Feeding hand reared pups

[Saffy]

What kind of milk do i feed the hamster pups and what with?

[internet_nobody]

Lactol - you can get it from your vet.

[MickyB]

Lactol is the best for them, i even sprinke a bit in their food. Has the mother rejected the pups or do u just want to try feeding them by hand? Also what type of hamster do you have?

[Saffy]

She is a syrian. She ate most of them so i took the last 2 out, i think there was around 16. She was in my bedroom so i think i disturbed her too much.

[MickyB]

how old are the pups now? it is a lot of hard work bottle feeding them and they will require feeding hourly if they are very young, They also need stimulating with toilet training which the mothere does naturally by licking them, Im not suggesting you lick them, I have stimulated pups before using a cotton wool bud.

[Saffy]

They are now 12 days old, i have been using a cotton bud to stimulate them.
I read that you could put them in an airing cupboard to keep them warm so i am doing that, is this definitely ok to do? There are actually only 2, i decided to hand rear them yesterday morning.

[couchy]

thats good if their 12 days old, you can start feeding them porrige or soft hamster food, it should be at least 2 more days before their eyes open, i bet thier are running around hehe. after a few more days they should be starting to get used to the water bottle. what colours are they

[Saffy]

One is sable and the other is cream, both are short haired. Both are doing good still, mostly they can pee and poo by themselves but one eats its poo. This is ok isn't it?

[souffle]

Yes it is normal for hamsters to eat a certain amount of their poo to extract the nutrients from it. It should not be eating too much though. Make sure they have easy access to the food. Use a Pringles lid.
You should have the hand rearing guide I send you.
Lactol is also found in Pets@Home and many pet shops too.

[Saffy]

Yes i got it, it is very helpful thank you. It's just i asked this question just before i received it.