body size.
- Females are much more active than males, they do not like to be handled, and sometimes, in protest, they can bite a finger.
How to determine the sex of a Djungarian hamster: photos of a step-by-step examination
Many buyers do not think about how to find out the gender of a Djungarian hamster and purchase the animal “blindly”, guided by the criteria “This one is very cute” or “This one is the most active, it suits me.” Most of these inexperienced breeders then have problems with breeding and keeping these animals.When purchasing a small rodent, the new owner often has no idea how to determine the sex of the hamster. This aspect is especially important if you plan to purchase several animals at once. If the examination is incorrect, there is a high risk of incidents involving an unplanned pregnancy or mating of same-sex individuals. You should not rely on the opinion of sales consultants in a pet store, because many of them do not have a veterinary education and can take advantage of the buyer’s inexperience to sell animals for sure. That is why it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the main distinguishing features of females and males. In this matter, the breed does not play any role; certain differences are characteristic of both Djungarian and Syrian hamsters.
Preparation for inspection
Hamsters are prey for predators, so they are very shy by nature. Finding themselves in uncomfortable conditions, they try to protect themselves by showing aggression. If the inspection is carried out ineptly and incorrectly, there is a high risk that the animal will begin to bite and break out of your hands. This is a normal reaction to a stressful and dangerous situation.
To avoid injury and not frighten the animal, you need to know the basic rules of inspection:
- 1. The animal should be in a calm, preferably half-asleep state. If he shows excessive activity, anxiety or agitation, it is better to postpone the examination until next time.
- 2. Before the procedure, you must wash your hands to eliminate foreign odors. If the aroma from your hands interests the animal and seems appetizing to it, it may bite your finger.
- 3. Before picking up the hamster, you need to pet it, caress it, talk to it quietly and calmly, and treat it with your favorite treat.
- 4. During the examination, you cannot turn the rodent upside down: it will be very frightened and will certainly show aggression. It is also forbidden to squeeze the hamster too much: its bones are so fragile that they can be broken.
When the right moment for inspection has been chosen, you need to take the animal in your left hand, enclosing the closed index finger and thumb in a ring. The lower part of the animal's body will hang down, and the head with its front legs will remain at the top. If necessary, you can support the rodent from below with your little finger and ring finger or the palm of your free hand. A similar fixation in a vertical position, shown in the photo below, is the most comfortable for a timid animal.
You can determine the sex of a hamster in this way:
This method is more suitable for experienced hamster breeders who can carry out inspections quickly. If you keep a rodent in this position for a long time, it will certainly begin to break free and bite. To avoid an accident, it is advisable to carry out the inspection over something soft, for example, over a terry towel, at a low height. If the animal accidentally escapes from your hands, it will not be able to injure itself when it falls and lands on a soft surface.
How to determine the sex of a hamster?
You can determine the sex of a hamster using the same characteristics, regardless of the breed of the rodent.
Sex differences are clearly visible in sexually mature individuals aged 30-35 days. Distinguishing a boy from a girl at a younger age is extremely problematic, since the genital organs of babies are not fully developed and therefore poorly expressed. On at this stage It is recommended to keep hamsters in separate cages to avoid unplanned offspring. If there is an urgent need to determine the sex of a rodent (for example, when buying a hamster at a pet store), you can try to do this in the following ways:
- 1. Carefully examine the animal’s butt. There you can see two small pink circles with slightly raised edges. This is what the anus and urinary opening look like. For boys, the distance between the holes is slightly larger than for girls (for girls, it seems as if there is only one circle).
- 2. Examine the abdomen: in girls you can feel small, symmetrically located pimples - these are not yet formed nipples.
The distance between the anus and genitals in boys is twice as large as in girls
If the hamster is more than four weeks old, distinguishing the sex at home will not be difficult. To do this, you need to pay attention to the behavior of the animal and become familiar with the basic sexual characteristics of females and males.
Size and character
Females are more active, mobile and energetic: they can run for days on a wheel installed in a cage, and quickly move from hand to hand while playing with the owner. Males have a calmer disposition: they mostly sit, sleep or nibble on their favorite treat. Despite such an active lifestyle, girls are still much larger than their partners. Rapid weight gain and an increase in volume indicate the female's pregnancy.
