Prevent Hamster from Eating Babies
December 17th 2010 13:24
Hamsters are notorious for eating their young. In most cases, the mother hamster will eat the young when they're still a few days old, but there are some cases, where she may eat them when they're a few weeks old.
Depending on the situation, the mother hamster may not even eat her young.
But, why do hamsters eat their babies?
It's simple... Hamsters, like other animals, will eat their young when they think danger is near. Instead of making their babies suffer without a mom, or suffer in general, the hamster will eat the babies.
If your hamster is pregnant, you want to make the process as simple and stress-free as possible. And, when she has the babies, you want to leave her alone!
* Do not handle the mother hamster or the babies.
* Do not clean the cage until the babies are at least 1 week old, if not older if you can help it, and when you do clean the enclosure try not to mess with the nest too much. If you have to, use a spoon to scoop out the babies. Do not tough them.
* Make sure that there are plenty of nesting areas (do so before she has her babies).
* Make sure to provide fresh food and water without too much disturbance.
* Offer a protein source, like a hard boiled egg, as some people think that in some cases, mom will eat the babies trying to get protein
* Keep all other animals away from the hamster cage.
* Place the hamster cage in a quiet location.
* Make sure that you remove the father hamster when the babies are born.
* Do not mess with the babies or try to handle them until at least 6 weeks, when they need to be sexed and separated.
Depending on the situation, the mother hamster may not even eat her young.
But, why do hamsters eat their babies?
It's simple... Hamsters, like other animals, will eat their young when they think danger is near. Instead of making their babies suffer without a mom, or suffer in general, the hamster will eat the babies.
If your hamster is pregnant, you want to make the process as simple and stress-free as possible. And, when she has the babies, you want to leave her alone!
* Do not handle the mother hamster or the babies.
* Do not clean the cage until the babies are at least 1 week old, if not older if you can help it, and when you do clean the enclosure try not to mess with the nest too much. If you have to, use a spoon to scoop out the babies. Do not tough them.
* Make sure that there are plenty of nesting areas (do so before she has her babies).
* Make sure to provide fresh food and water without too much disturbance.
* Offer a protein source, like a hard boiled egg, as some people think that in some cases, mom will eat the babies trying to get protein
* Keep all other animals away from the hamster cage.
* Place the hamster cage in a quiet location.
* Make sure that you remove the father hamster when the babies are born.
* Do not mess with the babies or try to handle them until at least 6 weeks, when they need to be sexed and separated.
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Comment by Anonymous
Syrian hamsters of course shouldn't be left together at all so this shouldn't even be a consideration...
Hamsters very rarely cannibalise a litter if properly cared for.
I cannot stress enough the importance of protein. Cooked chicken, egg, cat biscuits, meal worms etc are all good sources.