European hamster

Question
I just adopted a European hamster 11 days ago and she ahd 4 babies over the weekend.  My Mom an I discovered them when we went to clean the acge and change the bedding.  My Mom said we can't clean the cage or change the bedding now, but we don't know how long we should leave everything alone.  Also, how old do the babies have to be before they can be adopted out?  How long before I can touch them and hold them?  Thank you.

Answer
You should leave the cage the way it is until the babies are at least two weeks old. Then you can quickly change the cage. When you change it make sure the babies aren't with the mother. You can put them back together when the cage is cleaned and ready to go. You can hold the babies for short periods of time when they are two weeks old. The babies can e adopted out at four to five weeks.

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