hamsters (dwarf maybe russian?) together in cage

Question
We have dwarf hamsters.  We didn't know it but mommy was ready to have babies and did so.  We seperated the male into a new bigger cage (habittrail) that we had purchased, away from the female with her 3 babies (left in the older smaller cage.) We left alone only to feed and water.  Surprise,  2 weeks later the babies had fur and eyes open and they were now a nice size.... When, poof, Mommy has another baby.  That was almost 2 weeks ago so 2 babies from 1st litter are well and newer baby seems to be well.  The runt from the 1st litter didn't make it though.  Now her and her 3 babies need to be reintroduced into the newer larger cage.... what's the best way?  Should Mommy and the newest baby stay alone and we should try to introduce the 4 week olds with the Daddy?  Should we introduce all at one time with some of the old bedding from the nest?  Or what are your thoughts?  Also, is that normal for a female to have another baby 2 weeks after her litter?  She was with no other adult hamste

Answer
Dear Diana,
thank you for your question.
Hamsters, as almost all rodents, mate directly after giving birth, so that's normal.
You need to separate the males from the females and their mother now, they may well be already able to breed. You can try to introduce them to their father, but you wil need to separate them when the babies are about six weeks old. Dwarf hamsters are not really social. They live as breeding pairs and in captivity even that very often doesn't work permanently. Hamsters of the same sex usually fight after some time and almost never can be introduced to each other. The babies should have an adulkt to learn from for th efirst six weeks, but then I recommend keeping them alone.

Introduce them in the bathtub or somewhere else where they haven't been before. If they get along there, put them in a kritter keeper or small cage without a house, just food, water, bedding and some hay to hide in. If they get along there, they can move into their normal cage after a day. The cage must be cleaned with hot water and vinegar to get rid of the smell and must be just as empty as the small cage. If they continue to get along, you can give them toys and furniture, one item per day.

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer