dwarf breeding accident

Question
I recently purchased three dwarf hamsters, (stupidly) without checking the sex. Two months later I have a litter and another i think on the way. There has always been squabbling but I understood this was them establishing there dominance over each other. I am now worried for the safety of the pups. Do i need to separate all three or can the two mothers be left together? What would you recommend? Only a day old at the moment but I know it is already possible for the mother to be pregnant again but want to avoid any further difficulty for her.
Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Isolde

A lot of pet shops aren't very good at sexing hamsters and your story is quite common.  Dwarf hamsters will mate again the day a litter is born so if the male was still in with the females then there could easily be another litter on the way.  

In terms of having more than one female in with babies - this is fine.  They should help each other look after the babies.  If a second litter does appear, remember that you must sex and separate out the boys at 4 weeks otherwise they too can mate with the girls.  All the girls from both litters can live together with the mums providing they don't fight but you need to make sure that their cage is large so that they have plenty of space and lots of places to sleep (dwarf hamsters seem to like to relocate their nest from one day to the next).  Also make sure there is plenty of food available at all times.  The only times babies end up dead is if the mother feels that there won't be enough food or space - in the wild they would kill some of them (usually the weakest) so that the others will survive.  

The thing to remember is that once you have separated out any hamsters it is very difficult to reintroduce them - so if dad has already been removed from the cage and you want him to live with any of the male babies, you could try and get them together, but there are no guarantees it will work.  Wait until the babies are 4 weeks old, then sex and separate the boys.  On a daily basis (perhaps a few times each day) move them from their cage to their dad's cage but don't let them meet at all.  You are trying to get them used to each others scent.  After a few days of this you could try to introduce them to each other but do this in neutral territory, such as the bath (put the plug in) or the washing up bowl.  Watch them all the time.  If they seem OK together then you can try them in one of the cages - before putting them in this thoroughly clean the cage, dry it well and return some of their mixed bedding.  If there is any sign of fighting, or bullying you must separate.  Look out for one of them sleeping alone, or constant squeeking if one goes near another one - these are danger signs that fighting could get out of hand.

If you hadn't planned on having loads of hamsters I would suggest you get back in touch with the pet shop and see if they will take any back. Sometimes they will.

I hope you get on OK.