It is noteworthy that female Syrian hamsters cannot get along in the same cage: they constantly conflict and even fight. Males calmly find mutual language and are able to live in a common territory all their lives.
You can also recognize a male by his fur: his coat is thicker than that of a female. Djungarian girls have a large and rounded butt, while their partners have a more pointed shape and stick out upward. Such differences are very clearly visible when there are several hamsters in a cage at once and it is possible to compare them with each other.
Sexual characteristics
You can accurately find out the sex of a hamster by examining the genitals. In adult males, convex almond-shaped testicles are clearly visible in the perineal area. There are rare cases when the testicles remain in abdominal cavity and it is impossible to see them. This disease is called cryptorchidism. That is why it is possible to determine the sex of a hamster only through a comprehensive examination - based on several characteristics.
In male dwarf hamsters, on the tummy near the urinary opening you can see a slightly yellowish wet spot - this is a special odorous gland with which the animal marks its territory. In females there is no such hairless plaque.
The hole in the middle of the abdomen of dwarf hamsters is a special gland that is present only in males.
Now you should pay attention to the area between the anus and the urethra:
The final stage of the examination is studying the abdomen. In males it is completely covered with hair, and in females you can see 3 pairs of nipples, which are located symmetrically in 2 rows.
Purchasing a pair of hamsters at once is an excellent opportunity to create comfortable conditions so that your pet does not get bored alone. It should be remembered that Syrian hamsters do not like to share their territory with someone, but Djungarian hamsters thrive in company. Timely determination of sex will help to avoid incidents with the mating of same-sex animals and prevent unwanted offspring.
It is very important to determine the gender of your pet. When buying a hamster, everyone wants to know what gender it is. This question is important when there are two or more individuals in one cage, and the owner does not want them to reproduce.
In fact Determining the sex of an animal does not require special skills. It is necessary to know the differences between a boy and a girl. Of course, the hamster will not be happy with being touched and examined, but with the right approach you will not cause the rodent much discomfort.
It is important to determine the gender of hamsters, as they can live in small groups. The proximity of rodents of different sexes carries the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
By appearance
Experienced breeders are able to determine the sex of a pet by external characteristics. To understand what gender of rodent you bought, consider the visual differences between a male and a female. Further recommendations apply to both Djungarian hamsters and Syrian and other breeds.
Girls are larger than boys. When the owner has several individuals, this difference is clearly visible.
If you look at the animals from above, you can see that in boys the back tapers towards the tail, whereas in girls it is round in shape. But this method does not guarantee one hundred percent accuracy, but works in conjunction with other signs.
Females have much shorter fur than in males, whose body is covered with long and thick fur, especially in the genital area. In girls, it is visually difficult to find the navel, since in boys it is clearly visible.
By behavior
Females are much faster than males. As practice shows, females are more active, more playful, than their male relatives. Tame girls are rare.
Males have a calm and balanced character. Of course, they play, but much less often than females. The boys sleep for most of the time.
They can only show aggression towards another male when the mating period begins. They show patience with people and make contact easier than girls.
By genitals
In newborn hamsters
If you carefully examine the butt of a small hamster, you will see two small pink circles with raised edges. These are the anal and urinary openings. The gender of babies is determined based on the distance between them.
For girls
Girls are larger than males. It is possible to identify a female by external sexual characteristics.
If you look at the belly of a rodent, which is practically not covered with fur, you can see the anus and vagina. You can understand that this is a vagina using a ruler.
The distance between the anus and the genital slit should be approximately 3 mm. Another sign that this is a female is the presence of 8 nipples, which are arranged in two rows.
In boys
Boys are more friendly. The most accurate sign that you are dealing with a boy is the presence of only two nipples on the animal.
In the genital area, two testicles are easily distinguishable.
They are located at a distance of 1.5 cm from the anus.
Proper inspection
Before you begin the examination, the hamster needs to be calmed down. To do this, just pet him, and you can talk to him in a calm voice. Give your baby a small piece of his favorite treat.
To avoid possible injuries if the rodent suddenly escapes from your hands, it is better to inspect it over something soft. Place a towel or blanket folded in several layers on your knees.
