chinese hamster 1 wk old

Question
We have 3 1 wk old chinese hamsters.  The mom has suddenly "kicked out" one of the baby's from the nest.  It's been ot for about 3 hours now.  Is she rejecting it or encouraging independance?  Thanks
Mark Poelker

Answer
Hi Mark

This is far too young to leave the nest.  You need to try and get the baby back in the nest.  Make sure that your scent is on the mum and all the babies and bedding so that you're not just singling out one.  It could be that this baby isn't well and the mum is rejecting it as she would do in the wild.  However, in order for it to survive it must be kept warm and must be fed hourly.  You can get some emergency powdered milk from the vet - this is specially designed for orphaned babies - you mix a tiny amount with water and using a dropper give the baby some of it.  Make sure the milk mixture is room temperature.  It might be worth trying to get some of this, however, your priority is keeping the baby warm.  Warm it in your hands first if you can before you put it in the nest with the others.  They aren't independent until they are around 3 weeks old - the first two weeks are absolutely crucial that they are fed by mum (or if not, fed hourly, and kept warm) otherwise they won't survive, I'm afraid.

Good luck with this.  Please let me know how you get on.

Regards