Baby hamsters need a special formula every few hours. Feeding the pups is a critical affair because their lungs can easily get flooded. Pet owners commonly use eye droppers to feed baby hamsters.
Full Answer
How do hamsters care for their babies?
For at least the first week of life, newborn baby hamsters will be cared for completely by their mother. Interference by their human caretaker has a high chance of causing abandonment or cannibalism. Why Do Hamsters Eat Their Babies? Under certain circumstances, the mother hamster may actually eat her babies.
What can I give my pregnant hamster for her babies?
Offer your pregnant hamster nutritious treats like carrots, nuts, hard boiled eggs, cheese and greens. You should also put extra food in her cage, as she will begin stockpiling the food for her babies (and will be eating more than normal herself).
What should I do if my hamster is born blind?
Take care of the babies if the mother hamster has died. When hamsters are born, they emerge hairless and blind. Do not be alarmed by this, as this is how all hamsters look at birth. Over the course of the first week, hamster babies will gain weight, begin growing fur, and their ear canals will develop.
How do I Stop my hamster from trying to give birth?
Clean the cage. Cleaning the cage within 2 - 3 days of her "due date" can unsettle a female hamster sufficiently that she rejects the babies when they are born. Cleaning the cage as soon as possible after determining that she is pregnant may be your best option.
How do you take care of newborn hamsters?
To care for hamster babies, start by leaving them alone in the cage with their mother for the first two weeks. Then, after a week, scatter some food around the floor of the cage to encourage the babies to explore the area. After two weeks, begin holding them so that they can get used to being handled by humans.
What do newborn hamsters need?
A pregnant hamster needs plenty of clean water and a good quality diet throughout the pregnancy until the babies are weaned. Critter Chaws suggests increasing its protein and fat intake by serving hard-boiled eggs, boiled chicken, cereals, among others. Make sure that their home is clean and ready.
What is a special treat for a hamster?
Hamsters love apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and bananas. Fruit should be offered in moderation, as a supplement to their regular pelleted diet. Remove any vegetables or fruits that are not eaten within 10-12 hours so they don't spoil.
When can I touch the baby hamster?
14 days of age is “the ideal time to begin to familiarize your young hamster with being handled,” says Kohles. This should be a thoughtful process where you can help desensitize them to handling to minimize the stress of the baby hamsters.
How do you take care of a baby hamster without a mother?
Feed a pup evaporated milk mixed in a 50/50 solution with water. Warm the solution to 90 degrees Fahrenheit before feeding it to the baby hamster. Administer the solution via syringe or feeding wick (available at most pet stores). You may also use puppy or kitten formula.
Do I remove dead baby hamsters?
Question: What if one of six baby hamsters die, do you leave it? Answer: Wait a day or so and the mother might eat it. Otherwise, if you're really worried, remove the body with a clean, warm spoon while the mother is away from the nest.
Can I give my hamster cheese?
Many hamsters love the taste of cheese, but its high fat and sodium content is not especially healthy for hamsters. If your hamster enjoys cheese and seems to tolerate it well, you can offer it occasionally in small amounts. Hamsters should get no more than a pea-sized amount of cheese just once or twice a week.
Are balls safe for hamsters?
Hamster balls could cause injuries and even death. As the hamster has difficulties using its senses very well in an exercise ball, it is unable to manoeuvre or stop whenever it needs to, often colliding into walls or crashing into furniture around the house.
Can you give hamsters peanut butter?
Hamsters also usually love peanut butter, but it must be fed carefully (as with any other sticky food) since it can get stuck in their cheek pouches and cause severe problems. A very thin layer on a piece of wood is okay as an occasional treat, but peanut butter must be given with caution.
How can you tell what gender a baby hamster is?
Sexing Newborns Look at the distance between the anus and the genital opening. The distance between the two is smaller in females. This might be difficult to gauge if you only have one baby hamster, but if you can compare several babies of similar age, you can differentiate the males from the females this way.
Do baby hamsters bite?