Take the hamster carefully, but you need to hold it tightly, so that he doesn't break out. To do this, place the animal on your left palm with its belly down, and with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, grab it by the fold between the shoulder blades. This will help fix the animal in the desired position. The animal will not be able to turn its head and bite its owner. Carefully turn the hamster onto its back and begin the examination.
Finding out the gender is important, even if you plan to keep only one hamster. This is necessary in order to give the rodent a name. If you buy an animal for a child, he will definitely ask you whether it is a boy or a girl. In pet stores, keep animals in one cage. Therefore, careful attention to the gender of the hamster will allow you to avoid buying a pregnant female.
Consultation with a specialist
If you find it difficult to independently determine if you are a boy or a girl, then contact a professional.
Ask a pet store salesperson for help. But in this case, make sure that he has the skills to determine the sex of these animals. It often happens that stores employ people who are not always competent in these matters.
The safest thing to do is consult a veterinarian. A knowledgeable doctor can easily determine the sex of a hamster and will give a number of recommendations on how to do it yourself.
For beginning hamster breeders who plan to breed, learning to determine the sex of the animal is very important. This will be useful in the first stages, when you are just buying an animal, and in the future for separating babies by gender. Be careful when purchasing animals.
In contact with
Domestic rodents are perceived ambiguously as family pets. Some compare them to wild destroyers of food and grain, pests of the national economy. Others are delighted at the sight of a cute guinea pig. Often domestic rodents appear in families with small children. When purchasing a pet, owners, as a rule, do not ask about its gender. And the appearance of offspring comes as a complete surprise to the owners. When choosing a rodent, it is important to know how to determine the sex of a jungarik, chinchilla or domestic rat.
Types of domestic rodents
Small animals are quite beneficial pets in all respects. They take up little space. For comfort, a small aquarium or cage is enough for them. Grains, greens, nuts and seeds will be excellent food for your little pet. As care, you can get by with periodic cleaning of the home and filling the feeders and drinking bowls. In short, rodents are the optimal solution for purchasing a pet.
Today there are many varieties of domesticated small animals. The most popular of them are:
- Decorative rabbits.
- Chipmunks.
- Decorative rats
- Chinchillas.
- Chilean squirrels.
- Gerbils.
But the most frequent guests of the family are hamsters.
Hamster breeds
Among the types of these rodents, the most popular are the following:
- The breed is also known as royal or golden. The cute animal is a favorite of adults and children. The animal is quite large. The length of its body is 13-19 cm. The easily tamed pet has a calm and affectionate character. The animal rarely gets sick, but unfortunately does not live long - only 2-3 years.
- The Angora hamster is a long-haired fluffy dog. The fur of the animal is very soft and delicate. The color of the hamster is usually solid and varies from cream to black. Spotted or tortoiseshell specimens are very rare.
- can compete in size with dzhungarik. How to determine the sex of a small animal? Yes, just like all hamsters, having carefully studied its appearance. A characteristic feature of the Cambell is the bare hind limbs, as well as stripes on the barrels. This is the wildest variety of hamster by nature. When the mood strikes, they can bite their owner or fight with other pets.
- Taylors are one of the miniature hamsters. With a length of 8 to 10 cm, the animal weighs only 8 g. The Taylors are an example of selfless parents: both parents are involved in the care and upbringing of the offspring.
- Radde, perhaps, can be called giant hamsters. Their sizes reach up to 30 cm. Almost wild, radde is a rare guest in the house. It is difficult to tame and has a rather aggressive character. This is no wonder, because in natural conditions a hamster has to fight for survival.
- The Roborovsky breed is the smallest in the hamster family. Their content does not imply a single option. There should be several such babies in the cage. The animals are active, independent and very sociable. Their funny antics will be interesting to both children and adults. True, the small size of the animals will make it somewhat difficult to answer the question of how to determine the sex of a hamster. In this situation, the Djungarians are the brothers in misfortune of Robov's rodents.
Most hamsters have a small appendage instead of a tail. But there is a breed of long-tailed rodents. Hamsters have dark gray fur with white ear tufts and a light belly. The animals are affectionate and active. A long tail makes them look a little like decorative mice. But upon closer examination, the difference between rodents is visible.
Djungarik - mini hamster
The Djungarian hamster is a cute fluffy animal of miniature size, which has become popular in Lately as a pet.
The homeland of the dzhungarik is the steppe regions of Western Siberia, Middle and Central Asia, and North-Eastern Kazakhstan.
