In this article, I will discuss some male and female hamster differences. Perhaps, this information will help you decide what gender of hamster is suitable for you.
Hamsters have very interesting personalities. While we can’t 100% say a hamster will be like this or like that only from its sex, it helps us in many ways to decide if a hamster is a good pet for us. Just like us, hamsters don’t fit in 1,2, or only 3 categories – there are many things that mould a hamster’s personality and behaviour.
However, today, I will help you understand first the basic and general male and female hamster differences. The goal is to create a visual illustration of what will be like if you choose either a male or a female hamster.
MUST-READ: Should I get a hamster – things to know and ask yourself before getting a pet hamster
MALE VS FEMALE HAMSTER DIFFERENCES
There isn’t much difference between male and female hamsters except the male has an enormous size of testicles. Many first-time hamster owners would panic and ask if their male hamster is okay.
Usually, the testes are somehow light reddish but that size can be very alarming compared to the size of the hamster’s body.
When it comes to personality, both sexes are pretty the same. Very active loves to be alone and loves to chew on something. So far, there hasn’t been any proof that the male or female is easier to tame than the other.
There are two things that are very significant only to female Syrian hamsters. The scent when fertile and the other, that fact that the female Syrian hamsters are more demanding.
Female Syrian hamsters are fertile every 4 days. The smell is not super foul but more like a light version of the scent from a ferret. Regardless of the amount of sand it tries to roll on, the scent can be a deal-breaker to some people. This is something people who are unsure if they want a hamster should know. Read >> Are hamsters good pets?
Female Syrian hamsters are harder to please in terms of well, everything. Female Syrian hamsters will always want a bigger cage even after you already met the cage size requirements. They are known as hamsters which are the hardest to please. Female Syrian hamsters are also notorious chewers, when bored, they will chew the cage to pass time to redirect their frustration.
This is the reason why it’s better if you house a female Syrian hamster in a glass tank instead of a plastic DIY cage of plastic/wood store-bought cage. You should also make sure to add as many chew toys inside the cage as possible, let your hamster out on the playpen 10-minutes a day, and change the cage set up once every 5-6 weeks to keep your female Syrian hamster curious and not bored.
Apart from that, you should place plenty of toys inside your hamster’s cage such as climbing platforms and hamster tunnels. Letting your hamster out of the cage into the playpen for 10-minutes a day will also help fight boredom. Read >> How to keep your hamster busy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There aren’t many differences between male and female hamsters but knowing this information can help you make a more informed decision. It definitely helped me. After my Dwarf passed away, I was thinking to get a female Syrian next.
After doing my research and talking to people who had one and currently have one, I decided a female Syrian hamster might not be a good fit for me.
I hope that you found this male and female hamster differences article helpful. If you know other things that I can add to this list, leave me a comment below.
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