Will my hamster eat it's new born babies???

Question

i guess today my hamster who i thought was a boy (Lenny) had birth to 7 baby hamsters. but i am not alowed to keep them. what should i do? and will Lenny eat her babies? also is it good to take the babies to a pet store or just get rid of them?

Answer 1

they will only eat her young if they have diffrent sents on them and the mother can scence if her young is sick or while the mom was prego she didnt get all the viamins or nutrition she needend or if she had to many for her to handle so yea guve them to friends oy rhe pet store they wont freez them they only do that to mice not hampsters

Answer 2

She may eat them, but maybe not. Just let Nature take it's course and they will survive or be eaten. Don't just 'get rid of them' that is totally cruel! The pet store may offer to pay you for them or you could sell them in the paper or put posters out.

Answer 3

"Unfortunately, it’s not at all uncommon to have a mother hamster eat some or all of her litter.  There’s no hard and fast reason for why they do this, although some theories exist.  For example, first-time mothers may be so shocked by the whole situation that they feel threatened by the new arrivals and simply eat them to remove the threat.  Also, first time mothers can produce pups that are undersized or abnormal, thus causing the mother to reject and possibly eat them."

You can probably take it to a shelter or something. Or you can put 'em up on craigslist.

Answer 4

Sometimes the mother will eat the newborn babies Its usually if the baby is sick Or the adult hamster is hungry But DO NOT bring them to a pet store A lot of times They will just use the babies to feed the snakes in the store Because they dont have the time to be taking care of babies Plus they see it as a way to feed there snakes without having to use their own mice So thats the worst thing you can do So try to give them to a family member or some friends or something But you cant give them to a pet store And please dont let them outside They would be dead in a minute flat They couldnt survive outside Theyll get eaten by a cat or a hawk or a fox depending where you live

Answer 5

no of course not but i would keep them in a seperate place if you have any other hamsters othe than the mother

Answer 6

It is not a necesscity for the mother hamster to kill her babies. If you take very good care of the mother hamster, she would be happy and also take care of her babies properly.

You can minimise the risk of the mother eating her babies by making sure the mother hamster is given a peaceful and stress free atmosphere and healthy food so that she can concentrate all her energies on the baby caring duties. Some tips are -

Make sure you give the mother hamster lots of clean food and water and supplement her protein intake by giving her hard boiled egg whites and little quantities of skimmed milk. Also supplement her regular food with pieces of fresh vegetables like carrots. Throw away any stale food after a day.

Put the cage in an dim lit area where she has the least disturbance from noises and activities since any sudden noise or activity can stress the mother hamster and think she and the babies are in danger.

Put in a roll of unbleached / untreated toilet paper for her to make her nest and bedding for the 7 babies.

Leave the cage undisturbed for 2 weeks (except to change the food and water) after the babies are born since any disturbance can irritate the mother and cause her to hurt her babies. Remember never to touch the babies for two weeks from the day they are born.

Apart from that, leave the mother to take care of her litter without any interference for the next two weeks. She knows what is best for her babies.

You can try to touch them when they are 2 weeks or older provided mamma hamster is unbothered by it. If she looks bothered, refrain from doing so until the pups are three weeks old.

Between 3 weeks - 4 weeks, the pups can be weaned from the mother and can be caged separately. Also s*x the pups and separate the males and females into different cages since they are sexually mature from 5th week onwards.

Please do not get "rid"of them. It is very cruel. Give them to the pet shop from where you bought Lenny or ask them to arrange for good homes for Lenny's babies. You can give away the babies once they are 6 weeks old.

Answer 7

can i just say one thing,some people think if you touch the babies the mom will eat them.she wont,and if you dissagree with me send an email and i will prove myself,i touch my rats babies ever since they were born she hanst eaten one.she has had 8 litters and i touched all of them.it goes for most animals like birds for instants,you can touch the babies and eggs the mom wont throw them out just because they have human scent.

Answer 8

dont dump them out the window giive them to some friends

name one taquito

i think they only eat eachother when they are hungry and adults

my friends teacher told her that she forgot to feed her hamster and the next morning she found blood everywhere and the hamster was really fat...

ew.

but i dont think it will eat its babies maybe wen they are older

Answer 9

Hamsters usually only eat the babies that are not healthy. But, they shouldn't be separated from the mother too quickly. Please don't dump them. Give them to the pet shop. They may not pay you for them, but most pet shops will give you a little food or something in exchange for them.

Answer 10

only if she feels they are in danger. send them to a petshop or friends  

Answer 11

what ever you do DON'T touch the babies, the mom will eat them or not take care of them. also you can sell or give them to a good pet store after they are wiened, and give them to friends that WILL take care of them...