My thoughts on substituting milk for orphaned babies

[p_anda]

I would just like to say that I do not breed hamsters so I don't have any real personal experience. This is simply an observation.

A lot people seem to use Lactol puppy/kitten milk to feed orphaned hamster puppies also plenty of people who breed rodents use it. While this obviously works, the percentages of nutrients in Lactol are not ideal for omnivorous rodents. Lactol contains 24% crude fat and protein which is far beyond a hamster baby's needs. I could not find exact percentages of how much a hamster puppy needs specifically, but the trend seems that omnivorous rodents need between 10-15% fat and between 9-12% protein. This is closer to what human babies require. While you can't substitute any animal's milk perfectly or human milk for that matter, it's best to feed the closest possible alternative. You can buy baby formula's made of soy rather than cow's milk, which may be better since the low casein content of soy. When looking at proteins, for us and many animals, whey protein is a lot more nutritional. Casein is a protein that is difficult to digest, but it's ideal for bovines - i.e. cattle,horses,sheep, etc. Obviously bovines aren't anything like rodents when it comes to nutritional needs. A lot of baby formulas are made from modified cow's milk which make them a lot more suitable, but it's best to pick one that contains 100% whey proteins. Similarly to humans and marine mammals, a rodent's milk is very watery, which makes baby formula more ideal - dogs and cats have much more low water content in their milk.

Another thing to consider is the rate of development. Rodent babies mature very fast and need more 'concentrated' milk than humans. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do about that, by mixing the formula thicker you are giving them an unnecessary amount of nutrients. It would be a better idea to mix the formula thinner than intended for babies. Human milk substitutes contain similar levels of phosphorus and calcium as to what rodent babies need. There's an unnecessary amount of vitamin C and iron in formulas, though it's not a cause for concern as you can buy iron-free baby formulas nowadays. Also the protein content is lower than it should be, but this is less of a problem than with Lactol, as you can't take away the excess protein from it, however, you can add extra protein to baby formulas. This would be best done in the shape of powdered whey protein that you can get from health and body builder shops. Fat levels of baby formulas are sufficient.

If you're considering to use a human milk formula instead, it's probably best to
a) buy it in powdered form, so you can mix it according to the needs of the puppies
b) to stay clear of the ones with added probiotics, as I think these would be unnecessary
c) to buy one with no or low iron content, and if you can afford it, maybe consider a hypo-allergenic formula, as these have even less additives
d) to be soy-based
e) not to buy ones that contain extras of any vitamins or minerals

Basically the more basic the formula is, the better. Formulas marketed for infants, toddlers and the ones for 'follow on' purposes contain different amounts of nutrients, so make sure you read the label. You could also mix a small amount of Lactol in it to make up for the extra protein, however this will put the fat out of balance. If you're not sure, consult your vet.

Obviously no milk substitute will make up for the first few days in a puppy's life when they receive milk that contains essential anti-bodies, so trying to feed a day old pup won't increase mortality. However I have reasons to believe that feeding a pup on human milk formula is superior to dog/cat milk formula due to the biological similarities between humans and rodents.

[Vicki S]

Not to sure on this but i know with guinea pigs you use goats milk and yogurt mixed together with bread crumbs to stop them lapping up to much and choking had to do this for 3 of my boys as they were getting randy at there mummy at a young age



vicki

[vanilla-yazoo]

Just want to say
For my hush puppy I used
Soya sma baby milk
Baby rice
Readybreck

I put a few scoops of each into a cup and hot water, I was recommended lactol, at the ime I couldn't get it, so this was the closest thing. I know have lactol in case of future rearing, but this is what she has been on.
The baby rice and Readybreck was used to ticken the mixture, as a mothers milk is thick. I probably used a lil more of the milk powder then needed but he has thrived on it.
I had great advice from two dedicated breeders, without them my little one wouldn't be here now. I thank them both x

[souffle]

One point is that when feeding hamster babies the milk is usually mixed with powdered baby rice to thicken it and not mixed as a more concentrated milk powder.
Quite a few people have and do use the soya baby milks to raise young hamsters should this be necessary but Lactol mixed with baby rice seems equally successful I have heard from people who have hand reared litters where the mother has be unable to do so, and from 7 days of age, with most if not all surviving.

[Vectis Hamstery]

I would like to add that in the vast majority of cases, hamster babies are best raised by their hamster mothers with no intervention and without disturbance until their eyes open. Hand rearing is an extreme exception and not a decision to be taken lightly. After all the best milk for a hamster is hamster milk! I'm sure this was implied by the OP, but would like to make it clear for anyone who comes across this thread who may not realise.

[vanilla-yazoo]

I do fully agree with vectis, In my situation there was no way she was going to make it if I had not intervened, I hope my case wont trigger others into thinking that its something that can and should be done. if she could have stayed with lucy, she would have.

I agree with souffle, they do well on both, I couldnt get to lactol in time, I used cat milk with broken up porridge oats in to keep her through the first hours till asda opened (damn you sunday closing hours!) then got the closest thing i could.

I am thinking of using the soya sma for porridge for them all, whats the view on that? as I have about 3/4 of a tin left. the lactol is now here for emergency. lucky for me my girl was 11 days old and was already eating some solids! thank goodness!

[p_anda]

Yeah, I'm well aware that hand rearing is the last option, this thread wasn't meant to promote that anyone should remove pups from the mother for no reason. I just noticed there wasn't really a thread about milk, so I thought I'd make one.

I'm curious if there were any studies done regarding comparing raising hamsters on Lactol and a human baby formula, to see which was one best, but it doesn't appear that way. I can only find studies talking about experimental replacement milks for mice and squirrels, mainly, none comparing existing commercial milks. Or on inbred/genetically modified mice. I wish scientists would do studies that were more useful for the average person...

But I do believe they're working on a formula especially for rodents, so we might see that on the market in 10+ years.

I made this thread mainly so that people who have experience with hand rearing can add their own views+points and include what worked best for them and the hams, milk-wise.

[p_anda]

Originally Posted by vanilla-yazoo

I am thinking of using the soya sma for porridge for them all, whats the view on that? as I have about 3/4 of a tin left. the lactol is now here for emergency. lucky for me my girl was 11 days old and was already eating some solids! thank goodness!

I think you might as well use it, glad hush puppy is doing so well

[Kissa]

On the protein, I know in solid foods about 19% is recommended, so surely more is needed for baby hams, and thus the lactol would be the bettet option? (I know even less about rearing baby hams, but the apparent disparity between protein amounts confused me.)

[p_anda]

Originally Posted by Kissa

On the protein, I know in solid foods about 19% is recommended, so surely more is needed for baby hams, and thus the lactol would be the bettet option? (I know even less about rearing baby hams, but the apparent disparity between protein amounts confused me.)

Baby rodents have different nutritional requirements than adolescents and adults, as with all species.