Baby Parenting Guide

How to care for baby hamsters?

My little sister has hamsters and they just had three baby hamster. One of the hamsters is 1/4 of the weight of the others. Is there any special care baby hamsters need? Should the father be separated from the babies?

Public Response to How to care for baby hamsters?

1. yes! separate the father from the babies immediately! he will eat them!
2. YES SEPARATE TEH DAD UNLESS U WANT MORE BABIES!!!
3. I Have Had About 3 Litters Of Hamsters, And Yes The Father Should Be Taken Out Of The Enclosure. Sometimes The Fathers Tend To Eat The Babies But Other Times The Father Can Be Quiet A Help To The Recovering Mother. But For Safe Bets You Should Take Out The Father. You Also Shouldn't Touch The Babies, Or Get Any Scent Near The Babies This Will Draw The Mother To Reject And Even Kill Her Babies. I Have Seen It Happen And It's Not A Pretty Sight. You Can Also Make Scrambled Eggs, But Make Sure They Are Not At All Hot, Even A Little Cold. This Will Help The Babies And The Mother Catch Up On Protein And Nutrients. After About A Week And A Half You Can Take The Babies Out, But Keep Them With They're Mother And Clean The Cage. The New Bedding Will Have Your Scent On It And Also Try To Just Save The Cleanest Bedding This Will Keep The Mother From Noticing Changes To The Enclosure. At About 2 Weeks And A Half You Should Determine The Sex Of The Babies, And Separate Them. And You Have Free Will To Play With Them. Have Fun With Your Little Bundles Just Remember That The Hardest Step Is Make Sure You Don't Get Any Scent On Them And Sexing Your Little Bundles Of Joy. Have Fun(:
4. This depends, if the hamsters are Syrians (regular sized) then dad should be removed ASAP, and should have been removed long ago. If the hamsters are dwarfs, which considering dad and mom are together and neither has killed the other, I am inclined to assume they are, then you can leave dad in with mom, and he will help raise the babies, especially if they are Campbell's dwarfs. I have been breeding hamsters for years and my first litter was a mistake because mom came home from the store pregnant, but I enjoyed it so much I have done it many times since but these times with planning. Congratulations on your new babies, I am expecting some here soon myself! Separate the father only if you don't want more babies. Assuming they are dwarfs, she would enjoy the help - BUT he will probably get mom pregnant again too so if you keep him in there, expect more babies. Mom will feed the babies so you shouldn't worry about it, neither should you touch them. Mom's regular food mix should be good for her but to be on the safe side you could add some protein to her diet, peanuts and boiled egg whites are a great way to do this, but remove uneaten egg after a day or so because it will go bad. How long you have to wait to touch the babies varies, as a general rule of thumb, excepting emergencies, do not handle the babies until their eyes open and they crawl out of the nest themselves. Even if one accidentally gets dragged out when mom leaves to get a drink, leave it, mom will usually come back for it herself. With dwarfs the age varies with breed but with Campbells dwarfs, they will start crawling out of the nest on their own usually around 14-16 days of age. At around 3 weeks or 21 days they can be separated from mom, and should be separated into two groups, brothers and sisters and housed separately to prevent accidental inbreeding. This is a great time to handle and socialize the little ones for a few weeks before finding them new homes. When its time - be careful handling the baby hamsters, they are unsteady and can lurch about unexpectedly at amazing speeds, handle them around a soft surface like a bed where if they fall they won't get hurt. Included below is a site with a few more specifics on the different breeds.