About Newborn Hamsters

Whether they were the result of calculated breeding efforts or a complete surprise, the arrival of newborn hamsters can be a pleasant experience for a pet owner. Like most females, hamsters have incredible instincts when it comes to raising their offspring and, given the proper care and privacy, the new family will thrive.

  1. Identification

    • Newborn hamsters don't have any hair and don't begin to develop fur until they are about 5 days old, according to the Hamsterific website. They are also blind at birth and don't open their eyes for about two weeks, while their ears remain flat against their head for about three days. However, their sense of smell is very keen from birth, and they will use this to help locate their mother and to explore their new world.

    Warning

    • Because hamsters have such a keen sense of smell, newborn babies should not be handled at all during their first few days of life. Any change in scent may confuse the mother and cause her to either abandon or kill her babies. In addition, if he hasn't been removed already, the male hamster should be placed in a separate cage as soon as the babies arrive because he, too, may feel threatened and resort to killing the babies.

    Time Frame

    • The weaning process for hamster pups takes approximately 21 days, and the Hammy's World website suggests separating the newborns from their mother at around 28 days. At that time they can be placed into same-sex cages, where they can most likely remain if they are one of the many dwarf varieties. Syrian hamsters, however, must be housed individually or they will engage in fierce fighting that could lead to death.

    Features

    • Newborn hamsters can be sexed by looking at the size of the gap between the sex organs and the anus. Females have a smaller gap and males begin to develop testicles fairly early on. The females also tend to be a little larger than the males and, like humans, they have wider hips, which makes birthing babies easier.

    Considerations

    • Owners should wait at least one week after birth before attempting to clean the hamster cage. The newborns will still be very small, not even an inch long, at this time, and very fragile. They should be handled with extreme care or not at all. Rather than cleaning the entire cage, replacing just the soiled litter may cause less disruption while maintaining some of the scents that allow the mother to feel comfortable with her babies.