Dwarf Hamsters can give birth to around ten babies per litter after
completing a gestational period that lasts 18-20 days. Typically, the
standard litter size of a Dwarf Hamster is only 5 to 6 babie...
Dwarf Hamsters can give birth to around ten babies per litter after
completing a gestational period that lasts 18-20 days. Typically, the
standard litter size of a Dwarf Hamster is only 5 to 6 babies. Before
you make the decision to breed Dwarf Hamsters, you must have everything
well planned to deal with the litter when your hamster mother gives
birth. It is recommended that owners conduct plenty of research about
the breeding process so that they can raise the pups successfully, if
you just let it happen you are in for a big shock, and you may endanger
the litter.
For the first 10 days after their birth, baby Dwarf Hamsters must stay
with their mother. You should not have any close contact with them
whatsoever, if your scent gets on them the mother will kill them, it is
also not advisable to transfer them to a different cage. After four
days, the baby Dwarf Hamsters will have some color, and they will get
their fur after seven days. When they are on their tenth day, the
babies will begin to open their eyes, crawl and reach the water bottle.
During this time you can start holding them for short periods of time.
Sometimes mothers are over-protective of their little ones, so before
grabbing them observe their mother抯 reaction first. Baby Dwarf
Hamsters must be handled with exceptional care, because they are very
restless and when you do not hold them properly they may possibly be
injured by falling from your grip.
Once they are more than 10 days old you can start taming the babies by
handling them more frequently, offer them treats of solid food as they
start to eat regularly around the two week mark. You can give them
servings of oats, oatmeal, wheat germ or small birdseeds. Once they are
about three weeks old, the baby Dwarf Hamsters can eat fresh food with
a mixture of lab blocks. Your pets will grow much faster and healthier
when you feed them with small grains, something many experienced owners
recommend. Slices of cucumber and red apple can also be included in
your baby hamsters?diet to promote their growth.
Eventually when the babies are able to find other ways to feed
themselves, their mother will nurse them less often. They will be
completely weaned after four weeks. You should also transfer them,
grouped by sex, to their corresponding cages, because leaving the male
baby any longer with his mother will result in the mother getting
pregnant again. If this happens, the babies should be removed from
their original cage as their mother will give birth to another litter
after 18 to 20 days. This is obviously going to leave you with a lot of
new baby hamsters, so avoid unnecessary inbred pregnancy, and separate
male and female babies, and be prepared with two other cages in advance.
Once they are transferred to their corresponding cages, be sure to
clean their houses at least once a week. However, if you have more
babies in one cage, you need to clean it frequently because a crowded
cage can get dirtier faster. It is essential to check on the health of
the baby hamsters on a regular basis. Ensure that they are all
receiving enough food and water and they are not injured from fights
with their litter mates. Once they are four weeks old, you can sell
them or give them away.
