my hamster...

Question
has babies.
i have no idea what to do.
i just got it today from my neighbor who conveniently never told me.
how do you tell their gender?
when can i separate them from the mother?
what else should i know about handling them?
this is my FIRST hamster by the way.
I've never taken care of any animal even similar to this and now I've got more than i ever wanted.

Answer
Hi Stephanie

Congratulations on being an unexpected 'mum'!!!

I'm assuming this is a Syrian, rather than dwarf????

What type of cage have you got her in?  Is it tubular, or a wire cage?  Where has she had her babies?  Are they in a house/tube/under a platform?

If you want to get back to me with a few more details I can advise you specifically.

In the meantime, the general rules for raising babies are:  don't go near the nest unless in an emergency. Since the mum doesn't know you, you don't want to make her nervous.  Make sure she has plenty of food nearby - if necessary, drop a handful of hamster mix beside the nest, along with some fresh vegetables every day.  If you can buy a packet of human baby food (powdered variety - creamy porridge oats is a hamster favorite).  Mix a little with water and place in a small dish/jam jar lid - put this near the nest.  This will give her extra nutrients.

At the end of week 1 - if the mum leaves the nest for any reason, you can gently open the nest and drop a few small pieces of food into it - such as raw porridge oats, breadcrumbs, seeds etc.  Close the nest immediately as the babies are very vulnerable at this young age.  If the mum is worried about you going near the cage - don't risk doing this.

At 2 weeks the babies will start leaving the nest.  Mum will get very stressed initially and will keep dragging them all back in, often by their legs.  Once she realizes she's never going to win, she will relax a bit.  At this time  you can start handling them.  Try to handle them all the same amount of time so that they are all equally tame. Initially only for a few minutes, but you can increase this handling time as they get bigger.  They will be very jumpy and catapult out of your hands, so make sure you handle them at floor level over their cage so that if they do fly out of your hands they will land safely.   They can eat hamster mix, fresh vegetables (avoid lettuce) and also the human baby food.

Try to fit as many wheels as you can in the cage (not the ones with spokes or drainage slits as these are dangerous).  Also, make sure they can reach the water bottle, you might have to lower it a bit, or build a ramp up to it.

At 4 weeks to the day (or even a day earlier) you need to sex and separate out the boys.  Often it is quite easy to do - have a look at the mum - you will see she has a row of nipples each side of her.  If you compare her with her babies you should be able to sex them.  If in doubt you might want to get a second opinion.  There are a lot of websites with photos of hamsters and they have some great illustrations of sexing hamsters - so it would be worth going onto one or two of these.

If these are dwarf hamsters, then the boys can remain together in one cage, the girls and mum in the other.  If this is a Syrian, then at 6 weeks they all need a cage on their own otherwise they will start fighting.

Regarding the mum - as she doesn't know you, it is important to tame her.  Every time you see her out and about, or if you go near the cage, talk to her so that she recognizes your voice.  If she is out and about in her cage, then feed small pieces of food through the bars - this way she will start to associate you with treats.  Don't put your hand straight into the nest or the area of the nest when you are dropping in food - she is likely to bite as she will be very protective of her babies.  If you accidentally touch a baby in the first 2 weeks, then gently place your hand over all of them so your scent is everywhere.  Don't get mum out during the first 2 weeks or so as it is vital she feeds her babies.  After this time you could try handling her and taming her the same way that you are handling her babies.

I never clean a hamster out when she has had babies.  They can get very nervous if you do this.  Wait until the babies are 3 weeks old - at which time you'll probably need to clean them every couple of days.  In the meantime, just scoop out the soiled corner if necessary and drop in another handful of wood chippings.  

One other thing - don't give cows milk.  This is very indigestible and causes diarrhea.  Providing the mum is feeding her babies you don't need to get any special milk for them.  The human baby food will give all the extra nutrients they need.

Good luck with this - please get back to me with more information if you need any more help/advice.

Regards