Help!! Brand new hamster owner with pregnant hamster

josiah416 · 05-06-2016, 04:17 AM

I put this thread under healthcare because I am not a breeder; I am a brand new owner of a very young pregnant hamster, and my only concern here is the health of the mother and babies. Also, I'm calling my hamster Sophie now that I have learned she is female.

I'm asking help in two ways-- I'm posting a picture I took several days ago; if anyone can confirm the sex of the hamster I'd appreciate it (this is probably obvious, but I want to be sure). And also I'd like to know everything that's critical in helping Sophie to have as healthy a litter as possible.

So here's the story. I bought Sophie at a pet store who sold her as male. I did not handle her to confirm her sex then because I was more concerned with not stressing her out. I have had her 16 days now. 4 nights ago, she was incredibly active, searching over the entire cage, finally settling down in the bottom right corner to build a large nest. For the last three nights she has only come out of her nest to eat, drink and pouch food. She will also quickly come out and gather toilet paper bedding I leave for her. But other than those few moments I don't see her at all. And for the record, when I do see her she zips along as quickly as ever and looks bright-eyed.

So far, I have been sure to give her more food, including plain scrambled egg for a protein source (she did not take to the freeze dried mealworms). She pouched the entire bowl of egg (about a tablespoon or so). I have given her tons of toilet paper bedding-- 30 or 40 sheets--and she has used it all. I haven't disturbed the nest which is difficult to get to (she chose the bottom right corner in the back of the cage) and I have generally tried to keep things quiet. Thankfully she is set up in a bedroom so that's not difficult.

I know it's common practice to remove the wheel-- but I tried that and doing so really opened up the back of the cage and I felt it would alarm her if she saw that change. She hasn't been on the wheel in days that I have seen, so I wonder if it's better to leave it in for now. I think the bedding is so high now anyway that it can't move and she can't run on it.

I'm posting a picture of the cage so you can see her setup. Any advice or comforting words would be appreciated-- as I said I'm not a breeder and I'm very concerned for the health of my hamster. Thanks so much

Pebbles82 · 05-06-2016, 04:28 AM

Hi there! We've already chatted

I'm sure one of the breeders will come along and give advice on diet. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. The main thing is leave well alone apart from putting food and water out.

pinkneon · 05-06-2016, 10:56 AM

Hi and welcome! I can see nipples so she is definitely female!

Coco61 · 05-06-2016, 11:27 AM

As I understand from what I read breeders post here about wheels, it should be removed at once if she has pups. Firstly she must not use it as she will spend too much energy wheeling at the expense of nursing the pups. She needs all her energy for that. Then after the pups emerge from the nest, if she is wheeling, pups could get bumped and banged by the wheel and be injured or worse. Also they might try and get in with her and be hurt that way.
Don't be concerned by the empty space. The rest is much more important.

josiah416 · 05-06-2016, 01:47 PM

That's what I thought, pinkneon. Just making sure I'm not crazy haha

josiah416 · 05-06-2016, 01:48 PM

And duly noted, Coco. I'll get the wheel out of there.

Pebbles82 · 05-06-2016, 01:53 PM

Someone should come along with diet advice soon and some dates!

pinkneon · 05-06-2016, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josiah416

That's what I thought, pinkneon. Just making sure I'm not crazy haha

Haha don't worry, I've been questioning my BOY for ages!

WinnieTheHam · 05-06-2016, 02:02 PM

If you have had her for 16 days she will birth the pups today, or in the next day or so if she hasn't already. Coco is right about the wheel, it needs to be taken out for the safety of the pups. You can give her;

Boiled/scrambled egg
Tofu
Plain boiled chicken
Porridge (made with water or kitten milk)
wheat germ (good for the pups too - I started to use it around day 5/6, which is when pups start eating solids)
vegetables (preferably ones that aren't gassy)
Cucumber is good for the pups, I also used this sprinkled over the nest, cut into little pieces so the pups can start eating it around 5/6 days of age - they will get additional hydration from this because of the water content.
Seeds and nuts are also good for mum and milk production, pumpkin and sunflower would be good to use.
Baby food (the stuff made for humans, make sure it doesn't contain onions, tomatoes, leeks, seasonings, garlic, spices, and other things hamsters cant have)

There's a huge list here of what hamster can and can't have - [HAMSTER NUTRITION V] Safe Dietary Supplements for Hamsters - Food & Nutrition - Hamster Hideout Forum

You'll only need enough food for the mum at the moment, try not overfeed because the fresh foods will go bad in the nest which isn't good, and can cause problems to the pups. around 1 week start to increase the amount of food you give. Make sure you're feeding a normal hamster mix as well

I hope everything goes smoothly for her

josiah416 · 05-06-2016, 03:16 PM

Thanks for the info

I'm getting worried again. I just saw her waddle out of her nest when I dropped off some food for her- she took a look at it and waddled back. She looked a little dizzy, totally unlike her. Are there any common reasons she would look this way? Also I don't hear any squeaking at all so I don't think there are babies.