How hamsters give birth, what to do during and after childbirth

Even those owners who regularly mate and breed hamsters are rarely lucky enough to see how hamsters give birth. For the female, privacy and a calm environment are important; most often, hamsters give birth in the dead of night. Modern technology allows you to record the process on a video camera if it can be installed in the house without disturbing the animal. Many people dream that their pet will have little dzhungars.

Signs of imminent labor:

• activity decreases;
• loss of appetite;
• birth canal is open.

After how many days hamsters give birth after mating, it depends on the type of animals, the number of fruits, and the conditions of detention. On average it is 20 days. The owner of the female should know what to do if the hamster gave birth, because sometimes the animal is sold already pregnant.

How are hamsters born?

Hamster births are very fast. The female takes a peculiar sitting posture, twisting during contractions. She takes out the fruits from the birth canal, helping herself with her teeth. The interval between babies is only a few minutes. During this time (5-15 minutes), the female manages to gnaw through the fetal membrane so that the newborn breathes. She gnaws the umbilical cord and begins to lick the cub. The female eats the fetal bladder and placenta.

Syrian hamster genera

Childbirth is the final phase of the breeding cycle of Syrian hamsters. Normal duration is about 2-3 hours, sometimes up to 6 hours. Sometimes the Syrian hamster gives birth to an impressive offspring – 12-16 pieces. Then the cubs are born too quickly. During the short interval between contractions, the female may not have time to take care of the babies. Then some of them die without being freed from the fetal membrane.

Genera of Djungarian hamsters

The birth of Djungarian hamsters lasts 1-2 hours with an interval between the appearance of babies of 15-30 minutes. There are rarely more than 5 cubs in a litter. In dwarf hamsters, complications during childbirth are more common due to the large size of the fetus relative to the female. In order for the Djungarian hamster to give birth without complications, it is forbidden to cross them with the Campbells. You can find useful information about breeding rules on the page dedicated to the breeding of Djungarian hamsters.

What to do when hamsters are born

Hamsters are born naked, they are incapable of thermoregulation.

It is necessary to provide the female with material for the nest (paper towels) and maintain the temperature at home in the range of 21-25 C.

Hamsters give birth to children easily and quickly. Help is not required, the owner just needs to watch. But if the hamster has given birth to so many babies that she can’t cope, you can help her. The hamster is wrapped in a paper towel to remove the membranes and mucus. Then do a gentle massage. The umbilical cord is cut, stepping back a little from the tummy. The cub is placed in the nest, mixing it with others.

If a Syrian hamster gave birth and immediately began to destroy his brood, you can’t interfere. What to do in this case: by offering a protein-rich food to a hamster, you can save some of the babies.

After giving birth, it is necessary to ensure that the female does not refuse to feed.

An exhausted hamster is allowed to rest for 4-6 hours. If she doesn’t start caring for her cubs, the mother is locked up with her brood in a small box so she can’t escape. Most often, within half an hour, the female hamster lets the babies to the nipples.

Even a caring mother by the standards of hamsters does not stand on ceremony with her children. The animal lies directly on the brood, not caring about not crushing the offspring.

We talked in great detail about the development and rules for caring for babies in an article about newborn hamsters. We strongly recommend reading!

Complications during childbirth

Toxicosis

A disease that occurs in the last days of pregnancy. Leads to the death of the female and brood during childbirth or in the first days after. There is no cure.

Childbirth pathology

In females older than 10 months, the joints of the pelvic bones lose their elasticity, which is why the animal does not give birth. Perhaps large-fruited if there are few cubs (1-3 pieces). In such situations, strong uterine contractions cannot push the fetus out. If the female pushes for more than 10-15 minutes, and the baby is not shown, a caesarean section is necessary.

How long hamsters give birth depends on the number of children. The mother can rest for a long time between the appearance of the babies, even eat. There should be no unproductive contractions.

Death of the fetus in the uterus

With infections, poor nutrition or genetic deformities, the cubs can die. The female is unable to give birth and dies of sepsis. Treatment is surgery to remove the uterus.

Complications after childbirth

Endometritis

Within a couple of days, the female’s uterus clears and contracts, with little bleeding from the birth canal. If the bleeding is heavy, or the discharge has an unpleasant odor, does not stop for more than 3 days, this is a sign of retention of the placenta or the presence of a dead fetus in the uterus.

Mastitis

In lactating females, the nipples or mammary glands may become inflamed. Symptoms are enlargement and redness of the glands. The animal’s temperature rises, appetite disappears.

What to feed a newborn hamster

Bearing fetuses, childbirth and subsequent lactation is a huge burden on the body. Even with a full diet, exhaustion is inevitable, the hamster loses up to a third of her mass. It is not surprising that within half an hour after the birth of the children, the female is ready to have a bite. Feeding a hamster after childbirth should be different than a normal adult animal.

The female’s need for grain mixture is doubled. The feed must be of high quality, containing at least 18-20% protein and 7-9% fat.

In addition to dry food, it is necessary to feed a nursing hamster with juicy and protein foods. Daily give “safe” vegetables, herbs, sprouts. Three times a week – boiled lean meat, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled egg. As an additional source of energy, you can give some seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) and nuts.

The food that the mother receives will also be tasted by the hamsters, so the selection of products must be especially careful. If Djungarian hamsters were born, the food particles should be small so as not to injure the cheek pouches of dwarf cubs.

During pregnancy and lactation, water consumption increases several times. It is necessary to provide the animal with plenty of fresh drinking water.

Do I need to wean a male hamster after giving birth

The separate keeping of animals corresponds to their nature as single animals. If a female hamster has given birth, isolation of the male is mandatory for two reasons:

Preventing a new pregnancy

After the hamster has given birth, she needs at least 2 months to recover and restore mass. If the male is not removed, cases are inevitable when the female nurses the children, being again pregnant. She is weakening and losing weight, devouring the offspring. The male continues to fertilize her immediately after the hamsters were born.

Prevention of cannibalism

Syrian hamsters are strict loners, so the male is rarely present when the cubs are born. Dwarfs are often kept together. Even if the couple did not show aggression towards each other before, the male must be isolated when the hamsters were born. Otherwise, the risk of cannibalism is high: the female will bite the male, or either parent will devour the cubs.

Conclusion

How often Dzhungars give birth depends on the owner. Up to 6-8 times a year with joint maintenance, 2-3 times a year with responsible breeding. You should not organize the birth of a hamster out of curiosity or fun. Often the owners allow the animals to mate, but they have no idea what to do when the hamster has given birth.