Cleaning Mom Hamster cage

NunoTaborda · 03-07-2014, 08:31 AM

Hi there.

Just bought yeasterday a new cage (habitrail) to "unite" with the one the Mom Hamster has with the three babies.

She had them on the 24th of February and the cage is really smelly right now (my living room smells like hamster pee, just because of the cage).

I'm thinking of cleaning today the cage.

What do you think?

I'm going to get everything that she needs on the new cage, then put her there and then, with a spoon, put the babies in the new cage with her, along with a little from the old nest.

They already have fur but I think I prefer to use the spoon any way to not give them my "scent".

They are syrians, so I think they didn't opened their eyes yet.

Then, after doing this, I'm going to clean the old cage. After this, I will unite both cages so she can have more room.

Her current cage is really small and I'm sure I saw around 7 to 8 baby hamsters on the first days. Maybe because of the small space, she ate the ones that are missing now?

Hekomi · 03-07-2014, 08:46 AM

I would really not recommend moving or touching them until their eyes are open. Is there anyway you can connect the two cages? Make the new cage nice and clean, with a lot of fluffy substrate, and fresh food. Try to link them somehow and mum might move the babies herself. It would save you a lot of drama and hassle in the long run.

I'm sure other users who have experience with breeding can chime in to give some advice as well too.

NunoTaborda · 03-07-2014, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hekomi

I would really not recommend moving or touching them until their eyes are open. Is there anyway you can connect the two cages? Make the new cage nice and clean, with a lot of fluffy substrate, and fresh food. Try to link them somehow and mum might move the babies herself. It would save you a lot of drama and hassle in the long run.

I'm sure other users who have experience with breeding can chime in to give some advice as well too.

Hmmm...

I don't think she will move them... They are in the wheel of the cage (shee this link to see a picture of the cage: http://www.tiendanimal.pt/images/des...mster_azul.jpg )

And, everyday, she is chewing the part of the wheel that connect the wheel to the rest of the cage (I think she is trying to open a space for them to pass, instead of the carrying each one with her mouth). I listen to that sound from time to time, every single day :S

This is another reason I'm trying to make things easier for her. She is three months old and it was her first pregnancy...

And why do we need for the pups to open their eyes first? :S

Hekomi · 03-07-2014, 09:25 AM

They usually open their eyes around two weeks of age, and by then it's safe to touch them without risking their safety or the mother's. It can be really stressful for both mom and baby(s) to be handled, and as far as I know (please correct me if I'm wrong) to ensure that the mum doesn't cull the litter or become stressed, you aren't supposed to touch the babies until their eyes are opened.

The house she's in is really very small. Was this an accidental pregnancy? I've never had an OVO but is there possibly a way you could detach the wheel without bothering her too much and then move it over to the new cage? That might help if you can keep the mum and babies calm.

I would recommend a bigger cage though, either a bin cage or an aquarium. They're much easier to clean and would provide more room for the hamsters.

tolennaki · 03-07-2014, 10:25 AM

This is a tricky situation. If you move them with a spoon, you will not leave your scent on the babies but the mum could cull them because she will realise someone disturbed her nest and she will feel under threat. There was another thread here where a member with an accidental litter wanted to connect the original cage to another one using a tube, but he was advised not to do that, because the babies might get lost or find it difficult to get back to their nest through the tube.
I am not a breeder, but I have always heard breeders advising to stay away from the cage and the babies at all costs except for giving food and water, so I am not sure moving them is a good idea. Maybe she culled the other babies because the cage was disturbed or they were not healthy, you cannot be sure she did it because the cage was small.
Sorry I cannot give some proper advice on whether to move them or not, this is ultimately your decision. But when you do move them (either now or later) please make sure they go to an appropriate cage. I think a 80x50 cm cage is a minimum for a Syrian hamster.

souffle · 03-07-2014, 10:36 AM

It is a worry because those pups are going to need to come out pretty soon and start drinking and they will struggle to get out the wheel. Can you see them now wiggling around?
For now you need to make sure the pups are getting fluids. Chop up cucumber very small and try and push it in to the pups. At 9 days they will need more that mums milk and she is hopefully taking stuff in for them.
Do they look all cramped and smelly in there?
If mum escapes through this hole she may be chewing it will be a bit of a disaster so make sure the cage is somewhere like in an empty box or simlilar so that she cannot run away should she chew out. Within the next few days you need to consider removing the wheel into a large storage box cage and letting mum take the pups out so they can start coming out and feeding themselves.
We normally do not touch babies until the eyes are open as this lessens the risk that mother will cull them due to stress but sometimes there is a problem like this and you must intervene and take the risk.
I have seen people move pods in rotastac cages successfully to the floor. The key is to have everything ready then quickly move the pups wheel / pod into the new location and cover the cage and leave in total quiet and hope mother settles quickly. I will ask some other breeders what they think.
ETA - I just realised they are older maybe 11 days. I wouldn't reconnect the old cage with the wheel as she might put them back there. A large box would be better but they really really need to get outthat wheel now. They must be very cramped!

NunoTaborda · 03-07-2014, 10:54 AM

Ok.

So, following everything you said...

I'm going to disconnect the wheel from the older cage and connect with the new one.

Now, with the mom and babies inside? Or should I put the mom first on the new cage and then, after 5mn, connect the wheel with the babies to the new cage (that already has the mom inside)?

Thank you all for your help

By they way, Souffle, she is chewing the plastic between the wheel and the rest of the cage... A "decoration" there is inside the cage... Not the part that supports the wheel

EDIT:

I don't look to much... I just use a lamp (outside, pointed to the wheel) to see inside, when she goes to drink some water (and I usually only look a few seconds).

"Can you see them now wiggling around?" - Yes, I saw them wiggling around

"For now you need to make sure the pups are getting fluids. Chop up cucumber very small and try and push it in to the pups." - I don't want to push food inside the wheel... I'm almost certain that she would freak out

"Do they look all cramped and smelly in there?" - I'm certain that they are dirty in there cause once, when it was day, I arrived home, went to see the male and when I looked to her cage, I could see the Mom "cleaning" one of the babies (I'm certain that she didn't do anything bad to it cause it's the only white one in there).

Kelibr · 03-07-2014, 10:56 AM

I would wait. Mine once they wondered out were able to get up and down tubes at 10 to 12 days. Once their eyes opened I moved them all into a bin. But you've got to decide what you think is best. And just to add. I put their current cage into the bin all set up and just opened it. Mom got to get out and explore the bin without stress. Then when I made the final move she didn't seem disturbed at all.