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In July, while waiting for my favorite pizza parlor to open, I decided to kill some time in the local pet shop. I noticed an aquarium full with baby dwarf hamsters.
There was Sniz, hopping onto my hand every chance he got. At least that was what the pet shop told me -- it was a 21 day old male. Of course I had to bring him home!
I learned about dwarf hamsters and had a great time with him. I did notice he looked �thicker� over time, but decided this was due to the fact I obtained him as a
youngster, and that�s how adults must look.
On August 7, I noticed Sniz was making chirping sounds. I went to look and noticed the ground moving under his body? On closer inspection, I realized there were
seven naked, pink, blind babies writhing under HER! So the supposingly he, has all the while been a her! After I calmed down, I turned on the internet and read everything I
could about births. Luckily, I read Hammies Corner that gave me the foundation to help Sniz. I also received immeasurable help and support from the forum
at Hammies Corner.
They started out blind, pink and hairless, but everyday I could see them visibly mature. As advised, I did not touch them, and moved the cage to an area of the house
that was quieter. I didn�t even take any photos of them because I was afraid Sniz might get upset and hurt one of the babies. She was a wonderful mother, always
making herself available for nursing. She lay on top of them, only leaving to eat or drink. Seven babies is a lot to feed, so I tried to maintain her nutrition by giving her
regular hamster food, small bits of carrots or apple, small bits of cheese and also boiled egg white. I also opened sunflower seeds for her to give her more energy.
I love animals, and watching the babies everyday was like a fantastic nature program. Over the next couple of days pigment came into their skin and then fine hair
began to appear. During the second week, some of the babies would stagger about the cage. Usually they would return to the nest or Sniz would drag them back.
Only a few times did I return a baby back to the nest carefully using a plastic spoon. They looked so fragile, that I removed the running wheel for awhile, because I was
afraid Sniz might crush one as she ran.
I noticed the babies were finding the adult hamster food and eating it with their eyes still closed. So then I would drop 7-8 pieces (half the size of a Tic Tac) of food
directly into the nest from a variety of food: cheese, apple, carrots, sunflower seeds and boiled egg whites. I kept the portions small to avoid leftovers from spoiling and
always gave enough so the pups wouldn�t fight each other. They were starting to eat well, but still wanted to nurse.
Another thing that happened during the 2nd week was that Sniz would come up to the cage door, indicating she wanted to come out. So I would let her out for short
periods to play or run in her ball to get a break. She would always return to her babies and tend to them. I let Sniz out of the cage into her ball, and quickly scooped up
any bedding (Carefresh) in the cage, avoiding any disturbance to the nest and replaced it with fresh bedding.
After 2 1/2 weeks they were eating well, were 2/3 her size and still wanted to nurse. Sniz spent one night running away, turning away and even wrestling with them
because she didn�t want to nurse anymore. Shortly after that the nursing stopped. So I connected my 2 Critter Trail cages together with a tube to let everyone
spread out. They all loved the extra room and little groups of babies would play and huddle together here and there.
By the 3rd week, it was time to separate the girls from the boys and also find them new homes. I knew one of my coworkers wanted one, so one morning I brought the
entire cage to my work and put it in an empty office. Then I announced there were baby hamsters at work that were free to good homes. A whole group of us went to
look and people wanted all of them within a minute!! Each person who adopted a hamster received a �care package�: a plastic box to bring him home, a small bag of
food, a chew stick and instructions. They would pick up their hamster when they were leaving work, along with a slice of apple for hydration until they could get a cage
and water bottle that night. I was happy they were going to good homes but felt a little sad to see their furry faces go.
So now, it�s Sniz and Fondue here in 2 separate cages. They both seem happy and get their own quality time for play. Sniz�s babies were totally unexpected, but a
wonderful experience. I wouldn�t mind doing it all again someday�
Sniz Mom - Gloria
P.S. The two top tips I have for hamster birth are:
1) providing a quiet, serene environment
2) offering high calorie and protein food to Mom and later the pups several times a day.
-THE END-
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