Newborn hamsters: how to properly care for and care for babies, growth and development

For some owners, newborn hamsters are a long-awaited event, for others – a shock and a complete surprise. Many people are curious about what babies look like, but they are not at all as cute as you might imagine looking at furry parents.

What do newborn hamsters look like?

Newborn hamsters are completely hairless, so they look like a red swarming mass. Their ears and eyes are closed, only their sense of smell allows them to navigate. Toddlers can squeak loudly if they are cold or hungry. If the mother takes good care of the offspring, the crumbs do not make a sound. Sometimes the owner discovers that newborn dzungars are in the house, by chance – when cleaning the cage, or when the grown-up children of hamsters begin to crawl out of the nest.

A hamster cub is no larger than a finger phalanx, weighing 1-2,5 g. In the early days it can be difficult to count the offspring, especially since the female feeds the children, lying on them with her whole body. It is not recommended to look into the house so as not to disturb the hamster.

Although dwarf hamsters are much smaller in size, newborn Syrian hamsters do not differ much in size from dwarf hamsters. The fact is that the Syrians are prolific: the more children in one litter, the smaller the size of each hamster.

How many babies does a hamster have

The ability of these rodents to reproduce has long been an occasion for jokes. Their fertility is really great, especially at home, when hamsters do not hibernate and get an abundance of food. The ability to reproduce rapidly is the quality that makes rodents so popular as laboratory animals.

Hamsters can have a different number of cubs depending on the species and conditions of detention. How many hamsters are born in dzungaria is known quite accurately – from 4 to 6 pieces. Rarely – 8-9 cubs. Dwarf hamsters are not as fertile because of their size. But after learning how many hamsters a Syrian hamster can give birth to, an amateur breeder sometimes grabs his head. The average number is 6-10 babies, but sometimes 16-18, sometimes even 20 pieces.

How many babies a hamster can give birth to – both a dzungarian and a Syrian – does not correspond to the amount that the female is able to feed. Part of the numerous offspring dies or is devoured by the mother. Therefore, the number of surviving cubs in a hamster does not exceed 10-12 pieces.

How to care for newborn hamsters

A newborn Djungarian hamster is a helpless creature that is completely dependent on the actions of its mother. Babies need warmth and food. The temperature in the room is maintained at least 21 C, but not higher than 25 C. If the female takes care of the offspring on her own, the owner will not need to take care of the born hamsters.

At the age of less than 10 days, it is extremely rare to raise babies without a mother.

At home, caring for cubs is reduced to caring for their mother. In the case of rodents, the best help is not to interfere. The female and children need privacy. Djungarian hamster babies will be in mortal danger if their mother is stressed.

Host actions:

Feeding

Usually the owner feeds the hamster, and he feeds his cubs. The female must be provided with plenty of water and food, including a source of protein and succulent feed. If the mother has enough milk, there is no need to feed the cubs. You can throw grated carrots, fat-free cottage cheese and other products into the nest for babies if the hamster does not do this. The food in the cage is placed with the expectation that any product can be tried by the little jungars.

Cell arrangement:

• Litter.

It’s good if there is a house in the cage. If it is not, you need to put a small cardboard box. If the female is provided with material for construction, she herself will cope with the arrangement of the dwelling. In addition to sawdust or other filler, paper towels are placed in the cage. It is forbidden to use cotton wool or rags, these materials are dangerous for baby hamsters (they can get confused, suffocate). General cleaning is not carried out for at least 2 weeks.

• Security.

Sometimes, even with a caring mother, the question arises – what to do with newborn hamsters that have fallen out of the nest. So that the baby does not freeze, does not catch a cold, it is better to return him to his brothers and sisters. But not with your hand, but with a long-handled spoon.

At 10-12 days old, a newborn hamster begins to explore the world around him, he cannot be kept in the nest. There should be no height differences (tiers) in the cage, pay attention to the distance between the bars (whether the crumbs fall out). Do not put water in an open bowl. Feeders are placed so that they are accessible to babies.

Injuries at the age of 3-4 weeks are possible in the running wheel. It is interesting to watch young Djungarian hamsters during games, but in this case the wheel should not stand on a stand (hang on the wall) and be solid, without crossbars.

