My female hamster had her babies last night and all has gone well! But tonight i picked her up to check her nipples and she has a hard swollen nipple! Its kinda dark red and blk! Im really worried... Ill make an appointment for tommorow night but that 24 hours away!!!
Well first of all, congratulations on your new babies! Mum could have a blocked milk duct or some kind of mastitis? Your vet will best advise. Make sure if any antibiotics are prescribed that they are safe for lactating mums. I know there are some antibiotics that are unsafe in rats when they are new mums and for the babies aswell as the drug gets into the milk they are drinking, so do ask your vet about that if anything is prescribed.
Best of luck with the new babies and I hope mum is okay. x
Congrats on the pups! I’m sorry to hear about mother. I’ve never bred hamsters so I don’t know to much about the illnesses that can occur during and after pregnancy. I suppose it’s a good thing you checked on her incase something is infact wrong.
I am concerned about you handling her after giving birth. I know that many breeders are pretty adamant and strict about giving the mom and her new litter space, and not to disturb them as little as possible. Doing so may cause her to abandon the pups or lead her to cannibalism. I think it might be best to leave mom and her pups alone as best you can until its time for a vet visit.
Then there is the concern about the pups. Is it proper to leave them alone in the nest without mom when you go to the vets? Or should you bring the whole family along so as to not separate them? Hopefully one of our experienced breeders will shed some light.
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We personally would never handle the female so soon after giving birth unless she was giving cause for concern such as ignoring the litter or appearing ill. They do not normally leave the nest much at all for the first few days.
Consequently we do not know what the nipples look like. Certainly mothers of 6-10 day old pups will have noticeably larger and redder nipples. After suckling is finished they can be quite bare and the skin dry.
Does the mother seem to be attending to the babies well and can you hear them chirping and squeaking as that is usually a good sign that they are OK? A mother with mastitis will appear unwell. I think that as long as it is only one nipple affected she will be able to suckle the pups with the others. She may just have been scratched by a pup or have a reaction to the first feeding.
Taking the mother to the vet at such a time I would say is very risky as she may well abandon or cull the litter but then if she is ill you may lose them anyway so it is a dilemma. Even if the vet would do a house call the handling by a stranger would upset her. Could you ask the vet his opinion before risking a visit.
I personally would give her a bit more time unless I was really concerned. Try to avoid keeping disturbing her to check and listen for the babies. Offer her a treat when she is out so she stands up for it and try to check with a torch while she is standing without touching her. I hope she is OK and it is a false alarm. Best of luck.
As long as the other nipples look okay a this point I would hang off seeing a vet so soon after whleping. However who knows what may happen in the next 24 hours... if she seems to be avoiding the babies or more nipples start to blacken then you will need to take the whole cage along to the vet, preferably pack it in a large cardboard box so it is nice and dark for the journey.
Well The Reason for Picking Mum up was Cause it was night time and she was jumping up at her glass for an hour and i saw the nipple through her tank and picked her up being i saw something abnormal! I then obseved the nipple and it was hard and inflaimed! I have a vet appointment in 30 mins the pups are 48 hours old but they are looking healthy! One was on her nipple and she dragged it out on accident, It had a White milk band and nice fleshy pink color! It looked healthy! I havent seen the nest though just the one but momma braught it back within a second of my glimpse! Ill Keep u updated when i get bak from the vets! (wish us luck!)
The vets is 6 mins away so im sure well be fine! Ive covered her tank with a towel for the trip over so its dark!!!
Thanks for all ur help and talk to you all soon!!!
Well We Just got back!
The Vet Has No idea as to what it is! He Says its not a baby but its more of a infection and i have to see a exotic specialist on Wendsday! The babies are squeeking alot and moms on the nest every 5 secs so hopefully we will be good till wendsday!
I suppose if she’s still eating and drinking and is generally active while caring for the pups that’s a good sign. Besides the nipple you haven’t really said she was doing anything abnormal to suggest an urgent crisis.
Im interested to hear what the vet says in Wednesday.
Mamma Hamster Problem!!!!!
Mum could have a blocked milk duct or some kind of mastitis? Your vet will best advise. Make sure if any antibiotics are prescribed that they are safe for lactating mums. I know there are some antibiotics that are unsafe in rats when they are new mums and for the babies aswell as the drug gets into the milk they are drinking, so do ask your vet about that if anything is prescribed.
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