Will this be OK?

[hamster mum]

I got my little Campbells boy on wednesday from a pet shop that was giving them away to anyone who wanted them, I left his brother behind and have regretted it ever since, so this morning I rang up to see if he was still there and there was another woman working today who didn't know anything about the hamsters. I am intending to go to town tomorrow to get him if he is still there but I am worried because it will have been 2 days since I got Spike. Am I likely to be able to reintroduce them, I am really worried because I have some spare cages but they are all 1cm bar spacings and I can't afford a new cage immediately if they don't get on.

[souffle]

What age do you think they are? If they are still babies or quite young I think they will be just fine. It might be an idea to put them in a smaller neutral territory tank or bin initially then when you are sure they seem OK put the two in the bigger cage which should be full cleaned out first.
Hope it goes well.

[hamster mum]

The woman literally had no idea how old they are (or anything else), they look full grown to me or very near it but to be honest I've no idea how big they grow. Spike is about 2 1/2 inches long. Fingers crossed for me that he is still there.

[hamster mum]

:shock: :shock: :shock: Ok not panicking here but, the woman said the hamster she gave me was deffinately a girl, they are very young babies but she doesn't know how young, just a few weeks old she said. There were no more girls but she has accidentally let them breed again so she will have some more females then, she said you can add another hamster from the next litter if you want:?: And the babies (including Spike) have all been kept together. So can anyone tell me
a) From the pic roughly how old do you think Spike is?
b) Could I add another hamster in a few weeks?
c) Could Spike be pregnant :shock: ?
http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/thedogsmother/newlydownloaded525.jpg

[internet_nobody]

Spike looks adult to me, she's not got a baby face and doesn't have the podgy look you get with babies/younger hamsters, so yes she could be pregnant if she's been kept with males.

She also looks hybrid - more of a WW body shape, but the red eyes are from campbells, so I wouldn't risk doing an intro after a few weeks of living alone (this can work with campbells, but doesn't tend to with WWs).

[hamster mum]

O.k I did think she is a very big "baby" hamster, I don't mind how old she is but I wonder if the girl in the shop thought I would bring her back if she wasn't a baby, she's very friendly anyway, compared to the Syrians she has very noticable nipples, is that a sign of pregnancy. She's in a much bigger cage now and I accidentally bought loads of new toys for her today. She's hillarious though exploring everywhere and hopping in and out of her sandbath.

[internet_nobody]

Yes prominant nipples is a sign of pregnancy, but they are more visable on a white hammy anyway.

[hamster mum]

Yes prominant nipples is a sign of pregnancy, but they are more visable on a white hammy anyway.

Oh nooooo, how bad is it if she is a hybrid and if the dad is a close relative? I have tried to post a photo of her nipples but it isn't very good.

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/thedogsmother/newlydownloaded527.jpg

[souffle]

If the deed is done there is no point worrying. Start feeding her a bit of extra protein like egg, tofu, chicken, mealworms, porridge etc and make sure that there are not too many toys. Keep her calm and have a good sized cage. Babyhams can squeeze through quite small bar gaps.
Even if the father was a sibling, although there is an increased risk of problems, hopefully everything will be Ok and she will have a healthy litter if she is pregnant.

[hamster mum]

Thanks Soufle, I want to do the best for her, she is such a lovely little girl and she deserved a better start than this. I usually give the Syrians no more than 2 mealworms a week because of the fat content. How many would be sensible to give to Spike. I'm still trying to get hold of a decent sized tank for her but I'm struggling, can't belive I turned one down two weeks ago. What signs should I look out for that the birth is near and that she needs to be moved into a tank quickly.

[Bunsey]

basically, you won't know til she shows, which might only be 1 or 2 days before birth. Just make sure she has lots of nesting papers and things and don't worry too much. What's happened has happened. It's not great that they'll be inbred hybrids, but there's nowt you can do about it now, so don't worry. Just make really sure that people who buy one know that they can't breed from it. Hopefully she won't have any babbas.

[souffle]

If you are feeding live mealworms then one a day for a pregnant dwarf and be sure you see her eat it as you don't want a cage full of moths of wthatever they hatch into :LOL: Dried ones are less nutritious and we mix a handful into a bag of feed and just give them as they come. Maybe they gave you the mamma hamster and not a baby? If she was with the father still when she gave birth to the last litter then he will have mated her again straight after delivery however if that is the case she should still be with the babies as they cannot be very old so it is all rather puzzling. You just need to wait and see really. If she is a youngster, hopefully she will not be pregnant. A large plastic bin would make a fine nursery tank so need need to buy anything fancy.

[hamster mum]

I'm feeding dried mealworms, couldn't face feeding live ones. Got a nice tank off freecycle 2ft x 1ft, so I think it will do until she has either had the babies or I know she isn't pregnant, she deffinately is bigger today but that could be decent food and mealworms,and she is a lot more snuggly as soon as she hears the tank lid being opened she runs out to see me for a cuddle.

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp84/thedogsmother/newlydownloaded532.jpg

[souffle]

Looks excellent. Well done for finding the new home. Now all we have to do is wait and see. :)

[Bunsey]

the tank looks great. I'd get a water bottle though, rather than a bowl. She (and especially blind, wandering babies) could fall in and drown. You can buy bottle with suckers on or you can attach velcro to a regular bottle and to the corner of the tank and stick it it (you can buy velcro that's sticky-backed)

[hamster mum]

Thanks for the advice, I hadn't really thought about the babies getting into the bowl, I have managed to attach the bottle to her little climbing frame now and she has found it already.