my teddybear hampstetrs babies

Question
QUESTION: my teddybear hampster had babies i don't know exacally when . i can home from vacation an found them.dont know when she got pregnant or when she had the but my ? is how do i tell how old r they an when can i touch them to clean the cage


ANSWER: Hi Patti

I'm assuming your hamster is fairly new and came to you pregnant???  If not, then she should not be near any other Syrian hamsters as they are solitary creatures and must live alone.

Assuming she arrived pregnant, then if you got her from a shop I suggest you let them know so that they can either provide you with a spare cage or help re-home the babies if necessary.

The gestation period for a hamster is 16-18 days, therefore this might help you identify the birth date.  Also, when the hamsters reach 10 -14 days they will start leaving the nest so this is usually a good way to age them. Their eyes open a day or two later.  It is important to try and pin point the date they were born as Syrian hamsters can become sexually active from 4 weeks and therefore at this age they need sexing and the males separated out.  At 6 weeks they will all need a cage of their own.

If they are tiny (and still in the nest) I advise that you don't try handling them yet.  I always wait until they leave the nest before doing this - then make sure they all get the same amount of handling time (including mum as she will feel left out otherwise).  Handling time can then be increased.  Can you handle her?  Is she OK with you around? If she doesn't know you very well she may not be happy with you  handling her babies, so be careful in case she bites.

I never clean a cage out when there are babies until they are leaving the nest and even then I always try to return the nest to them if possible so they don't get stressed.  AT 3 weeks old they will need cleaning out and over the coming week will probably need cleaning daily. Don't use the fluffy bedding - the best type is the shredded paper type.  Fluffy bedding can get caught round hamster's legs.

Make sure the water bottle is low enough for the babies to reach  (from about 2-3 weeks of age).  Also, try to fit as many wheels as you can in the cage (the solid types - don't use the ones with bars or drainage slits).

If you buy a packet or two of human baby food (the powdered creamy porridge oats is a favorite).  Mix a little with water and give about a teaspoon of this morning and night. This will help give the mum extra nutrients and when the babies have left the nest they can eat it too if you put it on a jam jar lid so they can reach it.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if you need any more help.

Regards


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank u for ur anwser. i also have one more ? anyways my hampster put her nest in her wheel the wheel is up in the cage where she is not reachable unless she comes down i keep on lookin at her an the babiesan it looks like the babies r eating what she bring up to them. they do move around up there a lot but she has not brought them down an they already have fur n stuff plus they r starting to stink what should i do i really need to clean the cage but dont want her to kill her babies

Answer
Hi Patti

It is always a worry if a mum has her babies in an area of the cage that is confined.  I usually advise people to move out any houses/tubes etc before the birth of a litter, but obviously in your case this was impossible as it was a completely unexpected litter.

Do you have another cage (single level) you could transfer them into?  If so it might be worth considering putting them in this.  If you do have one, then the best thing would be to tempt mum out of the nest, then put some of the soiled bedding into the new cage and carefully pick up the nest with the babies.  Make sure you transfer all of them and don't leave any behind as some get buried in the woodchip/bedding.  Mum will panic and there is always a danger that she might reject her babies or kill them, but if you think that they are in danger in their current location then it might be worth a try.  If the babies have fur and are leaving the nest, then the dangers are a lot less.  I succeeded doing this a few times, but did have a disaster one time and two babies ended up dead - it really depends on the temperament of the mum.  By putting in some of their soiled bedding this should make the new cage seem like home, then in a day or two you could remove the soiled bedding once they have settled down.  Can you see if their eyes are open yet?  Can they get out of the nest area?  Is there a tube connecting this to the rest of the cage?

If you don't have another cage - can you dismantle the cage and some how block off this area?  Again this is risky but might be worth a try.  

When cleaning out you don't want to remove all the bedding etc. even if it does smell.  The best thing is to scoop out the worst of it and replace this - if you do a section each day for a few days.  As you don't know how old the babies are it is difficult for me to totally advise you on this as with these little creatures the early days are incredibly important and it is vital that mum stays with the babies.  Once the babies start leaving the nest and get beyond the 2 1/2 week stage then their chances of survival if rejected improve dramatically but even then there is no guarantee.  Relocating a nest is a difficult decision.  Once the babies are about 3 weeks old then you can clean the cage out properly, although I don't use any pet disinfectants on the cage - just a rinse with water and thoroughly drying it before putting in clean bedding.

Do you have any photos you could send - is it possible for you to get a photo of them where they are currently?  If so this would help me age them for you and see what type of situation you refer to.  If you can't photograph them or the cage, then is there a link to a the type of cage on the Internet that I could have a look at?

Regards