Update on Pumpkin's Babies

[Beowolf72]

Hi all -

Pumpkin and her babies are doing great! They are 16 days old today. They are eating solid foods...A TON of food! And they started to drink from the water bottle. It so cute to watch them immitate what Pumpkin does. They even bring bedding to the nest! They play with each other alot. And make so many strange noises even while sleeping!
At what point can we change the bedding?

Thank you,
Allison (aka Mrs Beowolf)

[Jane]

Can we have pics yet? :D No idea whether we can or whether it will disturb mum too much I've never looked into breeding hammies :wink:

[Beowolf72]

Sure! Here is a pic from a few days ago. You can see Pumpkin in this one, I think most of the pups will have her coloring.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k295/smurfyallison/pup2.jpg

[Jane]

Awwwww so cute :D

Can you hold them yet then? :)

[souffle]

Aww they are just adorable, They do eat loads at this stage and they wee buckets too we find especially if they all go in the same potty!. I would leave the bedding a bit longer as pumpkin is a first time mum, then at about 3wks of age you can do a clean but be sure to replace some of the old bedding. We tend to put mum and babies in a playbox then clean out most of the cage but leave the nest intact. You can wipe the cage base over then put new bedding in with a bit of the old sprinked through it. This helps them settle down. You will need to remove the boys at least at 4 wks but send some of the old bedding to the new cage with them. We always give some of the old bedding when they go to their new homes too as it helps them feel secure and lessens the stress of a house move. A good idea is to actually get the cage from the new owner about a week in advance then you can pop them in, maybe with a sibling, for a week then when they go to the new home they are nice and settled and you just need to take the other hammy out to its cage.

[babyboos]

I normally add a pile of new bedding and let mum sort it out - she will often move the whole nest to the new bedding allowing you to remove the old. As they are weaning at 21 days it may mean a bit of a pong starts to develop but with careful spot removal IF MUM ALLOWS - always be very wary -and at the first sign of any discomfort at your presence in her cage stop trying to take anything out and just wait a few more days until ALL EYES ARE OPEN and then try again if you think she appears more tollerant.

[Holly]

Aww, they are so sweet!

*Am now crossing legs as well as fingers and everything else that we are getting some*

A good idea is to actually get the cage from the new owner about a week in advance then you can pop them in, maybe with a sibling, for a week then when they go to the new home they are nice and settled and you just need to take the other hammy out to its cage.

How brilliant is this? We'll definitely do the bedding thingy but if we can get the cages we'll do this as well 8)

[Beowolf72]

Thank you all! We have been adding some here and there and let her decide where it should go. I am scooping with a spoon the soiled litter. She's been moving the nest to where the potty was...so the nest tends to get stinky quick!

Everyone's eyes are starting to be fully open. They all look alike though...except one. It's funny how much some of them look like Pumpkin. Pumpkin has a very narrow and triangular head and some of the babies have it too! Others look like their father I assume. Wish the fur would come in quicker so we'd know what color they were! :)

[Beowolf72]

Here is a picture of Pumpkins babies at 26 days old. I still can't tell what color they are going to be...golden? Pumpkin has alot more red in her fur.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k295/smurfyallison/babies.jpg

[Holly]

Awww, they are absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I can't believe ho big they are already - how's the taming going??

They all look like Goldens to me - Golden is the natural "wild" colour so, unless both parents have compatible genes for other colours somewhere in their make-up, babies will revert to the natural colour (I believe - I'm still no expert but I'm trying!).

[souffle]

Oh my how they have grown. They look fantastic and Pumpkin has done a great job there. You must be very proud of her. The babies are Golden and are very nicely marked. Golden comes in various 'shades' and Pumpkin may have a lighter parent such as a cinnamon or cream which may make her golden look lighter and more orangy. Our Sonni is like that as mum was cinnamon and dad cream but as she did not get a pair or either of those genes she has reverted to the original wild golden colour though paler as she has some influence from the single light genes. The ticking is often not so obvious on these hamsters. Your babies have lovely ticking and are nice and dark. Looking forward to seeing more pictures. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Basia]

They are so lovely. You and Pumpkin have done them pround because the look big chubby babies. Have you enjoyed you baby hamster experience?

[ad36]

I have enjoyed watching the progress and how I wished I lived near you. I have been debating about getting a syrian and this is the colour I would like. They are looking so well, you must be very proud!!

[Holly]

I have enjoyed watching the progress and how I wished I lived near you. I have been debating about getting a syrian and this is the colour I would like. They are looking so well, you must be very proud!!

I must admit I think Golden's - especially with lovely markings like these, are gorgeous. If we get one I'll be really tempted to keep him/her (in fact I don't know how I'm going to let any of them go - something I'm really going to have to get used to).

[ad36]

I think that must be one of the hardest parts of breeding, having to let go. Looking at Beowolf72 pictures and how adorable they all are, I think I would be out buying lots of cages! I am just so pleased we have been able to share their development.

[Spuds Mum]

They are truly beautiful Beowolf - as Souffle says, they are beautifully marked! How many pups were there in the end? (sorry I know you probably posted that but I cant find it)
What will you do with the babies? And how has Pumpkin been? Have you managed to do any taming since the pups became a little bigger?
Sorry, so many questions - but I love hamster news :x

[Beowolf72]

Thank you all so much for your compliments! We are so glad they are all healthy and chubby! This experience has been so amazing! To go from tiny little pink beans to this in less than a month!

Pumpkin has been amazing with these six little ones! She's kept them all well fed and nice and warm. Here lately she's been starting the weening process so she doesn't sleep with them as often anymore. The most endearing thing is when she plays with them. It breaks my heart to seperate them...but it must be done.

