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| Hamster Babies |
| Birth |
| The hamster will normally give birth during their typical waking hours - evening, night or early hours of the morning. She will be fairly active right up until she gives birth, and when she finally does give birth. She will sit, and crouch as she gives birth to each baby - and there'll be roughly a 5 - 10 minute interval between each baby until she has finished. Do not disturb a birthing mother at all. Her pups will be born naked, blind and also deaf. You may be able to see the eyes underneath the skin, and you should be able to identify paws and a tail. They do have teeth at birth which enables them to suckle from their mother. Also make sure you provide water for the babies. Most babies die of thrist becuase they are too small to reach the Hamster water bottle.Make sure you provide the mother with clean bedding,no drafts,no direct sunlight,and no other pets. Mothers who eat their babies it may because she was exposed to some irritants, or maybe becuase the babies were undernourished.If the mother kills the babies but does not eat them it could because she is poorly nourished, or lacking a mineral or vitamin. But some mothers however seem to eat their babies with no explanation at all. |
| The Babies |
| The babies should be separated when they stop nurseing their mother,this is so they do not breed too young. During the first 2-3 weeks of raising the babies, you should try not to disturb the nest. Do not clean the cage for at least the first 2 weeks. Disturbing the nest or touching the babies can encourage the mother to kill some or all of her litter. You may not be able to see the babies, as the mother will keep them warm at all times, and cover them up while she is away from the nest. You may e able to hear them though - suckling or squeaking. When the babies start to experiment away from the nest, mum will happily collect the scamperers! The babies will grow at a fairly rapid rate. Around 5-7 days you will see the pigment of the colour of the fur, and the fur will start to sprout shortly afterwards. At around 10 days the babies will be able to hear, and will have a growing coat of fur. The eyes will open at around 14 days, they will have a full coat of fur and you can start to think about handling them carefully, and for short periods of time whilst you clean the cage. After around 21 days, the babies can be weaned from the mother, as they will no longer need her milk - although they may want to keep suckling. Shortly after they have been weaned, they need to be separated into two cages (one for each sex) where they can live for another 2-3 weeks before they will need an individual cage per hamster. |
| Weaning |
| The process of converting the baby hamsters from their mothers milk to an adult's hamster diet is known as weaning, and is usually completed by the time they are 4 weeks old at the latest. By this time the mother will be tired of the babies and may even start to attack her babies, and at this time they should be removed from their cage and all sister females put into one cage, and all brother males put in another cage. |
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| New Born Hamsters |
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| A Hamster Mother Picking Up A Wondering Hamster. She is not hurting the hamster. |
| Hamster Timeline |
| Day 1: Hairless, blind; thin protective covering over eyes Day 2: Begin to develop skin color Day 5: Develop fur, taste real food, and begin grooming Days 14 & 15: Thin covering over eyes disappears, stuff food into cheek pouches Day 17: Leave nest and play with other hamsters Days 21 - 25: Can leave the mother Days 35 - 42: Sexually mature |