How long can hamster babies feed off there mother?

Question

My baby hamsters are 2 and a half weeks old, and I need to know if they should still be feeding off the mother.

Answer 1

The answer will depend on what species of hamster you have, and it doesn't have anything to do with cannibalism. Syrian hamsters (the most common in pet stores) can start breeding at 3-6 weeks of age (though it is not recommended that they breed that young), which means that yours should soon be separated from their mother (well at least the males), not because she could eat them, but because they could start mating with their siblings/mother.

Answer 2

I think it is time for you to start feeding the hamster babies with solid food so that they wean off their mother's food by the time they are 3 weeks old.

Uptil 2 weeks - babies should be only on mother's milk

Between 2-3 weeks - they can have a mix of mother's milk and solid foods

3rd week - They should be completely on solid foods and ready for weaning

4th week - time to wean the babies, s*x them and put the males and females in separate cages.

Answer 3

Hi!

Congrats for your babies!

- I hope that you haven't disturb the nest till now, because she might get aggressive with her pups. If one of the babies gets lost in the cage, do not worry because the mother will gladly get him back home.

- Between 21(3 weeks) and 28 days (4 weeks) they will be ready to leave their mommy and explore everything in the cage and begin to eat small seeds . I usually help mines to eat their seeds by cutting them in small pieces. You have to make sure that they can eat water from the special bottle. if it is too high you have to lower it.

- In week 4 the sexes should be separated and placed in separate cages at the time they are weaned. Be careful to put them in the cage at the same time because if one gets in the cage because the others he will most likely mark the place and he will be aggressive towards his brothers and sisters.

TIP: Syrian hamsters can stay in these male and female groups for another 2-3 weeks, but you have to separate them and put one hamster per cage because they will most likely fight.

Here is a calendar that will help you to be up to date with your babies from now on:



Day 1: Hairless, blind; protective layer covering their eyes

Day 2: They will get some kind of skin color

Day 5: Their fur starts to grow and they begin grooming ,

Days 14 & 15: The protective layer covering their eyes disappears and they begin to stuff food in their pouches

Day 17:The babies wonder around in the cage and begin to play with their brothers and sisters.

Days 21 - 25: They are able to leave the mother

Days 35 - 42: Are sexually mature

Good luck being a daddy;)! If you need any help you can contact me and I will get back as soon as I can!

Answer 4

Usually they start eating solid food at 21 days but its always good to take the mother away from the babies soon because hamsters can become cannibalistic. =(