new born babies

Question
My honey bear and black hamster had babies and they were born last night. How long does it usually take for them to open their eyes and when will the mother allow us to hold them?

Answer
Hi Alexis,

Baby hamsters will open their eyes once they are 14-16 days old.  They will also be covered in short fur at this time.  And, it is also at this time (14 days old) that you can begin handling them for short periods of time.  In addition, you can clean the cage when they're 2 weeks old.

When the babies are 3 weeks old, they're fully weaned from their mother.  Move them to a separate cage, and let them live in this separate cage until they are 6 weeks old.  Since you have Syrian hamsters (aka "Black Bear" hamsters), they can't live together once they're adults.  (Syrian hamsters are considered adults when they're 6 weeks old.)  So, each hamster will need his/her own cage.  (If you're giving the hamsters away, make sure the new owners know that they can have no more than one Syrian per cage.)

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

Kelly