• Privacy.

The cage should be in a quiet place so that no loud sounds can be heard. It is closed from the sun. Drafts are not allowed. Children are explained that caring for small hamsters takes all their free time from their pet, and it is impossible to take it in your arms for games for 2-3 weeks.

When the animals grow up and are placed in other cages, caring for the jungars includes daily hand training. Otherwise, they can bite the hands of the new owner. Syrian ones are friendlier, but detailed instructions on how to care for a small hamster will be useful.

How hamsters grow

The reproduction of the Djungarian hamsters, as well as the reproduction of the Syrian ones, is extremely intensive. Hamsters and their cubs are the epitome of rapid development. First, the fetuses gain weight in the womb in a matter of days, and then continue to grow just as quickly after childbirth.

Red naked babies a day after birth turn pink or darken, depending on the color of the hair that has broken through. By day 4, you can distinguish the color in dark hamsters, light ones look pink, but not bald.

A newborn hamster is a rather helpless creature. All they can do is squeak and move their paws. They find the mother’s nipple by smell. On the 5th-6th day, the ears of the cubs protrude and they begin to hear.

Hamsters grow up very quickly. At the age of 1 week, the babies are already covered with fluff, and begin to try solid food. Like true rodents, they were equipped with sharp teeth from the first day of life. The first meal after mother’s milk is most often their own feces. Coprophagia is a natural process necessary for colonization of the intestines with the correct microflora. Also, babies try the food brought by the female to the house.

At 9-12 days after birth – a real leap in development. Hamsters begin to crawl out of the nest, although their eyes are still closed. They eat solid food – greens and vegetables, grain mixture. Learn to use the toilet corner, being naturally clean. The first day of such walks, the hamster may worry and try to collect the babies back to the nest. Pretty soon she gets tired of it, and the kids, staggering and falling, disperse around the cage. By the time they leave the nest, they are already completely overgrown with wool.

When hamsters open their eyes

Immediately after birth, the cubs are blind, their eyes are tightly closed. Regardless of which day hamsters open their eyes, this is a new stage in the life of babies. From that moment on, they begin to accustom them to hands, and the hamsters themselves actively explore the situation.

The eyelids begin to open slightly from the 13th day of life, narrow slits are visible. On the 14th day or a little later, by the 16th day, the eyes open completely. Dzungaria open their eyes a little earlier than the Syrians, sometimes on the 12th day, which is explained by the longer pregnancy of dwarf animals.

Development after 2 weeks

Starting from the 15th day, the mother is no longer able to bear the grown offspring. The owner has to make sure that the hamsters sleep all together in warmth, returning lost animals to the house. At 15-16 days, the kids are quite dexterous – they wash themselves, overcome obstacles. At 17-20 days, cubs of hamsters, jungars and Syrians begin to use the running wheel, if they are given such an opportunity. After 20 days, the animals can already eat on their own.

It is difficult to say at what point a young hamster becomes an adult. The age of puberty does not correspond to how much hamsters grow. Pregnancy is possible already at the age of one month, active growth continues up to 2,5-3 months. Gain weight, mother hamster can up to 4-5 months. After that, the increase in the size of the animal can only be associated with obesity, and not growth.

When can you pick up newborn hamsters

During the first two weeks after the birth of the offspring, it is not recommended to stick your hand into the cage, even to leave food. It is forbidden to clean the cage. Touching newborn hamsters means putting their lives at risk.

The female can eat the cubs, feeling someone else’s smell.

No matter how strong the curiosity, you do not need to pick up or stroke the babies. Sometimes the litter is weighed for scientific purposes, or it is required to return a fallen cub to the nest. Then the animal is taken not by hand, but by a spoon, or other suitable object. If you still need to pick it up – you need to use latex gloves, and dump the baby in the toilet corner before returning it to the mother.

They begin to accustom babies to hands at the age when they can already survive without the guardianship of a female, that is, not earlier than 2 weeks. In order not to count the days until the moment when you can get acquainted with hamsters, you need to focus on opening your eyes (do not touch blind children).

