Pregnant Hamster ADVICE !!!

[AprilPearl]

Originally Posted by Jso0om

I hope she makes it and i thought it was an appropriate age to breed.

Don't want to be rude, but I do remember Souffle telling you that 3 months was the youngest age which you should breed at.

You clearly care about her and I'm sorry that there is nothing you can do now. I didn't mean to scare you and I am sure she will be fine, but it's something to bear in mind for future. Though, hopefully if you choose to breed again it will not be from petshop stock, so that you can guarantee that they are not hybrids.

[Drago]

Originally Posted by Jso0om

I hope she makes it and i thought it was an appropriate age to breed.

Have a vet on speed dial, and try not to disturb her too much. Good luck, fingers crossed for a safe birthing and a healthy litter

[Crystalroborovski]

Hi there.

I have no experience with breeding so someone else who is a hamster breeder will be able to help you with your more complex questions.

I have to agree with AprilPearl and drago- breeding a female that is under three months of age is risky and not good for her. I know in your previous threads lots of people warned you multiple times about that risk.

When you breed hamsters you are choosing to put the mother's life (and the potential pups' lives) at risk, no matter how old the mom is (but with females that are too young or too old the risk is greater). Even a healthy adult female can pass away during the pregnancy, while she gives birth or after she gives birth. When you breed two hamsters together just go into it knowing that you could lose the mother and pups.

In the future if you want to continue breeding, I would highly suggest getting quality stock hamsters from a professional breeder who has their pedigrees. You should never breed hamsters from a pet store or hamsters with unknown genetics because they could be carrying genetic illnesses which can be passed onto the pups, or the pups could be born with deformities. It is just a huge risk to take because you don't know the genetic history of the two parents. Even if the pet store claims that their hamsters are "purebred" there is no way to prove it unless they have the hamsters' pedigrees.

Good luck and I hope that the mother does survive and the pups are healthy.

[souffle]

Separate the father out now and keep him separate. No play dates of putting him back. She will manage fine with the pups on her own. The male would mate with her immediately after birth as that is what they do and a second litter would arrive in 18 to 22 days after the first which is far too much for her young body to cope with. Now take out the wheels and anything pups can get stuck under. The bottle needs to be low enough for small babies to drink from. Feed plenty mix plus small seed mix like millet for the babies. Give plenty tissue as bedding and she will nest when she is ready. Remember that the wooden house needs to be quite large for a growing litter and really well ventilated. Personally I would not use one as the pups will pee in there and it will get smelly and dirty inside. They don't move far at first and will toilet in there. Deep substrate and an open nest burrow is best for babies. Make sure your mum knows not to touch them or the nest and keep her quiet and peaceful. It's not the ideal time to leave her obviously as females can get in to birthing difficulties like stuck pups or post birth infections. Remember you must sex the pups and remove the males at least to a single sex group cage at 3 1/2 to 4 weeks of age as they can start to breed with the mum and each other at around 4 weeks. It is really important you do this correctly as interbred hybrids can result in hamsters who are not healthy and will never have a good quality of life.
I'd advise you make this her one and only litter and enjoy these hamsters as pets. Make sure you stock up on cages and bin cages for them in case you cannot home them easily and need to keep them yourself.
I hope she has an uneventful delivery.

[Jso0om]

GUYS SHE GAVE BIRTH JUST WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS
I went to take out the wheel and she just digged through the bedding and gave birth, i quickly closed the light and took my laptop and got out of the room. They are all down the bedding I dont know if she is alive or not.
I called a vet and they said can you bring them. Theyre cage are huge it may not fit in the car so i need to transfer them. Should I take them to a vet

I got an idea to check on the mom. I thought of getting a plastic spoon and rubbing in on the bedding and just digging smoothly in the bedding

BTW the bedding is 3 - 4 inches deep and i can hear the babies

[leedsgurl]

You need to leave them in peace and quiet, don't attempt to 'check' on the babies by digging in the bedding with anything. If you can hear them that's a good sign that it went well, I don't think you need to take them to a vet.

[Jso0om]

But now the cage has no sound the babies stopped i am worried that she ate them

[Jso0om]

Originally Posted by Jso0om

But now the cage has no sound the babies stopped i am worried that she ate them

I checked on her she is alive and great but i dont know about the babies

[Coco61]

Please understand that Leedsgurl and Soufflé are both very experienced breeders of hamsters themselves. They have given you the very best advice. The nest may be quiet now because the babies are feeding from their mother or asleep. Many breeders do not know how many babies are in the nest because everything is quiet and the mother keeps them well hidden. You must let the mother do her best. Do not disturb her in any way. That is what could lead her to cull the babies. Only go to the cage to give her food and water daily and do that quickly and then go. Leave her in peace however tempted you are to find out what is going on. That will be hard but it is the best. Good luck.

[Jso0om]

I understand but i am so curious but ill wait, when can i clean the cage and if i want to go the vet how can i, i need to transfer them to another cage