Things You'll Need
- Clean bedding for the nest
- Syringe or dropper in case mother rejects the babies
- Powdered milk in case the mother rejects the babies.
- Food for the dwarf hamster mother
Instructions
Let the mother of the baby dwarf hamster take care of the babies without any outside interference. Make sure the mother dwarf hamster has plenty of food and water so that she can produce milk for the new baby hamsters. Do not touch the baby dwarf hamsters during the first few days of life. Baby dwarf hamsters are very fragile and the mother will be the best expert on taking care of her babies. Clean the rest of the cage, and care for the mother as you normally would, but leave the babies' nest alone. If the mother moves the babies from the nest you can clean the nest but do not move the babies on your own.
Remove any babies that die within the first few days. Moving them out of the nest and away from the dwarf hamster enclosure will ensure that no diseases will pass to the other babies. Sometimes a few of the babies from a batch of dwarf hamsters will die no matter how you care for them.
Abandonment by the mother will be the one reason that you end up caring for the baby dwarf hamster yourself. If the mother dies during birth or decides not to take care of the babies, it will be up to you to nurse them through the next 18 to 20 days.
Buy a small syringe and some powdered milk from your local pet store. If you cannot find a syringe a dropper may work just as well. You will need to feed each baby with the syringe full of milk several times a day. They should be fed at least every two hours or whenever the babies cry with hunger. After 18 days the babies will start to drink water and eat food and can be weaned from the syringe.
Separate the male dwarf hamsters from the female dwarf hamsters at around four weeks old. This prevents you from having more babies. Hamsters do not realize that they are brothers and sisters and will reproduce at a rapid rate.