Syrian Hamster pups

Question
hi,
i emailed you erlia. my hamster gave birth at around 3am this morning (15th). she delivered 1 on the floor of her cage and then went into her house to deliver the rest, i kept checking on the 1 that was delivered in the floor of her cage but she did not come back to it (he was definatly alive an our after she left him), as there was nothing i could do i went to sleep. This morning the baby was gone (but there was no sign that she had eeten it) im assuming she has moved him into the house. from what i can hear she seems to be looking after them fine so I have left her to it, im just wondering wen i could take a peek into the house (the lid lifts off) to check everything is ok and count how many she has had. also wondering wen it is safe to touch the babies. i know you must be bombarded with questions so sorry for pestering you, but i dont want her to get upset as she is very young. Thanks Annie Xx

Answer
Hi Annie

This is a very difficult question to answer!  Ideally you don't want her litter in the house but on the other hand it can be difficult to move nests and you don't want to stress her.

New borns are very vulnerable and there is little you can do to help if there is a problem, therefore I would suggest waiting a week.  It is always difficult if a hamster gives birth in a house - but obviously yours feels secure there.  She'll have to relocate the litter at some stage because they won't fit in the house when they get a bit bigger.  What is your relationship like with her?  See how she is over the coming days - how well she is looking after them, how she reacts if you are near the cage etc.  If she seems fine and is coming out and doesn't appear stressed, then you might be able to take the roof off and have a look in.  Don't expose the babies for too long, nor pick them up as they get cold very quickly - tuck them in again.  If you accidentally touch any, place your hand over all of them so your scent is on all of them - you don't want to single out just one.  Also handle the mum so that she recognizes your scent.  You might be able to leave the roof off the house - or if you wait until they are about 10 days old, you may even be able to gently lift the nest out and remove the house completely.   I had a hamster once who had a litter inside a coconut shell - I managed to lift up the shell and get the whole nest out in one go when they were only a day old - however, as yours has had them in her house, which I assume has a base to it, this would be very difficult.

Don't clean her out until the babies are at least 2 weeks - especially if you end up removing the nest from the house.  You can just remove any soiled corners - once they get to 3 weeks old you'll probably need to change the wood chipping every day/alternate days.  Keep some of their bedding behind each time so you don't stress them.

Buy some powdered human baby food and mix a little with water - this will give the mum extra nourishment and the babies can have this when they are 2 weeks old and leaving the nest.  Make sure there is plenty of food close by for the mum.  Make sure the babies can reach the water bottle when they start leaving the nest.  They can eat normal hamster mix, along with some fresh vegetables (avoid lettuce) - you'll be amazed how much they eat!  After 2 weeks you want to try handling the babies a few times a day - just for a few minutes, and gently build up the time you spend with them.

At 4 weeks the babies need sexing and the boys taken out.  At 6 weeks they will need their own cages.

Please feel free to get back with more questions if you're worried.
Regards