agressive behaviour

Question
Hi, I wrote to you a week ago about food for my hamster who was pregnant. The pups are now 7 days old and very healthy. On three occasions now when I've gone into her cage to give her food she has been super aggressive and has gave me some very nasty bites. I am not going anywhere near her pups, is this normal as before she has always been very tame. The environment is reasonably quiet, only slight noise now and then. Finally I give her some boiled egg, a shallow dish of baby porridge and some veg. When I put it into the cage she immediately jumps on it and starts eating it straight away. I give her this every night. Am I giving her enough for five pups. Thanks very much!

Answer
Hi David

Hamsters can get very aggressive when there are babies.  Unfortunately I've been bitten a few times and have learned my lesson - so I don't go that close to the babies until they are 14 days old.  I'm sure she will calm down - she is likely to get a bit stressed when they reach around 14 days as this is the time they start to leave the nest and for the first day or two she will be dragging them back by their limbs.  Once she realizes that they are out of her control, she should calm down a bit and return to her old self.  At this time I would suggest you make a real fuss of her - get her out for a break from the 'kids' - I normally let the mum have a run around the room in an exercise ball for 10-15 minutes (if they used to do this before they had a litter - otherwise I just handle them), before returning her to her pups, and they usually appreciate this.  This will also give you a chance to start handling the pups.  Just make sure your scent is everywhere.  As she is this aggressive I would advise not cleaning her out as such right now until the pups are about 21/2-3 weeks old.  What you can do in the meantime to stop her cage smelling is to remove any soiled wood chippings in the corners of the cage and replace with a handful of new wood chippings. This way she shouldn't get into too much of a panic.  Once the pups are 3 weeks old you'll have to clean them out, but I usually remove the mum and pups together and put them all in a carry case, then clean out their cage - returning some of their bedding so it's a bit familiar to them, then put them all back in together.

Regarding food - it sounds as though you're giving the right amount but you can always increase this if you think she needs more.  Don't forget to give her the usual hamster mix too.  When the pups are leaving the nest while they will still be feeding from her, they will also be eating loads - so at this time increase the amount you're giving - twice daily - as it's amazing how much they eat and how fast they grow.

Regards