What Do You Do After Your Hamster Gives Birth?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Once the babies have arrived don’t worry about

cleaning the cage

for a while. Leave mother and babies alone for at least 7 days, especially if the mother has never given birth before. 1 You can spot clean really wet spots if absolutely necessary but avoid disturbing the nest, mother, and babies.

When can I clean hamster cage after giving birth?


By their third week of life

, hamster pups are ready to be handled. It is safe to do so to clean your hamster’s cage. Carefully remove the mother and babies and place them in a secure area.

What do I do after my hamster gives birth?

Once the babies have arrived don’t worry about cleaning the cage for a while.

Leave mother and babies alone

for at least 7 days, especially if the mother has never given birth before. 1 You can spot clean really wet spots if absolutely necessary but avoid disturbing the nest, mother, and babies.

Can you touch hamster babies?

Keep things calm and quiet: Be sure to create a calm and quiet place for your hamster to nest and care for its young. Check on the babies, but

don’t touch them

: Taking a peek at the babies is okay, but you should leave them alone as much as possible for at least the first week of their lives.

Why do hamsters die after giving birth?

– Female hamsters are

very prone to killing their young

if the mother is disturbed too much. To avoid this, near the end of the pregnancy, place enough of food in the cage to last about seven days. This eliminates the need to change food containers during the first week after the babies are born.

Do hamsters miss their siblings?

Once one is apart from the family, they will live on their own. They will forget that the others are its siblings or parents and might attack them.

Hamsters are not known for reunions

.

Can a hamster get pregnant by itself?

TLDR;

Do not breed your hamsters on your own

. In the event that you brought home an already-pregnant hamster: Leave the mother and the pups alone and in peace, especially after birth.

How soon can you touch baby hamsters?


14 days of age

is “the ideal time to begin to familiarize your young hamster with being handled,” says Kohles. This should be a thoughtful process where you can help desensitize them to handling to minimize the stress of the baby hamsters. Don’t just go right in and pick up the hamster right away, he says.

How many baby hamsters are born at once?

Hamster Litters

A typical female hamster can give birth to as many as 20 pups in a litter,

though six to 12 is average

. The mother will nurse and care for her babies the first two to three weeks of life, after which they will be able to transition to a commercial hamster diet.

How soon can a hamster get pregnant after giving birth?

Female hamsters come into estrus, or heat, every four days or so. 1 This is the time they will be fertile and receptive to a male.

Within 24 hours of giving birth

, a female can become pregnant again.

Will the father hamster eat the babies?


The father will kill and eat the newborn babies

. You need to keep all the babies with the mother regardless of sex, they need to be kept with the mother as the mother provides it’s food.

Do hamsters eat their own poop?

The cellulose heads into the caecum, where the bacteria break it down. The result passes into the large intestine, which is not built for absorbing many nutrients, so out comes soft poop. Hammy apparently finds this outcome tasty. It

eats that poop

and this time, more nutrients can be absorbed by the small intestine.

Why do baby hamsters eat their mother?

It’s not a phenomenon that humans understand instinctively, but

sometimes a female hamster will kill her own young

. In fact, when she does, she often eats them, too. Ghastly as it may sound, though, her instincts could be guiding her action. She might be doing it for what she perceives as the good of the overall brood.

What are baby hamsters called?

In fact, mother hamsters sometimes hide their babies in their cheeks! Male hamsters are called boars, and girls are called sows. Baby hamsters are called

pups

. Usually hamsters have about 8 pups at once.

What’s the cutest name for a hamster?

  • Muffin.
  • Nugget.
  • Nutterbutter.
  • Precious.
  • Skittles.
  • Snookums.
  • Sugar.
  • Sweetie.
Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.