Whether you’ve had babies purposely or came home from the store with a pregnant female, understanding how to care for baby hamsters is an important part of being a responsible pet owner.

The first thing to remember is that the mother does not need your help and she will be able to have babies all on her own. You don’t need to coach her on breathing or fetch hot mater. Just let nature take its course.

Even though you would like to look and touch the babies, ensure you don’t annoy the mother or babies for no less than ten days – preferably 2 weeks or so. If you touch the babies or upset the mother, the ma can abuse, neglect, desert or even eat her little ones. The only thing you need to do for ten to 14 days is to provide fresh food and water. Nothing else. Don’t change bedding or clean the cage unless it’s a dire emergency (such as if a water bottle leaks and wets a huge portion of the housing area. If the bedding gets wet, it can become moldy and unsanitary – which can also upset the ma hamster and lead her to not be a good mummy to her litter. If you must do some cleaning, do a spot cleaning employing a clean kitty litter scoop.

Provide mom with extra protein while she’s nursing. You are able to add bits of hard boiled egg and cooked chicken in addition to her ordinary diet. Making sure she has good nutrition will assist in making sure she does not hurt her babies. Poor nutrition for new mothers can cause stress for the mummy hamster, and this can cause her neglect or eat her babies.

Provide mom with nice, warm, bedding material – like strips of toilet paper or specifically made bedding available commercially – so the ma can provide a warm nest for her litter.

If you’ve got an absolute emergency and you have any choice but to move the babies, employ a clean, dry spoon to scoop them out and do not touch them under any circumstances. If you get your scent on the baby, the ma will more than likely cannibalize the poor baby.

Do not employ a dish to provide water for the babies. They can nurse until they are sufficiently large to drink from a water bottle bottle. Using a dish for water could bring about a baby to stumble into the water dish and drown. ( Hamster babies are born with their eyes shut and cannot see until they open, but they can ramble around some before they can see. )

Finally, ensure you separate the males from the females right after they are weaned ; otherwise you will have several more litters to raise. Syrian hamsters can reproduce as young as forty five days old. Dwarf hamsters can start to reproduce at around 60 to 135 days. Apart from the fact that having multiple litters can be costly, annoying and maddening, females that have litters too soon are customarily not very good mothers. They need time to mature before breeding.

Pet Insurance How to look after your baby Hamster

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