3:057:45So you know it's startling your hamster is a bad idea and it can cause your hamster to be startled.MoreSo you know it's startling your hamster is a bad idea and it can cause your hamster to be startled. And then obviously they will bite because the natural thing for them to do.
How can you tell what gender your hamster is?
You'll want to look at space between their genitalia (vaginal and penile openings) and their anus. In females, the space between the vaginal opening and anus can sometimes be so close together that it looks like a single organ. In males, the space will be farther apart than in females and the testicles may be visible.
What is a baby hamster called?
A baby hamster is normally called a pup. Occasionally, you will also see them being referred to as kittens. That general term covers any of the following, and more: baby Dwarf hamsters, baby Syrian hamsters, baby teddy bear hamsters, baby Russian Dwarf hamsters, and baby Robo Dwarf hamsters. You can really feel free to choose and use ...
How many baby hamsters are in a litter?
Like most other small mammals, a hamster mother will have several baby hamsters in one litter. The average litter size is usually 4 to 6 pups. But some litters may have up to twenty pups!
What do hamster babies look like?
By this point, hamster babies will begin looking like smaller versions of their parents. Their fur will be completely grown in, their eyes and ears will be open, and they will begin finding food by themselves. At this age, pups are no longer reliant on their mother for food, warmth, or safety.
How big is a baby hamster?
The size of the pup will vary depending on breed. But since the largest breed, the Syrian hamster, is only four to seven inches long when full grown, you can bet that your baby Syrian hamster will be quite tiny.
How long does it take for a baby hamster to open its ears?
Baby Hamsters: Week One. In their first week, pups will not be very active. For the most part, they will huddle in their nest and nurse. Depending on the species, their ears might open at the end of this week. Or it might take until the end of week two. At the end of the first week, fur might be visible.
How long does it take for a hamster to go into labor?
After the designated gestation time frame, the mother hamster will go into labor. Generally, labor occurs for about one to two hours, with pups arriving every 15-30 minutes.
How long do hamsters live?
This is due to the fact that these are small, delicate creatures who require recovery time after delivery. And hamsters typically only live around two to three years. The exact gestation period for a hamster varies a lot depending on the species.
Baby Hamster Care
You can make the pre- and post-birth experience for your hamster easier in the following ways:
What do Baby Hamsters Eat?
Hamster pups require milk to survive. If their mother dies or runs away, you need to provide a formula that resembles their mother’s milk as much as possible.
At What Age Can Baby Hamsters Start Eating Solids?
You can start your baby hamster on solid foods when they are three weeks old, although they can eat them when they are 10-days old.
Can Baby Hamsters Eat Cow Milk?
Hamster milk is fundamentally different from cow’s milk, and the latter only has nutrients suitable for calves. Orphaned baby hamsters require milk that closely resembles that of their mothers.
Can You Hold Baby Hamsters in Your Hand?
Don’t try to touch baby hamsters for the first two weeks after birth. If their mother is around, she can reject them if they have your scent on them.
Conclusion
Most hamster mothers will care for their young, but there is always a chance for rejection or cannibalization.
How to take care of a hamster baby?
To care for hamster babies, start by leaving them alone in the cage with their mother for the first two weeks. Then, after a week, scatter some food around the floor of the cage to encourage the babies to explore the area. After two weeks, begin holding them so that they can get used to being handled by humans.
What do hamsters need to be pregnant?
Pregnant hamsters need a diet high in protein and fat. Aim for a hamster food that contains 18 to 20 percent protein and seven to nine percent fat. You may also want to provide your mother hamster with milky food to provide additional calcium and promote lactation.
How to get a surrogate mom to smell like her baby?
The goal is to get the smelling exactly like the surrogate mom’s babies. Distract the new mother with a treat and then place the babies in the nest with the other hamsters. Keep the mom away for as long as possible to give the babies a chance to wriggle into the nest and get covered in the smell.
How long does it take for a hamster to clean its cage?
Cleaning the cage within 2 - 3 days of her "due date" can unsettle a female hamster sufficiently that she rejects the babies when they are born.
How long after a hamster gets pregnant should you clean the cage?
