Daughters new Syrian has had babies, advice wanted

Dave W · 09-19-2012, 12:57 PM

Well we got our daughter a new hamster a little under 2 week ago. It's a syrian hamster, the last 1 left in the pet shop and about 2-3 moths old.

Monday night (9 days after buying it) the daghter says the hamster is talking and I did hear some little squeaks etc but thought nothing of it and put it down to it being happy with newly relocating it's nest in the cage.

Yesterday morning on the way back home the gf calls to say she was about to give the cage a first clean (we wanted to let it settle in poperly before giving the cage a first clean) and notced it had had given bearth to a load of babies in the nest. I guess these things happen so not really to annoyed with the pet shop.

The gf had a look yesterday and said there are about 8 babies. I had chance to look yesterday when the mother was out of the nest and counted more like 10-12 babies. The mother did start to move 1 or 2 of the hamsters about the cage in it's mouth which semed a little odd at first so I done a quick bit of research to realise best not to disturb the cage\nest to much and the mother moving the babies about in her mouth may just be a sign of worry of to much attention etc. But of cause know it may be a sign of that she might kill\eat some of the babies. And read about the basics of when to seperate them from the mother (3-4 weeks) and first handle them (2 weeks) etc.

Now not so much a concern but advice. The mother has now bulked the nest up and while we can hear the babies several times a day to know at least some are still there and alive etc, we hve however not seen them since yesterday evening as they have effectivly been burried in the nest by the mother.

So if we cant disturb the cage to clean it and messing with the nest is a big no-no in case of passing scent over to the babies how can we check on the babies to see they ar ok?. Should they still be ok and is the mothers occasional dashing round the cage during the day be anything to be concerned about?.

Might sound a bit daft but no sign of them for over 24 hours even if we can hear here little squeals and are just concerned for them seeing as they are so tiny.

Also is it ok for the cage room to be in darkness at night?.

souffle · 09-19-2012, 01:05 PM

Welcome and congratulations on your unexpected newbies.
You sound to be doing the right things now and there is no need to check the babies as mum does everything that needs done for them at this age. It's really important not to touch them or disturb the nest or cage in any way. This helps mum feel secure. Provide her with plenty good food and have a read here as there is lots of useful info.
Extra protein for mum in the form of egg, chicken, tofu, porridge etc as detailed will help her feed the babies well. You can start handling when all the eyes are open usually by 17 days and also do a clean out then if mum is happy with you touching the babies at that point. Sometimes you need to wait a little longer with a protective mum.
If she is spending all her time in the nest and you hear chirps then the babies are just fine

It is fine for the cage room to be dark at night and normal for a hamster

link here: Breeding Syrian Hamsters - Advice & Guidance - National Hamster Council

pinkneon · 09-19-2012, 01:11 PM

Hi, welcome to HC

. I'm sorry I don't know anything about babies, but just wanted to say congratulations, and to let you know that this forum is very knowledgable so I am sure people can help

Dave W · 09-19-2012, 01:35 PM

Thanks for the replies, was a little concerned today as no sign of the mother untill mid afternoon, can relax a little to relalise all is fine seeing as mother spends most of the time in the nest ad an hear the babies several times a day.

More concered that we cant see the babies now mother has bulked the nest up and a good 10 babies and mother in such a small space lol.

Will the babies stay in the nest until they can walk or will the mother take them out at any time for any reason?.

Anyways going to get some reading done fo the next few weeks an thanks

pinkneon · 09-19-2012, 01:38 PM

I would assume (but please don't quote me cos like I said I nothing about babies) that she's done that with the nest partly for warmth, and partly for privacy on her little family?? I guess someone else here would be able to tell you better than me ... Also, it's normal for hamsters to not be out most of the day!

souffle · 09-19-2012, 02:20 PM

Sometimes the nest gets like a small volcano!! The mother hamster knows how to regulate the size to keep the babies at the best temperature and also to keep them from wandering out! They usually have a side tunnel inside where they have a store and the little ones will go there and start eating food from around 5 days. Get some oatmeal and budgie seed and sprinkle it near the nest and mum will take it in for them.
When they start to toddle out mum usually spends all her time picking them up and taking them back but she soon gets fed up and lets them wander. Even blind they still find their way back. At about 10 days they start to come out looking for food and you can give them a pringles lid with some babyfood or porridge and small chopped veg like brocolli, cucumber, scrambled egg and food once a day. Their main food should still be a good hamster mix. Make sure the water bottle is low enough for the small hamsters to reach as they do drink even when tiny. Hamster milk is very concentrated so it is important the babies have fluid from either food or the bottle when they want it.
We never count babies as there are often some lost or culled by mother. She always knows best and can detect things that we would not know so respect her decisions. It is better not to fret over lost babies and accept the ones that survive. I'd start looking for homes now

A well tamed baby, home reared makes a lovely pet. Maybe your daughter might have some friends who would like one when the time comes. They will need their own homes and individual cages by 6-8 weeks.
You will need two cages or plastic boxes at 4 weeks when you separate into a group of boys and one of girls.

Knotty · 09-20-2012, 02:43 AM

Congrats on the little ones!! The advice souffle has given is spot on

Dave W · 09-20-2012, 08:52 AM

We have already found homes for 2 of them and the pet shop we got the hamster from has said they will take any left off us.

we was going to get a couple of cages ready to seperate them to then notice that high cost aside of bigger cages for litters that they are pretty much all bar based cages and are concerned about the pups possable ability to either escape through the bars or injure themselfs. So I then hit on the idea of a couple of good sized transparant plastic storage boxes. Would these be ok with holes drilled in the lid for air?.

We have also now relocated the cage to another somewhat quieter room in the house after having trouble to get our 5 year old daughter to keep the volume down when the hamster was in the main living room in the house.

However, trying to again not to sound like an over concerned person there has been no sound from the pups at all today even though mother has been in the nest most of the day. I have also noticed that at least once this afternoon that mother has took to walking on top of the nest even if she still goes in and out of the nest from the side tunnel. Is this anything to be concerned about at all?.

Knotty · 09-20-2012, 09:00 AM

That's great that you have homes for 2. Storage box ages or 'bin cages' as they are known on here are really great homes for hamsters, as long as they do have enough air. Some people just drill/poke/make holes somehow and others cut a hole in the lid/side of the bin/box and then attach some mesh using bolts and nuts or cable ties.

souffle · 09-20-2012, 09:02 AM

When content the babies make very little noise. They are also insulated under the substrate. If you listen you may her like a clicking noise. This is the pups suckling! Sometimes they are quieter so try and not fret. There is really nothing you can do but let the mother care for them at this age as hand rearing is a 24hr a day job and seldom successful. If they mum is in the nest they are usually fine.
If there is a bad smell around there may be a dead pup and if you see one you can remove it using a clean spoon rubbed in the bedding. Don't touch them with your hands.
I'm sure she is fine walking on the nest.
I bet you are becoming addicted to watching that nest LOL. We always are and it is a great thrill when you see the first wanderer! Sometimes when you put the platter of food in mum rushes out and forgets to detach a few babies and you can see them in the nest tunnel if you peep.
The big boxes from Ikea are perfect and cheap. There are lots of threads if you search bin cages which will show you how to make them but for a few weeks you don't need anything fancy unless you want to keep a few yourself