Baby Dwarf Hamsters? How and what do we do to care for them?

Question

Ok well my sister bought a dwarf hamster about... a week ago and it has been running around and playing in the little wheel and everything and just last night we found she had a litter of four pups! Well, we thought it was a boy because we asked the person at the pet store if it was a boy or girl and she said "It is too small to tell." And we thought it was crazy for her to say that because it WAS an adult. So now we have no idea when they were born or what to do with them. We know they were born a few days or so ago, just because they're eyes aren't open and they have no fur or anything yet. They are just crawling around. We let the mother stay in the cage because i assumed that was the right thing to do, and we dont have a father or anything so anyone have any advice on how to care for tthe pups?

Answer 1

once the babies are 1 week old than it will be most likely the mom WONT eat her babies. here is somethings i found on a website

Days 1 - 7: Leave the cage completely alone. Don't bother the mother. Only get in the cage to change food and water.

Day 8: Cut up tiny pieces of apple (or carrot) and put them in the nest with the pups. It's very funny to watch them eat the pieces! These foods will help keep the babies from becoming dehydrated, which is crucial when they are this age.

Day 9: Offer mom snacks and let her have a break from motherhood. Take her out of the cage and hold her for a few minutes or let her run around in a ball.

Day 10: As with Day 8, offer the babies more soft fruit pieces.

Day 11: Lower the water bottle to 1/2" - 3/4" from the bedding so the babies can reach it.

Day 12 - 14: Continue to offer very small amounts of apple and carrot, but do so sparingly. Around the 12th, be sure to always have plenty of their regular diet (seeds and pellets) available because the babies will start to eat this. Also, let the mother have some alone time by handling her or putting her in her ball.

Day 15 - 18: Make sure the babies are eating the regular seed/pellet diet, just like the mother. Watch to make sure they have found the water bottle and know how to drink from it.

Day 19: The babies are now ready to be separated from mom. Though it might seem upsetting, the mom will be glad for the rest and relaxation time!

HOPE THEY HELP AND GOOD LUCK!!

aShLeY

Answer 2

It's a good thing you haven't touched them and there is no father.  More than likely, the father would kill the babies or the mother would kill the father..  DON'T TOUCH THE BABIES!!  Okay, if you touch them too soon the mother will either eat them of disown them (refuse to feed them and let them die).  

If your hamsters are living in a cage with wires, I would seriously think about moving them to a glass aquarium because, well, the babies could get out.  Hamsters are amazingly good at squishing their bodies down and getting through small spaces.  You don't want a brother and sister to run away, mate, and make more babies. xP

For the most part, you don't do anything.  The mother will eat her food, make milk for the babies, and feed them.  She'll clean them when they pee and keep the nest safe.  When you're cleaning the cage, don't touch the nest.  Clean the bedding around it.  If you destroy the nest of even take it out of the cage or touch it, the mother might not return to it.  So just don't touch it.  

When the hamsters are older, I think you have to wait until their weaned which means they eat their own food and take care of themselves, then you can hold them.  Not until then though.  It's sad, but true. ):

Answer 3

Wrong sexing of hamsters is very common in pet shops. Hamsters are sexually mature when they are 5 weeks old. After this, if they are kept together, males and females can mate.

Read this site, it will give you exhaustive information on handling the mother and pups

http://www.hamsterific.com/RaisingPups.c...

Some significant points -

Move the cage slowly (without disturbing mommy hamster) to a more peaceful area so that she would not be disturbed by any sudden or harsh sounds or disturbances.

Ensure that the mother hamster gets lots of food and drinking water. Increase the protein in her diet by giving her bits of hard boiled eggs and unsalted cheese.

You can also add vitamin drops to her water in the hamster bottle. These vitamin drops are available at all pet shops. The idea is to make sure that her food gives her the necessary nutrition and energy so that she can feed the pups and make them healthy too.

Do not touch the babies until they are 2-3 weeks old. Touching them causes the scent to change and the mother would kill them due to their scent change.

Never do anything to stress the mom as she might kill her pups. Pups have to be kept with the mother until they are 3 weeks old, after which they can be separated. Separate the males and females at the 4th week and put the males in separate cage and females with the mother in her cage (or separate cage if you may wish).Since they are dwarfs, all pups of the same s*x can live together.