Which one is mom?

Question
I discovered a litter of pups last night.  I thought they were all females and they've been in the same cage for over a yr.  I found out who daddy was and removed him although he didn't seem to bother the pups at all.  My problem is I don't know who gave birth?  Both females are cleaning the nest and nursing the pups (there are only 4).  I've had hamsters now for 4 yrs and have never seen this.  I'm not removing either one since they are both doing the job.  I just want to know if this is normal behavior for the fance teddy bears.

Answer
Hi Sherry

Thanks for your question.  I have been in a similar situation as this with a litter and two females.  First of all, what type of hamsters are these?  You mention that they are teddy bears -does that mean that they are Syrian?  In which case they really ought to live alone.  If they are then when the babies are 4 weeks old they should be sexed and the boys removed, and at 5-6 weeks they all need a cage of their own.  If they are dwarf hamsters, then the situation is different in that the girls can all live together as can the boys providing they don't fight but it is important to separate the boys at 4 weeks otherwise they can mate. Syrians are known to be solitary creatures and if yours are Syrian then you have been very lucky to have got them to this age without serious fighting.  I have kept two together before but they were both eyeless and I think it was that fact that stopped them fighting as they felt comfortable with the other one there - but you can end up with dreadful injuries, and if one dies the other can mutilate them.

In terms of what to do right now - it is best to leave well alone especially as both females are cleaning the pups.  Two females arrived at the rescue with a litter and we weren't sure which was mum.  After a couple of weeks it became obvious.  The aunt however became very possessive and seemed to think she was in charge of the babies and started squabbling with mum so I ended up taking her out as although she was doing a fantastic job keeping the babies warm and clean, the fact is that she wasn't in a position to feed them.  You should be able to identify mum as the days go by, but unless there is any problem, keep both females in with them as long as possible.  In these early days they rely almost totally on mum for food and it is vital she is there with them and is feeding them.  When they get to about 2 weeks of age they can eat normal hamster mix, raw porridge oats, nuts, seeds, small amount of fresh vegetables (avoid lettuce).  It is also worth giving some baby food - I usually buy a packet of the creamy porridge oat variety and mix a little with water.  Mum and aunt will enjoy eating this too and it will give mum some extra nutrients.  When the babies are 2 weeks old and leaving the nest they will eat it too if you put it in a low enough dish.

One thing to be aware of is that when a hamster produces a litter, if the male is still with her they often mate again that day.  Due to her being incredibly fertile at that time, sometimes she conceives and a second litter appears a few weeks later.

I hope this helps you - please get back in touch if there is anything else I can help with.

Regards
Sheila