panda bear hampster

Question
hey Kelly I have a question about an unfortunate event well unfortunate for my wife and I but something awesome for our kids.  we have a pregnant hamster and were wondering how many she will have we know for sure she is with child

Answer
Hi Tracy,

Syrian hamsters (aka Panda Bear hamsters) typically have between 2-12 babies.  An average litter would consist of about 5-6 babies.

Here's some more information about the birth:

The most important thing is that you *do not touch* the babies at all until they are 2 weeks old (14 days old).  If you touch the babies, the mother will stop feeding them.  Also, don't disturb the mother, either, since she'll need to take care of her babies.

Since the wheel can be dangerous for the babies, take it out of the cage.  And, lower the water bottle so the babies will be able to reach it.  When the babies are about 1 week old, scatter some dry hamster food around the cage, in case they want to experiment with it.

When the babies are 2 weeks old, then you can begin handling them for short periods of time.  You can also clean the cage when the babies are 2 weeks old.

When the babies are 3 weeks old, they are fully weaned from their mother.  They should be placed in a different cage, away from their mother, when they are 3 weeks old.  Let them stay in this cage for another 3 weeks.  

Then, when the babies are 6 weeks old, you can give them away.  Since you have Syrian hamsters (the larger, more common type of hamster), you should give them away one at a time, because Syrian hamsters can't live more than one to a cage.  If two adult Syrians are in one cage, they will fight violently.  Here's a website which will further help you:

http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/rearing_syrian_babies.htm

Good luck with your new arrivals, and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly