HELP!!! my hamster just had babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Question
Ok,Ok,
MY HAMSTER JUST GAVE BIRTH AND I DONT NO WHAT TO DO!!!
We got em from the pet store and they were supposed to be boys!
But turns out, one is a girl. She had them today, and she hasnt fed them yet, wat do i do? DO i do anything, or just let them handle it?? Im cluelesss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Hi Nikki

Sorry to hear about your unexpected litter!

I'm sorry to break this news to you, but dwarf hamsters mate again the day a litter is born so although (I assume) you have separated out the male, the female might already be pregnant again with a second litter!  The usual gestation period for a dwarf is 18-21 days.  I assume these are dwarf - if they are Syrian, then they should not have been sold together anyway as Syrians are solitary and need to live alone.

In theory you don't have to do much at all - hopefully everything will go according to plan.  Whereabouts has mum had the litter - are they out in the open or in an enclosed area?  The problem with an enclosed area such as a tube/house is that you can't see what is happening and also it can get a bit squashed.  If you buy a packet of baby food (I find hamsters love the creamy porridge oats powdered variety) and mix a little with water, give her some of this daily.  This will help give her some extra nutrients to feed her litter.  When the babies are a couple of weeks old and leaving the nest they will eat this too if it is in a low enough dish.

Drop food close to the nest so that mum doesn't have to venture out too much in search of food as you want her to remain with her babies.  Also, if the wheel in the cage has bars or a drainage slit you should remove this as babies can get caught in it.

The key thing is that you should not disturb the nest - if you do accidentally touch a baby in the first 2 weeks, or if one gets left out of the nest and needs returning, then gently place your hand on all the babies so that your scent is everywhere.  Mum will be very protective and might nip if you get too close.

I never clean out a cage of babies until the babies are 2-3 weeks old at which time you will need to clean it daily/alternate days.  Prior to that just clean the corner if it starts to smell.

At 2 weeks the babies will start to leave the nest (even though their eyes don't open for another day or two).  At this stage it is a good idea to try handling them - they will be jumpy but if you handle them just for a few seconds initially night and morning, and then increase the handling time over the next 2 weeks.  Also make a real fuss of mum.

Make sure the babies can reach the water bottle - you might need to fix one lower for them.  Also add another wheel or two if you can so there is no fighting.

At 4 weeks to the day you need to sex and separate out the boys.  The girls can live with mum (providing these are dwarf hamsters and there is no fighting).  If these are Syrians, then the girls can live with mum for another 2 weeks, and the boys in a separate cage and at 5-6 weeks they all need a cage of their own.  If these are dwarf hamsters then the boys can remain together.  It is very difficult introducing them to dad - you could try this in neutral territory but often there is fighting.  If you decide to do this, swap their bedding over for a few days so that they start to recognize each other's scent.  Then in neutral territory put them together but watch them all the time - if they are OK try them in a clean cage.  Any sign of fighting, nipping, bullying etc. then you must separate them. I often end up with single dwarf hamsters who are impossible to introduce to others. They are fine living alone.

I would advise you letting the pet shop know what has happened.  Whilst some pet shops refuse to accept any responsibility for wrongly sexing hamsters, others are helpful and either provide additional cages, or offer to re-home them.

I hope this helps you - please get back in touch if you are worried about anything.

Regards
Sheila