The size of the animal varies within 10 cm with a weight of 10 g. Such miniature proportions make it difficult to answer the question of how to determine the sex of Djungarian hamsters. And yet, both females and males captivate with their cuteness and good nature. Djungarian hamsters can rightly be called animal hobbits due to their soles covered with thick, long hair.
The pet is a nocturnal animal. During the day, he prefers to sleep off after active night vigils.
Fertile animals can reproduce up to 4 times in the spring-autumn period. One litter can have from 8 to 12 babies. Fertility of hamsters begins at four months of age.
What do Djungarians eat?
Like all other hamsters, mini-animals are practically unpretentious in nutrition. The best and easiest way to feed your pet is to purchase special food in specialized stores. The composition of the mixtures includes corn, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cereals, peas, nuts. As natural complementary foods, you can use fruits and dried fruits, zucchini, carrots, cabbage and lettuce leaves, and plantain. It is strictly not recommended to introduce citrus fruits into the food of Djungarians due to the possibility of allergic reactions.
But the animals will eat bananas, apples, apricots, and peaches with great pleasure. As a source of protein, you can add low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs and even boiled chicken to your diet. Djungarians should also like earthworms, dried gammarus, and boiled shrimp. Since hamsters are thrifty creatures, when feeding the animal, you need to make sure that it does not hide food in its hiding places. Otherwise, the products may spoil and clog your pet’s home.
Caring for dzhungarikas is very easy. The animal is extremely clean and prefers to take care of all hygiene procedures on its own. The tongue and paws are excellent cleaning tools for your pet. Using them as needed, the animal thoroughly cleans itself. The love of cleanliness is instilled in the rodent at the genetic level.
How to determine the sex of a dwarf hamster? It should be noted that both girls and boys will never shit all over the cage. They will choose one latrine where they will relieve themselves. As a result, it is necessary to equip the hamster’s “toilet” accordingly. Do not forget to periodically clean the latrine by changing the special filler in it.
Djungarians, like all their other relatives, are subject to winter molting. The pet's winter coat is white with a dark stripe along the back. As a rule, the animal changes its fur within six weeks. Dead pieces of fur need to be removed, otherwise the thrifty rodent will begin to make a nest out of it.
Methods for determining the sex of a Djungarian hamster
There are several ways to study a hamster's genitals. It is noteworthy that the first sexual signs appear at the age of three to four months.
- To see the differences, you need to carefully take the jungarik by the scruff of the neck and slightly lift it so that it spreads its paws. This will make it easier to examine the hamster.
- To avoid injuring your pet, you can place it on your palm on its back and hold it with your thumb. With your free hand, we determine the sexual characteristics of the hamster by gently stroking the tummy and feeling the characteristic tubercles.
How to determine the sex of a dzhungarik: the main differences between males
In boys, already at the age of one month, the testicles can be clearly felt at the very base of the tail. How to determine the sex of a dwarf? The photo clearly shows the characteristic bumps in the corresponding area. The normal distance between the penis and the anus in an adult is 1-1.5 cm. In young Djungarians, this distance is no longer than 0.5 cm.
The navel can be easily felt in the center of the male's abdomen. With the help of this characteristic gland, the dzhungarik marks its territory.
Of course, it is easier to determine the sex of the dzhungarika in adult individuals. But even in children, you can feel small swellings in the groin - future testes.
Sexual differences in females
Girls are much larger than males. However, if there is no pair nearby for comparison, you can use the following method to determine the sex of a dwarf hamster. The photo captured that the distance between the genitals and the anus of the female is much smaller than that of the male. The two holes are located almost right next to each other.
An additional sign of how to determine the sex of a female dwarf is two rows of tiny nipples from the breast to the bottom of the tummy. The navel in girls is practically not palpable. Males have an abdomen densely covered with fur.
It is important for hamster breeders to know everything about their charges, including their gender identification: this factor largely influences the living conditions of the rodents. It is no secret that sellers in pet stores, in order to quickly sell an “overstaying” animal, deliberately lie about its gender. Therefore, it is important to independently learn to distinguish females and males of dzhungarikas - we will tell you how to do this later in the article.
What is the difference between Djungarians and Syrian hamsters?
