I recently got a resuce Syrian hammie knowing that she was more than likely pregnant. She was kept with her brothers and I got her when she was about 9 weeks old. She had her babies last night but there are no sign of any in her house - I think she's eaten them!
Does this sound probable? Is it because she's so young?
Location: Yorkshire, UK but my heart lies in Scotland!
Posts: 28,192
Yes Becka, sadly it is very common for hamsters to kill their young. It is especially common if the mother is young or if she has been under any stress during the pregnancy which yours seems to have had as she has come from a rescue. They are good at hiding pups so it is possible she has moved and buried them somewhere so may still have them in there! Try and check without disturbing the mum.
She should be fine now and sibling mating is not really a good idea so there may have been problems with the babies if they had survived.
Concentrate now on taming her and enjoyed her as a lovely pet. Hope to see somes pics on the forum or news about how she does. What is she called and what colour is she?
Just one thing, keep an eye on her for any signs of illness over the next few days in case she has any retained pups or infection after the birth and see a vet if you are at all concerned.
A few of my mums have reabsorbed their litters this season - I can see Snowdrops starting to appear though so hopefully babies will appear at last soon. It is probably for the best - these hamsters are too young, and had incestuous matings. Still a shame though to get all excited and then nothing
infanticide!!
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