Surprise Pregnancy! Help?

EmilyS_79 · 02-06-2015, 08:51 AM

So on January 10, 2015 I bought a hamster from Petco. She was the one with the inflamed foot and cuts. Well... my mom came into my room and it was quiet. Taz came out of her little tunnel and my mom asked me if there was another hamster in her cage. I got out of bed and sure enough there was a rustling in the cage! And then we saw a baby pop out! They have hair so they must have been in there for a while and she did a great job of hiding them. I think they are around 10 days old. I turned the cage and the babies were up against the glass and nibbling on the corn from her food. There eyes aren't open I don't think. They are about an inch long. I'll get some good pics so you guys can help me determine. I didn't breed her. And I didn't know she pregnant. I don't know what to do! Please help! Sorry for the bad picture, it's all I could get while I was crying and freaking out!

BrainGirl · 02-06-2015, 08:55 AM

First of all, relax! The fact that momma was able to hide them from you this long and keep them alive means she's very calm and hasn't been stressed by you doing all the normal things you do. They're pretty much past the danger point.

If you haven't been already, start giving porridge and fresh food and protein-rich supplements. Use a low bowl and chop the veg fine because if the pups are coming out they'll want access to it themselves

Finally, if the pups eyes aren't open, you'll need to remove that photo, cute as it is

BrainGirl · 02-06-2015, 08:57 AM

Oh, and congratulations

EmilyS_79 · 02-06-2015, 09:29 AM

Oh yeah! I totally forgot about the age requirements for pics!!! Ahh how do I delete it?

EmilyS_79 · 02-06-2015, 09:36 AM

What's porridge? And what kind of protien rich foods?

jemmalg · 02-06-2015, 09:53 AM

Porridge is like oats/oatmeal I think? Also try chopped up cooked chicken, egg, tofu, wheat germ, baby foods (like from a jar, make sure there's no onion or garlic added), cucumber and other veggies chopped up really tiny, and sprinkle these around the nest for the babies.

It sounds like mama ham is doing pretty well, so just keep calm, I know it's a bit terrifying and unexpected!

Nancy's Hamsters · 02-06-2015, 09:58 AM

Baby cereal goes down very well as Porridge, and baby food in fruit and veggies(make sure it lacks spices ,onions, or leaks) is another very good food to give a Mama and her pups.
Like BG said since she has been a very good Mother this far you need not fret on her having pups. Though Petco is a single gender store they have no control of how the supplier houses the pups before arrival at the store and often the Females end up housed with males during shipping. Chances are this is how she was bred.

Soon the pups will need to be able to reach the water bottle which means lowering Mama's bottle or fixing up a way for the toddling pups to climb up to reach it. Also you can cut up a slice of Cucumber into very small bits and Mama will take them to her litter to eat for a nice source of water. In about 4 to 6 more days they will open their eyes and then you can show them off to us all. You'll also need to start handling them when all have eyes open to help them become tame and loveable pets.

At 6 weeks they will be able to be re-homed. Not sure if Petco will help you with that or not but it would be worth a try to see if they will help you with food cost and extra cages for when the pups need to be split into their own cages. The pups will need to be at least Gender split by 4 weeks, 5 weeks at the latest to prevent even more pregnant females. The folks on here can help you determine what sex the pups are with good clear photos of their rear ends, and Hey, Smile as your past the hardest part already and just beginning the best part of having a litter. Do know the pups will need lots of good high protein foods and will make you feel like they are eating enough to feed 20 pups at first.

I will be waiting to see pup pics when their eyes open.

BrainGirl · 02-06-2015, 10:11 AM

Yep, oatmeal-type foods. I find it easiest to just use the instant baby cereals sold in pouches. I can keep it in the freezer so it stays fresh longer and just add hot water to a little as I need it, but then I only give it as a treat to a couple of adult hamsters. For the number of hungry mouths you'll be feeding you might want to start cooking it from scratch in larger batches!

As for protein-rich foods, mine always liked chicken or turkey. Baby foods in jars are good so long as there's no onion or garlic. The dinner-type ones containing meat, grain, and veg are good choices. Go for the ones meant for babies under 6 months, they're usually the ones that don't have the onion/garlic seasoning. I also just found out that they LOVE shrimp

Not sure if that's safe for babies though, I'd stick to what jemmalg listed

EmilyS_79 · 02-06-2015, 10:14 AM

She was housed with another girl. But I have a feeling it was a boy. The previous owner returned them. I bought a male hamster from there with no boy parts lol. They aren't foolproof there lol

EmilyS_79 · 02-06-2015, 10:15 AM

Thanks for all the help everyone! I think the babies are at least 10 days and there are at least 4