When can I handle hamster babies?
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.
When do you start to take care of a baby hamster?
Introduce yourself when they’re two weeks old. You can begin to handle baby hamsters when they open their eyes, at around 13 to 14 days old. Once all of the babies’ eyes are open, do a full cleaning of the cage as well.
What to do if mother hamster attacks baby hamster?
The mother hamster may also become very aggressive if you try to handle her offspring and may attack your hand. If you do need to move a baby for some reason, use a spoon. This will ensure that you do not get your scent on the baby.
What happens to Baby hamsters after they are born?
This doesn’t mean that you should try and move them if they are born scattered around the cage. Your hamster will have the mothering instinct and she will go and collect the new born hamsters and bring them to the nest. If you get your scent on the babies at this time there is a good chance their mother will abandon them.
How old does a baby hamster have to be to be blind?
By the time they are five days old most baby hamsters have a light covering of fur. They are still blind at this point, but this doesn’t stop them from exploring the cage from the time they are about seven days old. You should make sure that you lower the water bottles in the cage so that the days’ old baby hamsters can reach them.
How to take baby hamsters away from mom?
Be sure you leave the baby hamsters alone with there mother as much as possible and be sure not to touch the babies or else the mom will smell your sent and abandon the baby or eat it.
Is it normal for a hamster to eat its baby?
It is always recommended to separate the male hamster from the mother and the babies. There are many cases in which the father eats the babies, but it sometimes happens with the mother as well. In expectation of their babies’ birth, female hamsters will begin to build a nest.
When do Baby hamsters start to look like hamsters?
At this stage the baby hamsters will start to look like a proper hamster but they can’t see until their eyes begin to open when they are about two weeks old. When can baby hamsters leave their mother?
Is it hard to raise a baby hamster?
Raising baby hamsters isn’t hard; the mother does most of the work, but you do have to make sure that you’re very careful in following the procedures correctly, to make sure your hamsters are happy and healthy.
