New born hamster babies

Question
Hi,this is Sara.I just got a hamster about 2 weeks ago and she was pregnant when I got her,I did not know until a week later when she gave birth.The mother is still alive and so are the babies.The mother gave a litter of 2.I am not quite sure what to do,therefore i asked you as you are an expert.Thanks and if I need anything about hamsters i'll be sure to ask you:)(this is the 4th day now,Sept,20,2006)

Answer
Hi Sara,

      First thing you need to do is start feeding the mother some hard boiled egg and diced carrots. This will give her the extra protein she needs to help raise her babies (the babies will also enjoy the egg and carrots).

      It is important that the nest nor the babies are touched until they are at least 2 weeks old. At this time it is safe to handle the babies for a short period of time and the cage can be cleaned also.

      At 5-7 days hair begins to emerge and the ears open and by 9-10 days the babies are covered in short fur and the eyelids are developing. At this time the babies may also start wandering around the cage, even though still blind. The female will usually collect the wandering babies and return them to the nest - this may be accompanied by squealing from the babies but is not usually anything to worry about. At 14-16 days of age the eyes open and the babies are covered in fur.

     At 3 weeks of age the babies are fully weaned and no longer require the mother's milk although they may still suckle if she has milk available. The babies should be moved into two separate cages (one for females and one for males) to avoid breeding at this young age. This can be a stressful time for the mother and the babies but they should adjust within a few days.

     At 5-6 weeks of age the babies are confident and developed enough to go to their new homes.

     If you have anymore questions please write again.

Thank you for writing!