short-haired hamsters

Question
Our hamster had six babies. We didn't know she was having. All the talk about them eating them made us instantly remove them.  After I called the vet I was told that she won't unless we mess with them! So we just removed the male. Even though we touched them she seems to be fine 24 hours later.  How long before I can stop worrying that we screwed up and she's going to eat them?????

Answer
Mommy hams can eat their babies for many reasons, and most will resist the urge by the time they grow hair and open their eyes, but I have gotten a report that one mom even ate her furred pups. There is no real age that the mom won't eat them, until 9 weeks when they can go on their own. My best guess would be about 5 and a half weeks old, depending on how old the mother is. If she is young, like less then a year old, she is more likely to resort to eating her pups. An older mother will tolerate more, and is less likely to eat her babies from a disturbance, like noise, moving things in the cage, touching her babies, etc.