Bringing a baby hamster home.

Question
We are purchasing a "panda bear" hamster from a friend.  Her hamster had 14 babies.  They will be 28 days old on Monday, and have been separated between sexes and away from Mom for a week.  Is 28 days too young to bring one home to live with us?  Will it develop illness due to extreme stress or will it adjust fine?  The pet store says 6 weeks is best, but we are anxious to have him home with us.  Should we wait?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Michele,

Ideally, the hamster should stay with its siblings for another 2 weeks.  During this time, it will mature further.  If you were to bring it home with you now, it would be under a lot of stress, as you suspected, and extreme stress can lead to wet tail, an often fatal disease.  So it's definitely best if you wait another 2 weeks.  In the meantime, if your friend will let you, you can get a head start on handling your new hamster, so that the stress will be lessened further when you bring it home.  Also, you'd be able to spend time with it, even before you bring it home.

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

Kelly