Things You'll Need
- Oats
- Oatmeal
- Small birdseed
- Wheat germ
- Water bottle
- Apple
- Cucumber
Instructions
Provide your hamster family with peace and quiet. Keep your hamster cage in a calm setting that is void of loud noises. Stress is considered a possible factor as a reason why mothers eat their young.
Leave the babies alone. Do not pick up the pups or interfere with the mother and her babies, at least until they open their eyes, which occurs at about 15 days of age, states animal-world.com. Doing so could result in rejection by the mother to the babies or even cause the mother to eat her pups.
Allow the father hamster to play an active part. Some fathers of certain hamster breeds need to be removed from the cage to prevent cannibalism; however, the dwarf hamster father usually helps in the rearing process.
Clean the cage once the babies have opened their eyes--try to avoid doing so any earlier. If you must, clean your hands with soap and water and be sure to remove all the soap. Rub them in the hamster's soiled cage bedding so that they smell like the hamsters, suggests Net Vet Veterinary Resources. Remove the entire nest, including the surrounding bedding, and place it in a container that is separate from the parents. Clean the cage, then place the nest back in its original position. Place the parents back in the cage and immediately sprinkle seeds and hamster treats around the cage.
Provide fresh oats, oatmeal, small birdseed and wheat germ to the pups when they are able to eat solid food. This occurs at about two weeks of age, states dwarfhamsterguide.com.
Place a water bottle in the hamster's cage to provide hydration. The pups are usually able to use the bottle at about 10 days of age. Until then, provide small pieces of apple and cucumber to provide the extra fluids they need, in addition to what their mother provides through nursing.
Remove the babies from the cage when they are about four weeks old. Place them in same-sex cages to prevent unwanted pregnancies.