According to unofficial data, about 95% of domestic hamsters are representatives of the Dzungarian or Syrian golden breed. They differ from each other in appearance and habits. 
Experienced breeders know that Djungarian hamsters are 2 times smaller than their Syrian counterparts, and also highlight a number of characteristics in each breed.
Did you know? In Vietnam, the law prohibits keeping hamsters at home, as these animals can carry some dangerous diseases..
Let's look at them in more detail in the table.
| Differences between Djungarian and Syrian hamsters | ||
| Characteristic | Dzungarian breed | Syrian breed |
| Body length including tail | 10 cm | 20 cm |
| Weight | 50 g | 100–150 g |
| Color | Gray-brown shades with a golden tint and a dark stripe along the back | Reddish tint (available in different variations) |
| Coat type | Smooth medium length | Short and long |
| Features of females | A hamster bears its offspring for 18–22 days | A hamster bears its offspring for 16 days. |
| Habits | Less mobile (they love crawl spaces and all sorts of attractions, they can live in a small cage) | More mobile (hence, when maintaining, they require a spacious house with a lot of toys) |
| Contact with people | They are not wild, but they take twice as long to socialize | Easily trained and quickly make contact with owners |
| Smell | Barely perceptible | Pronounced harsh and unpleasant (to eliminate it, experts advise ventilating the cage daily) |
| Paired housing | Less aggressive towards neighbors | They often fight, and may even eat their unwanted roommate. |
At what age is it easiest to find out gender?
Distinct female and male characteristics are evident in sexually mature rodents. Consequently, the older the pets, the fewer problems arise with their gender identification. It is almost impossible to find differences between the reproductive organs of girls and boys in hamsters that are less than 4 weeks old.
Important! In their natural environment, hamsters are very active, so in captivity they need to be given the opportunity to actively move. For this purpose, it is recommended to install a wheel in the cage. During the day, the animal can run several kilometers on it. With a sedentary lifestyle, the patient is at risk of obesity and other diseases.
In addition, difficulties are associated with the fact that at this age it is categorically not recommended to pick up and palpate animals.
Based on this, experts advise not to disturb small rodents during the first month of life while they are near their mother. Already at 35–40 days of age, the brood needs to be settled in different cages. It is then that you have to find out where the females are and where the males are. 
How to distinguish between Djungarians: a boy and a girl
Experienced hamster breeders warn that this kind of pet reacts very painfully to rude behavior. Therefore, you should pick them up very carefully so as not to frighten them. There are several ways to recognize the reproductive organs of females and males.
Important! Beginning owners, when determining the sex of dzhungarikas, make a common mistake - they take them by the scruff of the neck and lift them so that they spread their paws. Experienced hamster breeders consider such techniques unacceptable.
By appearance
Many breeders distinguish Djungarian hamsters by their external characteristics. 
In this aspect, you should pay attention to the following signs of females:
- big sizes;
- less dense and short hair (do not forget that the quality of the fur of animals largely depends on the conditions of their keeping, health and genetic characteristics);
- absence of a navel (in males it is clearly expressed);
- rounded back (in a mature male the end of the back is pointed and “looks” upward).
By behavior
In order to understand who is who, just watch the pets.
From an early age, female Djungarians are distinguished by:
- increased activity (males are characterized by phlegmatic nature);
- aggressiveness towards every attempt by the owner to touch or pick up (they may even bite).
However, you should not trust only the listed signs, because every animal has its own individual characteristics in behavior. Did you know? A hamster's mouth can hold as much food as it weighs. But in extreme conditions, the animal hides its brood behind its cheeks.
By gender
This method is considered the most accurate.
The technique of examining animals is carried out in 2 ways:
- Gently hold the hamster in your palm, holding it gently with your thumb. In this case, the tail part of the body should remain uncovered so that it is possible to examine the animal’s genitals. If necessary, hold it from below.
- Carefully take your pet by the base of its head and place it on the palm of your other hand, belly up. At the same time, lightly hold it with your thumb.
If during the examination the pet begins to squirm, it is better to leave it alone, postponing your idea until better times. It is important that your actions do not scare the animal. In case of obedience, pay attention to his reproductive organs. 
However, do not forget that the genitals of Djungarian hamsters are too small, and those of young animals are also underdeveloped.
