my teddy bear hamster just had babies

Question
my parents are convinced that we need to take them now i mean i do not think that they are fighting but still my mom does not want to buy another cage and what would happen if th babies were taken away at this yong?? it does not seem to me like it would matter and hey are getting to be a pain
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hi it is me again wow it has been a long time!! ok the little ones (4) have turned 3 weeks old on sun. I would like to know what to do next!! the weel was succesfully taken off when the babies were only a week old the momma is really used to me handling her and truss me so she did not eat a baby. my mom and dad would like to take the babies to the petstore and give themback...i know that the hamster will miss me just as much as i will miss them!! but i know that it is for their own good they seem to be getting along fine but i can tell that the mom is sick of them! well my grandmother plans on keeping one but i would like to know wat to do is it to soon to give the babes up or not i need to know asap
kaitlan~~
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Hi i am writing again to ask you why i should've taken the wheel of of her cage? Is it bad for the pups or is it ok? Also chumby (the hamster) keeps digging to the bottom of her wheel and like biteing of scratching the bottom of the wheel. What would you recomend if it had something to do with her teeth?
thanks,
Kaitlan
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Hi my hamster only had four pups is that noramal ?
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Hi Karen, my teddy bear hamster named Chumby is having a litter of pups(not sure if that is what they should be called) as we speak. We didn't know that she was having babys because the pet store did not tell us. She was drinking out of her water bottle when she was done i decided to get her out and put her in her ball to clean the cage....we got her on Sat dec 30th. The next day after we got her she got in her weel and started getting bedding, and food and making a bed in it. Anyway i put her in her ball and i was looking in her weel when i saw four little worm looking thigs squirming about in the weel. Now she didn't seem nervouse when i held her or put her in her weel infact she was acting calmly but when i saw her pups i immediatly put her back in her cage and she just sat the for a moment and then she hopped back in her wheel and she is still giving birth. I wanted to know since i picked her up is there a risk of her eating the pups? I didn't disturb the nest but i would also like to know what i should do please help
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Hi Kaitlan,

    She could still be giving birth(they generally have one about every 10 minutes). A normal litter is generally around 8-10 pups. Since you did not touch the nest and she seemed calm, I don't think she will eat them. They usually only do that if they feel their babies are in danger or if they smell human scent on the babies or the nest.
    You should start feeding her hard boiled egg and some diced carrots (5-6 pieces of each every evening). This will give her the extra protein she needs to help raise her babies.
    The babies should not be touched until they are 2 weeks old. This is when it is safe to handle them for short period of time and the cage can be cleaned. I would also suggest that when you clean the cage to remove the wheel. This is normally done 3 days before the female gives birth, but since you didn't know she was pregnant, it was kind of hard to do that.
    At 3 weeks of age, the babies will need to be separated from their Mother and each other (boys in one cage, girls in another) and you can stop giving her the hard boiled egg.
    At 5-6 weeks of age , the babies will be ready to go to their new homes.
    If you have anymore questions, please feel free to write again.

Thank you for writing and best of luck!
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Hello again Kaitlan,

    Her having four pups is fine. Sometimes their first litter is small. Nothing to worry about.
    I hope you enjoy your new additions. Watching them grow sure is a wonderful thing to watch.
    Please feel free to write again if you have anymore questions.

Thank you for writing back!
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Hi Kaitlan,

    They say it is best to remove the wheel because some Mom's will neglect their pups (by running in the wheel a lot instead of taking care of the pups). Also when the pups start walking around the cage and the wheel is still in there, they could get in it and get their little legs caught (it doesn't take much to hurt their legs) or Mom could come along and start running in it and the pups could be hurt.
    For the biting on the wheel, it probably does have to do with her teeth. I would suggest putting wooden chew sticks (you can find them at a pet store or wal-mart etc.) in her cage and/or a dog biscuit. This should help.
    If you have anymore questions, please feel free to write again.

Thank you for writing again!
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Hello again Kaitlan!

    So the babies are now 3 weeks old. It is time to separate them from their Mother (boys in one cage and girls in another), as they can mate at this young age and it would not be good for them. The Mother and the babies may seem depressed for a few days after being separated (this is normal), but after that they will be their normal selves again.
    Yes, it is too soon to give the babies away. They need to be at least 5 weeks old and then they can go to their new homes.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing back!

Answer
Hi Kaitlan,

    I'm not sure if the pet store will take them at their age now, but you can try. If the babies are getting around good, eating and drinking well, they should be all right.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thanks for writing back and best of luck!