my Syrian had babies

Question
My Syrian had babies last night. We have 5 children and a place for all the babies. But she threw 3 of them out of the nest this morning, and has eaten 2 of them since . Our hamster has never had babies before, i think she will at least eat the third outcast. is their any thing i can do to save him. He has us at his disposal no matter the trouble.
                                   thanks for your help,
                                            Tamara

Answer
Hi Tamara

I'm really sorry to hear about your hamsters.

At this young age the babies are vulnerable and their body temperature can drop in a matter of minutes once they are out of the nest.  Sadly there is little that can be done as they need their mum to feed them and keep them warm.  

A hamster only really kills her young if she is scared, if she feels there is insufficient food/space or if she thinks there is something wrong with them.  Or there could be something wrong with the mum and she can't feed them.  Once a hamster has thrown her babies out of the nest it is difficult to get them to take them back and whilst it is very hard, sometimes you just have to let nature take its course.  If the babies were a week or more old then, whilst it is still very hard, sometimes it is possible to raise them with various milk substitutes etc.

What is your relationship like with your hamster?  Is it good?  If she comfortable with you or is she nervous.  If she is comfortable then you might be able to reassure her, perhaps even handle her if she leaves the nest.  If you do get her out of her cage, make sure she tucks any remaining babies into the nest so they don't get cold.  If you do accidentally touch any of them, gently place your hand on all of them so you aren't making one stand out as being different.  If you can  handle her have a look at her belly - her nipples should be raised, but not particularly sore looking.  Look for any redness, swelling, pus.  Also see if she is feeding any of her babies - at this young age you can see a white blob in their stomach if they have been fed.  Sometimes the mums can suffer from mastitis and they are unable to produce milk and don't want their babies near them because it is so painful.  If this is the case, sadly the litter will die as she is unable to feed them and they cannot survive without her milk in the early days.  She would also need to be treated with antibiotics and these would kill any young she is feeding.  

Also, I suggest you drop a load of food close to her - this way she will know there is plenty to eat.  You can also give human baby food to her - such as creamy porridge (I usually buy a packet of the powdered type and mix with water).  This will give her extra nutrients to feed her babies and might encourage her to do so.

I had a litter once and the mum decided she didn't want her babies.  I spent a very restless night sitting with her, hoping that she would go back to them. She had a leg problem which was obviously causing her pain and I think this was partly the reason why she didn't want babies. By morning she had returned to her nest, however, the runt had been thrown out.  They were a few days old and  not total new borns, but they were tiny.  The runt was cold when I found him and I managed to warm him in my hands and return him to the nest and the mum accepted him.  After that everything was fine.    Another time a mum panicked and started running around the cage with her babies in her mouth.  It took about 2 hours before she would calm down a bit.  By morning two babies were dead.  There is sometimes no real explanation as to why a mum doesn't look after her babies - there is nothing that you have done wrong, nor is there anything that can be done - which is very sad.

A suggested plan of action would be to check her out - if you can.  If all is well, then let her have extra food, talk to her, try to reassure her and if you see any babies out of the nest, warm them in your hands and return them - touching any other babies.  Also touch the nest, and the mum so your scent is everywhere.

If you think there is something wrong with her, then it would be wise to take her and her babies to the vet - if you can, take the whole cage as being in her own surroundings will be less stressful.  If there is a medical reason why she can't feed them/abandoning them then the vet may well decide that euthanasia is kindest for the remaining babies.  In any event I would strongly advise against mating her again as this situation could re-occur.

Should any remaining babies survive the next few days/week, then your chances of keeping them alive improve.  Every day is a blessing.  At a week of age they can eat solids although they still take their mother's milk, and at 2 weeks they will be leaving the nest and at that age stand a very good chance of survival. At that age they can also eat human baby food if you put it in low enough dishes and this helps build up their strength.

Please let me know how you get on.  I suspect that by the time you read this email (due to time differences etc.) the third baby might be dead, but if there are any other babies in the litter, then hopefully they are OK.

Regards