Raising

Raising baby dwarf hamsters can be a lot of fun and fairly easy. Of course there are challenges and knowing the facts beforehand can make it go smoother and successful with your new hobby.

How many babies can a dwarf hamster have?

As the hamsters life cycle is relatively short there is a need to produce as many offspring as possible in their lifetime to ensure the survival of it’s species. Remarkably they have a short reproduction cycle of 18 to 21 days. In this time the mother will have a litter ranging in size from 1 to ten pups, with the average ranging from 5 to 6.

The first 10 days when the babies have arrived

• For the first 10 days from birth, it is recommended that owners leave the babies alone with their mother. and avoid touching the babies and changing the cage bedding materials.
• In about 7 days the babies get their fur and after 10 days they open their eyes and can hear and begin walking around.At this point that you may start to handle the babies for brief periods of time.
• Best to take cues from the mother, as she might not like her babies being handled and overprotective. Always when handling the babies take extra special care.

Babies can be very jumpy and are at risk to be seriously injured if they were to fall. By continuing to handle the babies regularly it helps them to become tame. After about two weeks the babies will start to eat regular potions of solid food, however they still rely on their mother for nutrient till they are 18 to 21 days old. The babies can eat regular and fresh portions of oats, oatmeal, wheat germ or small birdseed.

Some owners even offer the babies tiny amounts of cucumber or red apple which will help them benefit from the added moisture. Especially when they are too small to use the water bottle. Around 10 days old they are finally able to reach the water bottle. Once they are able to find other alternatives to nursing, their mother will naturally start to nurse them less often.

By 3 to four weeks the babies are fully weaned from their mom

After about four weeks the babies should be fully weaned from mom and ready to be moved to their own cage. Ideally house sibling together in same sex groups, preventing any unwanted inbred pregnancies. If the male stays with the mom she will most likely be pregnant while she is nursing this litter. In that case, the babies should be removed after when the mother has another litter.

Baby dwarf caring tips

• The care that is required for babies is the same that would be given to any other hamster.
• Owners should clean their cages about once a week unless there are a lot of babies in one cage.
• Adjust cleaning requirements as needed. Always have fresh food and water available daily.
• It is important to continually check on the well being of the baby hamsters without touching them in the first 10 days.
• Check that all are getting enough food and water, and that they have not gotten injured from fighting with litter mates, and they are staying physically healthy.
• As a responsible pet owner and possibly breeder, make sure that the pups are going to a good home and will receive good care.

It’s fun to watch and learn from Mom Robo giving her baby dwarf hamster care!

Watch baby dwarf hamster care on video.