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Baby Hamster

by Staff Writer

Protecting a precious baby hamster requires a keen eye, a good dose of patience, and the proper equipment. Whether you own an aquarium or a complex tank with lots of tubes for running and playing, you want to situate your hamster for easy growth and development. If you keep your hamsters in an aquarium, you may want to provide extra ventilation for your baby. Of course, you don’t want to allow escapes–young hamsters can easily fall off tables or high surfaces and injure themselves. Since their bones and ligaments are less developed than the bones and ligaments of their parents, they can be injured more easily.

You can provide your baby with a cardboard box for nesting, but it’s important to offer other toys to encourage teething, scratching and burrowing. A simple wooden block or a willow branch can be manna from heaven for a baby hamster. You can also add some tissue to the cage for use as raw material in the nesting box.

Every few weeks or so, you might want to replace the nest furnishings to prevent them from getting stale or harboring bacteria or disease. Socializing you baby hamster is a multi-step process. Assuming that you’ve tamed the parents, you can likely build up enough goodwill through soothing voice gestures, calm handling, and lots of encouragement.

Don’t grab hamsters suddenly–they are liable to bite you. Instead, earn the creature’s trust by methodically petting it, letting it walk onto the palm of your hand and then picking it up gently. You might also want to schedule a veterinary appointment to inspect your new charge.

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13 responses so far

Lee Ann // Mar 8, 2007 at 12:13 am

I have a question. I purchased a female hamster not knowing she was pregnant. The babys are nine days old how do I make sure they’re alive? She has them underneath the bedding. I read if I touch them the mother will not recgonize their scent and kil them. How should I check to make sure they are ok without touching them or freaking the momma hamster out?
katie // Mar 13, 2007 at 1:28 pm

Try using a spoon to move things around without touching the babies or moving the mother if she is with them you want to do this when she goes to get something to eat but do not do not disturb the babies or completelly destroy the nest i know from experience the consequences of doing so.
Lena // Mar 15, 2007 at 5:14 pm

I long do the female hamsters carry their babies? What do i need to do to keep the mother and the babies safe? When will it be safe to touch the babies? Do the cage have to be put up, like in a quite place with no lights?
sarah // Mar 23, 2007 at 11:31 am

Katies idea sounds like a good one. You are lucky you olny had 9. My the first litter i personaly experienc was that of 16 babies. 8 died i think due to the fact she was a first time mom. The next litter only had 13. 2 died at birth. this mother let me touch her babies. NO ONE GET ANY IDEAS that this is good. I boddle fed the mom after getting her from a friend when the mom ate the other babies. She could only save three from the mother. My friend touched the nest and the mom wasn’t happy. DO NOT TOUCH THE BABIES!!!
Chasidi // Mar 29, 2007 at 12:15 am

I had the same problem. We bought my hamster, Lily, not knowing she was pregnant. I was just starting to gain her trust then she just had babies. Now she’s being a brat! She was chewing on the cage and I opened it up to move her little chew toy closer cause she hasn’t seemed to figure out what its for, and literally attacked me! I’ve put my hand in there before and she’s never acted like that even when she first had the babies. I don’t know why she won’t use the chew toy. But I’m planning on using salt cubes soon. Now that I have baby hamsters can anyone give me tips and advice on caribng for the babies and like when their eyes will open. I know when they can be handled and when they will be weaned.
cheryl // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:36 am

hi my baby hamsters ae a week old now what is the best age to seperate them from mum please as ive heard 2 to 4 weeks wat is best for them thanks
JoAnne // Apr 6, 2007 at 6:04 pm

I have a question about my baby hamster? At what age can they be handled by humans? The cage that they are in is starting to get very dirty and it needs to be changed and i’m afriad to touch them, tey are two weeks olds.
hali anadio // Apr 9, 2007 at 3:45 pm

hi my hampster just had her second liter of hampster. her first liter did not survive.
i was wondering how long before they will open there eyes and how old they should be before seperating from mother hampster. inkow that usally they all dont make it. they were born easter morning and male hampster was helping take care of it and wonder if we should leave the male in with mother and babies or to take him out.
jennifer // Apr 17, 2007 at 8:24 pm

my hamster opened the cage when i was not there and ran away but a found her in my wall a few days ago and i think we have a boy hamster in the wall too and my hamster is a girl so how do i know if she is pregant?thanks
leslie // Apr 18, 2007 at 6:36 pm

well i bought a hampster not nowing its bregnate but we know she is but she hasnt had her babyes yet how long does it take for her to have them and then for us to be able to hold them….
caz x // Apr 21, 2007 at 7:16 am

my hamster is 2months old and had5 babys wil she be ok though shes so young
meg x // Apr 22, 2007 at 5:39 am

My hamster is only 8 weeks and he is getting to know me he lets me stroke him but he wont coe in to my hand but how long will it yake till i can hold him??
beki // Apr 25, 2007 at 12:02 pm

i bought a hamster but she sed it was a boy but it was a girl and i think she was with her brothers and im scared that the babies will be inbreds is there any chance they wont be and is there any chance they will survive??

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