Clean the cage. It's important that your hamster delivers her babies into a clean environment. In order to ensure that this happens, clean your hamster cage two weeks after your hamster gets pregnant (or when you determine that your hamster is pregnant), and add additional fresh bedding.
How old do hamsters have to be to breed?
Understand the hamster life cycle. Hamsters reach sexual maturity quickly in life, with some hamsters capable of breeding as early as four weeks old. However, it is generally recommended that breeders refrain from pairing hamsters for mating until five to six months of age.
How do you know if a hamster is pregnant?
Know when your hamster is pregnant. Though your female hamster will gain weight once she is pregnant, weight gain alone does not indicate pregnancy. Other indications of pregnancy include nest-building, possible hoarding of food, and signs of aggression as her gestation period progresses.
Before and after the birth of baby hamsters
For a couple of days before the babies are due you should not disturb your pet, she will just want to nest and prepare for the birth. If you’re wondering “how many babies will my hamster have?” there is no easy answer to that question. Hamster litters vary in size, from one to as many as twenty, so be prepared.
When can baby hamsters leave their mother?
Although baby hamsters can see from the age of two weeks they are still too young to leave their mother. It’s an important time in the rearing process of a baby hamster though. This is the time when you should clean the cage and add some fresh bedding.
How long does it take for a hamster to give birth?
The gestation period, the time from mating to birth is extremely short; 16 days for Golden Syrians, and 18-20 for dwarf types. During this time the mother will begin eating (need) a lot of protein hamster foods as well as collecting soft bedding and build a birthing nest. Recommended Bedding.
What to do if a hamster smells like a pup?
This is not easy either. If a mom smells a pup that is not hers, she will eat it. Your best bet is to first clean the baby hamsters to remove the scent of their old nest and then cover them in the other mother’s nesting material to mask the scent.
What happens if you mate two hamsters?
If you mate two of these together, you will get all white newborns that are eyeless and will die in a matter of two weeks. When you pair two hamsters that are closely related (small gene pool), you might get babies that have mental illnesses.
How many babies can a hamster have?
Finding homes: Female hamsters can have a litter of 4 to as many as 15 babies. Bad genetics: You might end up with offspring that have genetic defects or mental illnesses.
When do hamsters lose interest?
Week 2: The eyes of the hamsters will now be open and the youngsters will be able to see fully. Month 3: The mom will nurse her young for up to the third month and then begin to lose interest. Month 4: At this time the mom will abandon them but still tolerate them in her habitat for a short while longer.
Do mothers lick their babies?
After each one is born, the mother will lick it clean. However, if she feels a threat, she will likely eat her babies. This behavior known as kronismus, is a typical defense mechanism. This is why it’s so very important to leave the mother and her nest alone during the first week or so after giving birth.
Can Syrians have offspring with genetic defects?
Finally, if you don’t know what types you should breed with each other, you might end up with newborns that have genetic defects. These babies can be eyeless, toothless, and will likely die within two weeks after their birth. Both dwarf breeds and Syrians can have offspring with genetic or mental illnesses. Genetic Defects and Mental Illnesses:
Why do hamsters lick their bottoms?
When the hamsters are with their mother, she licks their bottoms to encourage them to pee and poop. You can do this by using lukewarm water, cotton bud, and a tissue.
Can hamsters get pneumonia?
Make sure that the bedding you provide to your baby hamster is very comfortable and it stays dry all the time. Baby hamsters are so fragile that they can pneumonia with a little wetness in their bedding or cage.
What Do Baby Hamsters Eat?
The mother hamster usually takes good care of the hamster babies. However, there are some additional foods that you can offer to the babies to help them in their development.
What Should a Mother Hamster Eat?
When a mother hamster is expecting hamster babies they require a diet that is high in protein. It is a good idea to feed your hamster egg, unsalted chicken or beef, and mealworm (available at pet shops).
To sum up
Whether you are looking after a motherless baby hamster that has been rejected or has lost its mother, or you want to give your baby hamsters the highest level of care, there are a few things that you can do.