newborn hamsters

Question
My female hamster just gave birth to 17 youngsters, however, after 24 hours, 14 of them died already.  We tried leaving them with the mother after she had them but she started eating them so I separated them from her.  Now there's only 2 left and one in a very delicate condition.  What do you do when the mother gives birth to her youngsters? Should I separate her from her babies or should I just leave them with her?

Answer
Hi Marvee

You must leave the babies with the mum.  They will not survive without her.  It is a difficult thing to do, but sadly you must let nature take it's course.  17 is a big litter and in the wild a mother will kill her young if she is frightened, they are ill or if she thinks there will not be enough food for them.

You must get the babies back with her urgently.  They will survive only a matter of minutes out the nest as their body temperature drops dramatically.  Hopefully, as she's only got two left she will take care of them.

You can help her by giving her human baby food - if you can get hold of the powdered variety - mix some with water and put it in a small dish for her (the creamy porridge oats is always a favorite). This will help give her extra nutrients and build up her strength.  If you can't get this, do you have Complan?  (This is a powdered food that you take if you've been ill and need to build up your strength - get the plain variety and mix with water) Also, make sure she's got plenty of food around her nest so she doesn't have to go out looking for anything.  If one of the babies is in a delicate condition, then I suspect it will not survive, but hopefully she will look after the other one.  I have a sole survivor living with me now - her mother's litter was only about 8, but they all died except this one due to neglect.  Providing the baby/babies survive the next few days, if you are afraid that the mum isn't feeding them very well, you can supplement their food with a special milk powder that you get from the vet.  It is designed for orphaned babies (cows/cats milk is indigestible for hamsters at this young age - you mix a tiny amount with water and feed the babies with a pipette.  If she isn't happy about feeding them, they will need feeding hourly for the first couple of weeks.  The main problem with babies this young is that they get cold, and this is the biggest killer - so make sure you warm them up in your hands before you put them back in the nest.  If the mum doesn't want to feed them, or is too busy running in her wheel - remove the wheel and all her toys so that there is nothing else for her to do for the next couple of weeks or so other than take care of her young.

As you're handling the babies, make sure your scent is all around the nest, and handle the mum so that she doesn't think you are a danger to her.

I wish you all the best with this.  Please let me know how you get on.
Regards