The age of 14-21 days is the optimal time for the first acquaintance.

When can hamsters be separated from their mother?

At the age of 4 weeks, the cubs not only do not depend on the mother, but are already capable of reproduction themselves. Hamsters can be transplanted from 21 days, and no later than 28 days to prevent early pregnancy and hamster aggression towards grown children. If the babies were born very small, in exceptional cases, they are kept with their mother for up to 5 weeks, but not longer.

Important! If you don’t take the babies away from their mother in time, she can eat them!!!

When can hamsters be given away after birth

It is impossible to give away hamsters immediately after weaning. They are divided into two groups by gender and seated in separate cells. It should be a full-fledged dwelling with a drinking bowl, a house, a wheel and other toys. The cage for jungars should be no smaller than for Syrian hamsters.

When the female relieves herself of the authority to care for children, the owner has more trouble. It is not surprising that people are interested in at what age young animals can be given away. Moving to a new home is a big stress for Dzungarian kids. It is optimal to distribute them at the age of 1,5-2 months, i.e. 6-8 weeks.

As a rule, breeders try to give the animals early. Indeed, at 7-8 weeks, fights for the territory can begin, and each young hamster will need to be provided with an individual cage. In a good nursery, grown rodents are resistant to diseases and accustomed to hands. Together with the hamster, you should give some used filler and food for several days. Familiar smells and familiar diets reduce the stress of moving.

What to feed a little hamster

Newborns

If the cubs are left without a mother, or the female does not have milk, the owner can feed them. The task is not easy: you need to feed small hamsters every 1,5 hours. Use baby milk formula 0+ based on soy, dissolving and warming up according to the instructions. Sometimes they take a substitute for cat’s milk Royal Canin.

Each baby is drunk individually from a pipette or an insulin syringe without a needle. To prevent the animal from choking, it is kept in a column, and milk is poured in small portions. It is advisable to massage the tummy after each feeding, monitor the presence of stool, keep warm.

Most hamsters die if their mother does not feed them, even when the breeder makes every effort to save offspring. The reasons are different – aspiration pneumonia when milk enters the respiratory tract, infections (the mixture does not contain maternal antibodies and does not provide strong immunity).

Babies are more likely to survive if you can find a foster mother – a female who has recently given birth with a small offspring. The cubs are rolled in the toilet corner of the hamster, then they are mixed with “native” hamsters.

Age 1-3 weeks

With artificial feeding of offspring, the sooner the hamsters begin to eat themselves, the better. After a few days, the milk mixture is mixed with ground grain feed, vegetable purees are given.

At the age of 1,5 weeks, little hamsters can eat solid food, and their chances of survival increase dramatically. Sprouted wheat, oats, boiled eggs, grated carrots and other vegetables are placed in the feeder every day. From 2 weeks of age, small hamsters need to be fed every 4 hours (6 times a day). The mixture and ground feed are mixed until a slurry of a creamy consistency is obtained.

For both dwarf and Syrian hamsters, when feeding young animals, you need to focus on the list of allowed foods. If the mother raises the babies, she drags her food into the nest, so they will know what the adults eat.

From 3 weeks old, the cubs are no longer fed from a syringe, but the mixture is poured into a bowl.

Monthly young

At the age of 4 weeks, the animals no longer need milk and its substitutes. Although hamsters are considered sexually mature from 4-5 weeks old, their diet is still different from that of adults: growth continues, a lot of protein and juicy food is required. For cubs of the Djungarian hamster, fruits are excluded. If not given before 4 months of age, it prevents diabetes. Juicy food is given daily: vegetables (zucchini, carrots), seed sprouts, greens. At least 3 times a week – protein (low-fat cottage cheese, boiled meat and egg).

At home, monthly hamsters are already separated from their mother and divided into groups (males and females). You can no longer consider them children. Up to 5-6 weeks, young animals are fed with baby porridge. You need to choose porridge carefully: it should not contain sugar, milk, flavorings. Hypoallergenic and safe for digestion – oatmeal and buckwheat. Rice is not given to babies to avoid constipation.