One female and one male are each going to friends of ours. I'm very leary about putting an ad in the paper or selling them to a pet store. (I'm too attached!!) I want to make sure that they are all WELL taken care of. (I wish more of you all lived closer! :x )

As far as taming goes...it's been tough. Especially since Pumpkin is not completely tame as after having her only one week...out came six babies! Pumpkin loves to be talked to and pet on her back...but that is IT! Since the babies see her do this, they jump out of our hands as soon as we cup them in. (We always hold them over the cage bedding at about six inches so they won't hurt themselves.) I think after the seperation, it will be easier. The babies love it when we come up to the cage...they just stare at us...so curious.

We will post more pics very soon. One of them is so much darker than the others...but not black.

[Spuds Mum]

You've done so well, and I'm sure that you will 'crack' it with Pumpkin when she is separated from the litter. playing with you has I guess not been uppermost in her mind in the last month? :x
You know I think you are right when you say about the babies learning from their Mum. With my first litter, Mum was (and is still!) so friendly and was always desperate to come out and climbed onto our hands. Her babies quickly followed her lead and I used to often have to shout for help and one large Mummy hamster and 11 babies crawled up my sleeves and everytime I took one off, another would climb up!
I think you will do well though with the pups if you keep handling them daily. Although they are fast, they quickly learn that coming out for playtime is fun, and it certainly will make it easier for the babies new owners if this taming is done from the start (as you've learned with Pumpkin)
Congratulations again - I'm quite glad you are far away because I think I would be finding more space in my home for some beautiful golden pups if you were nearer!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Christine Yule]

congratulations on a beautiful litter! All this hamster baby talks makes me miss not having babies in the house! I'm thinking of breeding a litter of Syrians but need to find a lovely female.

I love the golden colour, too. It is so lovely when they have nice dark markings. From the photo you posted, it looks like the pups may carry Black. Is there a picture of Pumpkin here somewhere and do you know the father? Goldens that carry black or in other words have one black gene, have this gorgeous black skin around their eyes. It looks like think Black eyeliner and you can see that they have black slits even before their eyes open. Do you see anything like that? Also, if you say that one pup has the same markings but is much darker than the rest but isn't all pure black, then it may be an Umbrous Golden colour. That just means that it has a gene that gives a dark grey cast over all the fur. I love that colour too because it makes the golden colour so rich looking.

Do you have some recent pictures of the babies?

[souffle]

I don't think they know the dad Christine as Pumpkin had only been home 6 days when she had this surprise litter! They are beautiful and we'd love to see more piccies beauwolf!

[Spuds Mum]

One question Beowolf........how much TV/housework/entertaining have you done since the Pups were born?
Against how much pup-watching time???
Not saying I told you so - but I can almost guarantee you have spent the last four weeks staring into a cage *smug smile* :x :lol: :x

[Christine Yule]

One question Beowolf........how much TV/housework/entertaining have you done since the Pups were born?
Against how much pup-watching time???
Not saying I told you so - but I can almost guarantee you have spent the last four weeks staring into a cage *smug smile* :x :lol: :x

Your comment to Beowolf reminded me of the litters I used to have. My last litter was over a year ago and I feel the urge to have another one! I have had the privilege of watching many, litters, I lost count a long time ago, but I always tried to look at them every hour or so. I have made my own non-scientific evaluation that the pups double in size every other day! :shock: I swear that I can see the difference in their size after just a few hours! :shock: Much better than anything on T.V.!! :lol:

[Spuds Mum]

Absolutely Christine, I have spent so much time doing the same and can't say that any of that time has ever been wasted. I also find it so therapeutic personally too. Most of us these days spend so much time in the 'rat race' rushing around and trying to run to keep up with everyone else. Sometimes it is nice just to sit and watch what is really important in life, the development and growth of the next generation and the mum acting by instinct and getting it right - no baby books or toddler taming TV shows for her.
It helps to really bring back what is important in life.

And of course it is so stunning to see how quickly those Pups develop, and how Mum cares for them - for four weeks it becomes my very own TV soap, reality show, drama and action movie of the week!! :x :x

[Christine Yule]

Absolutely Christine, I have spent so much time doing the same and can't say that any of that time has ever been wasted. I also find it so therapeutic personally too. Most of us these days spend so much time in the 'rat race' rushing around and trying to run to keep up with everyone else. Sometimes it is nice just to sit and watch what is really important in life, the development and growth of the next generation and the mum acting by instinct and getting it right - no baby books or toddler taming TV shows for her.
It helps to really bring back what is important in life.

And of course it is so stunning to see how quickly those Pups develop, and how Mum cares for them - for four weeks it becomes my very own TV soap, reality show, drama and action movie of the week!! :x :x

AMEN :D

[sthomas048]

That is spot on Spud's Mum. Through watching and subtly assisting in the development of young hamsters surely we are also developing and learning as humans ? I think so. Thats what makes us humans different, we are the only animals who want to and are able to care for other species of animals.

[Christine Yule]

That is spot on Spud's Mum. Through watching and subtly assisting in the development of young hamsters surely we are also developing and learning as humans ? I think so. Thats what makes us humans different, we are the only animals who want to and are able to care for other species of animals.

I agree completely! I don't want to get all religious here, but I do beleive that God created us and the animals and gave us the job of taking care of them. It is such a rewarding job that gives lots of pleasure.

Hamstermama

[Spuds Mum]

Well, its nice to know that we all feel the same, again without getting religious (or even just plain nutty :oops: ) its lovely to know that with the living things that cross our paths in life (human or animal) we can hopefully make a difference.
So back to the thread and well done Beowolf for helping Pumpkin and her litter to grow into healthy happy and beautiful hamsters. She sure was lucky to find you :D