How to Tell If My Hamster Pup Is Male or Female

Small, fuzzy pets are adorable, and many are more low-maintenance than the average cat or dog. Unfortunately, rodents such as hamsters can breed quickly after being born--even as young as four weeks--and do not recognize their opposite-sex litter mates as being off-limits. For this reason, it is important to sex hamster pups as early as possible to separate them by gender and prevent any breeding interaction. While hamster pups are tiny and active, and spotting the difference between males and females can be frustrating (though not terribly difficult), it can and must be accomplished.

Things You'll Need

  • Transparent plastic tank connector tube, the kind with 1 closed end
  • Spare hamster tank, prepared for the pups
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gently pick up a hamster pup and slide it into the open end of the connector tube. Alternately, simply set the tub into the tank and wait for a pup to crawl into it.

    • 2

      Place your palm partially over the open end of the tube. Don't cut off the air supply. Carefully lift the tube up so that you can tip your head and see the underside of the pup.

    • 3

      Examine the pup and identify two dots on the underbelly of the baby hamster. The dot closest to the bottom is the anus. On a male pup, the second dot will be 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch above this first dot. On a female pup, the second dot will be very close to (often nearly on top of) the first dot.

    • 4

      Separate your male pups into one tank and your female pups into another.