When your hamster has babies......

Hamsters are lively, adventurous pets and give their owners hours of enjoyment. If an owner has two or more hamsters they may find themselves in a situation of mistaken gender identity. Hamsters can reproduce at an early age of 6 to 8 weeks. Once pregnant, a female hamster's gestation period is only 2 weeks (14 days). If you are lucky enough to know your hamster is pregnant, you'll want to be sure to separate her from any other hamsters and give her a quiet area. Make sure she is eating a healthy diet. Hamsters love carrots and other raw vegetables as well as the normal hamster diet you can get from any pet or retail store. Remember to provide your hamster with plenty of water.

A clean, dry cage is a happy home! Be sure you provide a spacious, clean, dry cage. Cedar litter and shredded newspaper are favorites of hamsters. Hamsters are very efficient at making comfortable nests to sleep or bury themselves in, so be sure you offer plenty of bedding material for them to work with. The bedding material will also provide a hiding place and privacy for the mother and babies. Even though she has babies, your female hamster may decide to go exploring while the babies are asleep. Hamsters love to climb and explore and are very good at it! Remember that hamsters are escape artists, so make sure the cage is escape proof and deep! Keep your hamster happy with an exercise wheel and hide treats throughout her cage to keep her active. Chew sticks will allow her to keep her teeth trimmed and relieve any anxieties she may have. Try not to hold or disturb your female hamster when she is pregnant.

Hamster babies are born bald and pink and are about the size of jellybeans. Their eyes are tightly closed. Within 3 to 5 days their fur starts to grow in. Once the babies are born it is alright to offer your female hamster some extra nourishment. I gave my hamster small amounts of diluted canned milk or full 2% milk along with her water while she was nursing. It is necessary to clean your hamster's cage once a week, so you will have the opportunity to hold the little ones often. If your hamster is used to your presence and being held, she should have no problems with you gently removing the babies and her to clean the cage. I held my hamster's babies when they were able to crawl around with no problems from their mother. You can separate the babies from their mother around 3 to 4 weeks of age. Hamsters are prolific like other rodents, so make sure you separate the sexes as soon as they stop nursing.

A clean, well-fed, exercising mother hamster is a happy one. Hamsters make excellent mothers if you give them the right care, diet and materials to raise their family.