Baby dwarf hampsters

Question
I had one dwarf hampster and I got another one.The people at the pet store told
me they were both boys.Bandit was always in a little hut.One day i heard little
squeeking noises I looked under the hut and there were baby hamsters.I took
the dad out of the cage so he will not eat them.How long does it take for the
babies to grow fur? Can they live with their mother?When can I give them away?

Answer
Hi Olivia,

Actually, since you have Dwarf hamsters, the father would have helped raise the babies.  But, he and the mother would have mated again, and you would have ended up with a lot of babies.  So, ultimately, it's good that you've placed the father in another cage.

The most important thing to remember about baby hamsters is to not touch them at all until they are 14 days old.  If you touch them, the mother will stop feeding them and taking care of them.

Make sure to lower the water bottle in the cage so that when the babies are ready to drink, they can reach it.  Also, once they are about 7 days old, begin scattering regular hamster food (the kind you give Bandit) around the bottom of the cage, so they can experiment.  Be sure to remove any old food after 24 hours.

When the babies are 14 days old, their eyes will open, and they will be covered with short fur.  At this time, you can gently hold them for just a moment at a time.  Also, you can clean the cage at this time.

When the babies are 3 weeks old, they are weaned and ready to be separated from their mother.  Since Dwarves can live in pairs, feel free to leave one female baby hamster in with the mother, and place all the other babies in a separate cage.  (Leave only one female, since if you have more than 2 Dwarves in a cage, they're more prone to fight.)

Once you've placed the rest of the babies in a separate cage, they will stay in this cage for another 3 weeks, until they are 6 weeks old.  When they are 6 weeks old, you can give them away in same-sex pairs.

Have a great day, and good luck with your new arrivals!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly