when can......

Question
hi agian kelly,


im very sorry for asking many questions but i dont know much about hamster babies.my hamster patches had babies u already know that but i need to know when i can handle the babies and when can i clean the cage? i dont know
what to do. when can the babies be put in seperate cages. when can they
be ready to go to their new homes?

Answer
Hi Dylan,

You can begin gently handling the babies when they are 14 days old.  It's very important to not touch them at all until they are 14 days old.  If you touch them, the mother will stop feeding them.

Also, you can clean the cage when the babies are 14 days old.  Just move the mother and the babies to a separate cage (or something like a shoebox with plenty of ventilation) while you're cleaning the cage.

When the babies are 3 weeks old, they are weaned from their mother.  They should be moved into another cage, away from their mother.  Then, after another 3 weeks, you can give them away to new homes (when they are 6 weeks old).

If you have Syrian hamsters (the larger kind of hamster - also called Teddy Bear, Black Bear, and Fancy), make sure the new owners know that you can keep only one hamster per cage.

If you have Dwarf hamsters, you should give them away in same-sex pairs, since they are social.

Have a great weekend!

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

Kelly