Baby Hamster

Question
My girl hamster had 6 babies about 6 days ago, but 4 of them die so I only have 2 know but just tonight I been noticing that the mother wont be with the babies what does it mean?

Answer
Hi Paloma

Sorry to hear your hamsters have died.  Is the mother feeding them at all?  At this young age sadly there is not much you can do as they need their mother to feed them.  

I would, however, suggest the following:

Don't clean her out at the moment - let her keep her scent on all the bedding, etc.  

Make sure she has plenty of food - give her some human baby food - you can get this in powder form (something like creamy porridge oats, or similar) mix it with water and put a spoonful in a dish for her.  This will make sure she has all the nutrients she needs.

There are a number of reasons why she is not interested in her babies:  some mothers just aren't - especially if they are very young.  Sometimes the mother can suffer from a problem feeding - either she is not producing enough milk, or she has mastitis or similar which is very painful for her and therefore as she has blood in her milk, her babies can't drink it. In this case she would need antibiotics - but the babies would die.  

You could contact your vet and see if they will give you some animal milk - this is specially designed for orphaned animals (Don't give human milk - fresh or powdered, as this is difficult for them to digest).  If your vet will let you have some of this, you can mix a small amount with water and, using a dropper bottle, feed the babies.  The only problem is that the babies need feeding hourly, 24 hours a day and they need to be kept warm.  This might help supplement their diet if they are not getting enough from their mum, however, they will still need their mum to feed them in order for them to survive.  At least, however,you will feel that you have done something to help - but in the end I am afraid it is up to nature.  Once the babies get to over 2 weeks old, then you have a much better chance of saving them.

Hope this helps you - do let me know how you get on.