Help! My baby hamster fell!

[emilyravenne]

Hi! I’m completely new to the world of baby hamsters. I adopted a 1-year-old hamster that was slated for euthanasia a couple of years ago, and he lived until 2, when he developed testicular cancer.
I recently brought a Syrian hamster home to foster and, much to my surprise, she gave birth to 10 babies the next day! They are 2-weeks-old, and the shelter requested that I sex them because they needed to add them into the system - I know that’s a little young to touch them, but I didn’t have a choice. While I was sexing one, she rolled out of my hand and fell on her back on the floor. She urinated, was limp, and cold. I picked her up, and gently rubbed her body to warm her up and help the circulation. She seemed to wake back up, but her breathing was very quick and shallow. I rubbed her a bit more and she seemed to become more active. I put her back in the cage and she squirmed into the nest with the other babies and seemed fine. I came back about 5 minutes later and she was in the opposite corner of the cage from the nest and was cold. I picked her up and again gently rubbed her and put her back in the nest. It’s been about 15 minutes and they’re all sleeping so I don’t want to mess with them. I feel absolutely awful and it was traumatizing. Any advice or reassurance would be so appreciated.

[souffle]

I would have been very firm with my response to the shelter in not handling the pups at so young an age. What is done is done though so don't beat yourself up. Pups are wiggly and it sounds as if the baby was in shock. If it smelled strongly of you mum may have rejected it first time or sensed it was hurt.
You will just have to wait and see what happens but I urge you not to handle them again till all their eyes are open and they are all looking very able and walking about and that mum is OK with it. Fingers crossed for the baby x