Sunday, April 6, 2014

Hamster Babies!!!?




-- Tayler


My hamster just had around 8 babies 2 days ago and I was wondering when do they open their eyes, when do they walk around the cage, and when will they get their fur??? I have been trying to count them without disturbing them or the mom but I havent got a clear answer. Please answer =) thanks!
yes this was an exedent
i bought 2 females and one turned out to be a male
a male+one female=babies!
=) thanks to all that answered



Answer
The Baby Basics

Remove the father hamster from the cage immediately. Some dwarf hamster males can help raise the babies, however you donât want to stress momma hamster with a second pregnancy so soon! Donât touch the babies unless you have a really good reason. Leave momma hamster and the babies alone if at all possible. If you make the mother too nervous, she may hurt or kill her babies. Give momma hamster privacy and extra nutrition. Give her plenty of hamster mix, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, and fresh water. You may also want to give her a little milk or baby formula once a day in a shallow dish or soaked into bread. You can also offer a bit of cooked egg for extra protein. Add extra bedding to make a nice nest, and keep the cage and babies warm. Donât put the cage in direct sunlight or on a heater, but make sure itâs in a warm spot and away from drafts.

If you want to get a better look at the tiny, pink babies, wait for momma hamster to leave the nest for some reason. You can then carefully and quietly get a look at the baby hamsters! Keep an eye on the mother -- if she seems nervous or anxious, stop what youâre doing and back away. A mother hamsterâs reactions will vary; some are very relaxed about human observation and some (especially young mothers) can be very nervous. Be observant and respect your hamsterâs personality.

Resist the urge to touch the babies for at least two weeks. Donât touch the nest, either. Only touch the mother or the cage, and only if absolutely necessary. Really, the best thing you can do is leave the mother hamster and babies alone for the first two weeks. If you want to look in, do it quietly.

By the time the baby hamsters are two to three weeks old, you should be able to touch them and even pick them up! But be aware that a baby hamster is unsocialized; it may be frightened and nip your finger or piddle in your hand. Donât drop the baby in surprise.

Some hamster mothers may leave the nest frequently, leaving the babies alone. As long as the babies are covered for warmth and as long as the mother comes back to nurse, the baby hamsters will be just fine. Just like people, some hamster mothers need more breaks from the demands of the babies. Momma hamster may also move the nest and babies around. The mother may be looking for the safest possible place, or the warmest spot to sleep. She may be relocating because the nest is soiled and is searching for a cleaner spot.

For the first nine to ten days of life, your baby hamsters will get all the nutrition they need from motherâs milk. After that, you can start offering soft foods, like breads, cooked or grated veggies, or fresh fruits to supplement the milk. By about two weeks old, the baby hamsters will start sampling the regular hamster mix. By four weeks of age, the babies should be weaned from motherâs milk and be eating normal hamster food and treats. Keep an eye on how much water your babies drink, too; they should be drinking plenty of water from the bottle by four weeks.

Questions About Your Baby Hamsters

How soon can I clean the cage? Wait at least ten days, if not two weeks. You can wait even longer to clean the cage if the mother seems anxious. Remove the entire nest with the babies while you clean; you may want to separate the mother so she will stay calm. When you are done cleaning, replace the nest and babies where you found them. When will the babies open their eyes? You can expect a baby hamster to open its eyes between twelve and sixteen days. How do I tell the difference between the sexes? Before a baby hamsterâs fur grows in, this will be relatively easy. Once the hamsters are two weeks old, pick them up and look at the stomachs. If you see two rows of pink dots, you have a female on your hand -- those are the nipples. When should I separate the babies? Unless you want more litters on your hands, separate the males and females by four to five weeks. Dwarf hamsters can live in pairs or in same-sex groups; Syrian hamsters should live alone. When can the babies go to their new homes? Once the babies are completely weaned from their mother -- around four to five weeks of age -- they can go to new homes. The babies have swollen bellies and are dying, whatâs wrong? This may be a case of milk fever -- when a motherâs milk becomes infected. Milk fever can occur at any time during nursing, but is often seen between one and two weeks of age. Call your veterinarian immediately; milk fever can be treated with antibiotics. What do I do if there is a dead baby in the cage? Remove the body immediately, but try not to touch anything. Wear a plastic glove or plastic bag over your hand, or try reaching for the body with a long spoon. Why would a mother hamster kill or eat her babies? A nervous young mother may kill her babies if she feels they are threatened. A mother hamster may also kill an injured or ill baby. Female hamsters come into heat on the day they give birth so if the father was present at the birth then the female is probably pregnant again now!

When my hamsters are nursing young and i have let them get pregnant again straight away, i always take the older babies from the mother on the day she gives birth, so she doesnt have chance to miss them because she has a new litter to look after.

It is usually just after three weeks when i separate them and they are capable of looking after themselves then - they have most of their fur, have their eyes open and are running around too. You might have to do this too if she has another litter - if she does then the babies will be about 3 or four weeks old when she does.

You can then leave a male with the father for company and leave a female from the new litter with the mother - then you can re home all of the rest if thats what you want to do.

The mother may be a little more aggressive because she has young - after all she will be trying to defend them.

Good Luck and let me know how you get on.

URGENT. BEDDING FOR BABY CHICKS?




Answers


i've bought some baby chicks, and their bedding has been newspaper for around 2 days now. I read that it is EXTREMELY bad to have them on newspaper. What should I do? Would hamster bedding work?


Answer
Baby chicks are big poopers, so make sure to line the floor of their housing unit with an absorbent material. The best, is to spread pine shavings about 1 inch thick. Resist the urge to use newspaper! It's not nearly as absorbent and the slippery surface can lead to a permanent deformity called "splayed leg" which can ultimate result in the other chickens picking on the affected bird to death. Many people also swear by paper towels, changed often. (DON'T use cedar shavings, no matter what friends or your local feed store tell you: the aromatic oils will irritate your chicks' lungs, and make them more susceptible to respiratory problems later in life.)

If you can't take the smell of the pine chips or if you are allergic to the dust, try the pellet bedding for small pets (hamsters) or just leaves raked out of the yard.

You can usually pick up a bag of wood shavings from your local petsore or superstore (asda ect)
theyre pretty cheep and usually have a picture of a rabbit or other small animal on the front of it.




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