question about hamsters

    • Gold Top Dog

    question about hamsters

    Last night my b/f and I were at the local Meijer's.  For those who don't know, it's a grocery/department store.  They do sell hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, some birds, and fish.  I would never buy any, but we were cruising through the aisle where they were and I stopped to point out how all the hamsters were in a big pile, some squashed up against the sides of the glass tanks they were in.  "Geez, how could that be comfortable?"  Then two of them that were squished started moving to get to the top of the pile when I notice "something" strange in the place where *I think* their genitals would be.  It was about the size of a pinky finger to the first knuckle joint, about 1/2 inch long and as fat as a pinky, not really hanging there, but protruding.  I said to my b/f, "is that its testicles?" and he thought they were because it didn't look like a penis.  I thought it was some sort of tumor because it didn't really look like testicles either.  However, I've never owned or seen a rodent like it up close from *that* end, so I wasn't sure.  We quickly moved away from the area.
     
    So does anybody know if that's normal?  (sorry, no camera to take a pic)  I seldom get grossed out by anything, but I was very grossed out by it.
    • Gold Top Dog
    male hamsters (and rats) have HUGE testicles per their body size. They are usually quite hairless and can appear "mutant" to someone not used to it [;)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    I have owned hamsters and gerbils in the past and, yes, they do have huge testicles...that's probably what you saw.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Male rodents have gigantic testes. I think it's unsightly but I'd imagine they're proud of them! I guess they need a lot of padding there because they drag them on the ground. ouch [:-]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Forgive me while I laugh my arse off. I can just picture you looking at the hamsters noots while trying to figure out what they were. [:D] But yeah, rodents can have rather large junk. My flying squirrel is male and when the kids saw his business, they couldn't stop laughing. Silly preteen boys. Rabbits also have interesting bits and pieces. They're actually long instead of round. That tripped me out when I first saw that.
     
    "Whatchoo lookin at Willis?!"
     

    • Gold Top Dog
    I agree with everyone else, they are huge.  I had a male mouse a few years ago and his were really big for his size. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    Whew!  It's a relief to know that's normal in the hamster world.  They were kinda dragging and it probably didn't help their appearance while they were smashed up against the glass. 
     
    I thought maybe it was a Meijer special!
    • Gold Top Dog
    I had a hamster live for almost four years, and I swear, his doo-dads got bigger as he got older.
     
    Man, we're some sick puppies![:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Yeah rodents have very large doo-dads. Tigger's doo-dads are are kind of huge, but what's worst is the size of the dinky especially for a chinchilla[sm=crazy.gif]. I thought he had a huge worm about the size of fishing worm stretched out and needed to be treated thankfully I didn't go to the vet I'm sure I would have gave my vet a laugh for sure. [sm=blush.gif][sm=eek.gif]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Since we're on the subject...lol
     
    My male guinea pigs' doo-dads really aren't obvious, and sadly, I see them often because I have to flip them over to clean their dinky with a q-tip and mineral oil to make sure junk doesn't get up in there when they walk across the bedding.
     
    There...live with that mental image the rest of the day.[:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Oh my gosh. I don't think I could clean Tigger's dinky it's bad enough when he whips that thing out to clean it himself but to clean it with a q-tip. I think I would need a much bigger q-tip to clean Tigger's dinky if he needed it. LOL.
     
    I feel so sorry for you to have that mental image the rest of the day.