Hamster Birth

Question
Hi, I am chermaine again. I am very sure that my female hamster did not eat any of her babies as my domestic maid saw her after birth with only two babies. I also wonder why as the average litter is 6-8. And I hope that she is not pregnant again as it is stressful for her. My question for now is:
1. When can I take the babies out to play?
2. When isit safe for me to put the male hamster back into the cage?
Many thanks for answering my endless questions.

Answer
Dear Chermaine,
thank you for your question.
When the babies come out of the nest by themselves and are not carried right bak by the mother you can touch them, but not take them out of the cage. When they are about four weeks old, they can be taken out and by that time, they need to be separated into males and females because they will be able to breed. Try introducing the males to their father, they should have an adult to learn from for a few weeks more.

The father should not be introduced to the female again. Apart from the fact that they are already fighting and won't stop, they will mate again. Since you got them at a pet shop, there's no way of telling whether their genetic makeup doesn't cause any problems for the babies (this maybe a reason for the small litter, some combinations result in stillbirths or babies dying in the womb).
If you really want to breed dwarf hamsters, look for a good breeder where you can get hamsters that you know are healthy and will get healthy babies. You should also have plans for all babies of a litter (there may be as many as twelve) before even introducing the parents.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer