Caring for Baby Hamsters

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     Whether you have had babies intentionally or came home from the store with a pregnant female, knowing how to care for baby hamsters is an important part of being a responsible pet owner.

The first thing to remember is that the mother does not need your help and she can have babies all on her own. You don't need to coach her on breathing or fetch hot mater. Just let nature take its course.

Even though you want to look and touch the babies, make sure you do not disturb the mother or babies for at least 10 days - preferably 2 weeks or so. If you touch the babies or upset the mother, the mother can abuse, neglect, abandon or even eat her little ones. The only thing you need to do for 10 to 14 days is to provide fresh food and water. Nothing else. Do not change bedding or clean the cage unless it is a dire emergency (such as if a water bottle leaks and wets a large portion of the housing area. If the bedding gets wet, it can become moldy and unsanitary - which can also upset the mother hamster and cause her to not be a good mother to her litter. If you must do some cleaning, do a spot cleaning using a clean kitty litter scoop.

Provide mom with extra protein while she is nursing. You can add bits of hard-boiled egg and cooked chicken in addition to her regular diet. Making sure she has good nutrition will help make sure she does not hurt her babies. Poor nutrition for new mothers can cause stress for the mother hamster, and this can cause her to neglect or eat her babies.

Provide mom with nice, warm, bedding material - such as strips of toilet paper or specially manufactured bedding available commercially - so the mother can provide a warm nest for her litter.

If you have an absolute emergency and you have no choice but to move the babies, use a clean, dry spoon to scoop them out and do not touch them under any circumstances. If you get your scent on the baby, the mother will more than likely cannibalize the poor baby.

Do not use a dish to provide water for the babies. They can nurse until they are big enough to drink from a water bottle bottle. Using a dish for water could cause a baby to stumble into the water dish and drown. (Hamster babies are born with their eyes shut and cannot see until they open, but they can wander around some before they can see.)

Finally, make sure you separate the males from the females shortly after they are weaned; otherwise you will have several more litters to raise. Syrian hamsters can breed as young as 45 days old. Dwarf hamsters can begin to breed at around 60 to 135 days. Aside from the fact that having multiple litters can be costly, frustrating and exasperating, females that have litters too soon are usually not very good mothers. They need time to mature before breeding.