my hamster died!!!!! :(

Question
Last month i bought two hamsters, a boy and a girl... Last friday Snow had four babies.. So i separated her from the boy...the babies  they died the next day.... After that Snow looked really weak and she started shivering and i touched her she was really cold... And her back side was sort of dirty... I suspected that she had wet tail...i woke up today and i found her dead... is this normal? wud it happen to any hamster who just had her babies??? because i want to get another one!!

Answer
Hi Geena

I'm really sorry to hear about your hamster and babies.  It is always such a shock and very sad when something like this happens.

Babies are totally dependent on their mum in the first couple of weeks of their life for both food and warmth.  If Snow was ill she probably was unable to feed them.  It is impossible to know why Snow died, however, it could be that she had some sort of congenital problem that only became apparent during pregnancy, or perhaps she contracted something.  The fact that her rear end was dirty makes me think that she might have had a virus or similar.

I would strongly advise that you thoroughly disinfect (with pet disinfectant) her cage before re-homing another hamster in it.  I would also advise that you check the location of her cage to make sure it isn't in a damp/cold part of the house or near any fumes that could have made Snow sick.  Hopefully if you get another hamster you will have more luck next time.  I suggest that you don't try to mate a female that is younger than 3 months old as prior to this they are still quite immature.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards