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As a dwarf hamster owner, you are responsible for knowing whether or not your hamster is a boy or a girl. If you are caring for, feeding, housing, and cleaning up after him or her, you should most definitely know your hamster's sex as well. Sexing dwarf hamsters is the process of doing just that, figuring out whether dwarf hamsters are male or a female. Although it is necessary, it is not always an easy task. The small stature of these hamsters makes it difficult to see things clearly and easily. They are also difficult to handle and get a hold of because of their skittish nature.
Chinese dwarf hamsters are probably the easiest to examine as the males have large and visible testicles. As you move on to other dwarf hamster species though, it gets more difficult, and do not even get me started on the Roborovski hamster (the smallest and most energetic of them all). Regardless of what kinds you have, when sexing dwarf hamsters, you'll most likely need to handle them. Remember, these guys have tons of energy and will scurry off in a flash if not held firmly enough. On the flip side, you will also need to handle them gently so you do not hurt the poor things. Imagine if you were a tiny hamster and a huge picked you up and started examining you! So please be gentle.
So how should I go about sexing dwarf hamsters without harm them? Well, let's say you want to examine the scent gland, something you would see on a male hamster (you'd be looking for a yellow stain on the belly button area). You want to hold your hamster with his or her back on the palm of your hand with your thumb and index fingers under his front legs or chin. With your other hand, use your thumb and index finger to separate the fur on the area you are inspecting (in this case the belly button area) since fur can usually get in the way.
There are also handling precautions you can take when sexing dwarf hamsters. One of the methods you can use is to prepare a large container lined with a towel. Handle your hamster over this container so that if he escapes, he'll land in the container. The towel will soften his landing so he does not get injured. Some hamsters are especially difficult to deal with and are very quick and squirmy (such as the Roborovski hamster). One method you can use is what I like to call the glass view method.
Take a container that's see through and that is small enough so that your dwarf hamster can not move around too much (but make sure it's large enough that he can smoothly and comfortable be placed in and out of the container). I've found that drinking glass works best. Put him in the glass and just look at him through the bottom of the glass.
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Source by George Grayson
