My hamster had unexpected babies. Should I remove her exercise wheel?

Hello. Thank you for using Pet Coach. 1. Make sure she has a high quality diet. You can also add in some other good foods to increase her energy like spinach, boiled egg white, nuts and grains like quinoa. The mother may not want to get up and move around so put food and water close to her so she doesn't have to get up. 2. Don't touch the babies. Wait until they have plenty of fur, their eyes are open, they’re eating solid food and they getting around well on their own. 3. If there is a male hamster in the enclosure with them move him IMMEDIATELY or she will get pregnant again right away. They can make a new litter every 3 weeks!! 4. Keep the area around them calm and quiet. 5. At 5 weeks of age you will need to separate the babies into males and females and house them separately or you will end up with more babies. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Separate Bambi from Stitch for now. Her presence may be causing stress as the due date approaches. Clean the cage and replace bedding with fresh bedding. Provide a large enough hide for her and her litter. Remove and wheels temporarily to prevent injury to the pups (baby hamsters). Block off upper levels as well if necessary. Stitch should be eating a high protein diet and have plenty of water available at all times. Once she has the litter, do not disturb her for the first two weeks, this includes cleaning. You can find more information here: http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/61545-crash-course-on-accidental-pregnanciesbabies/

I don't recommend to disturb the nest since this will cause stress to the new mother and she may abandon or kill the litter. If there is a good reason to move the nest (a safety concern), wash your hands thoroughly then wipe them through the bedding to gain her scent on your hands and cover your own scent. Provide a lot of nesting material or a box for the litter (set it up before the move) and then quickly move the babies and the original nesting material. Then block off the connection to the top level at the base (otherwise she may just move them back). I hope this helps.

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! It is important that you do not disturb Snow, as even a small amount of stress can cause her to neglect or even canibalize her pups. If this is her first litter, she may be a little confused and not necessarily know what to do. I recommend moistening her food a little bit with water and placing it closer to the nest, without disturbing it. This will provide her with some extra hydration. This moist food should be changed daily to avoid mold from growing in the cage. The pups should start eating food on their own by the time they are about 3 weeks old, and can be removed from the cage at this time. I hope this helps!

It really depends on how old Frankie's babies are, if they are still curled up in the best I would try your best not to disturb them. However if they are older and exploring about as long as you are gentle and don't leave any separated for too long you can move them fine.

There is very little you can do. This is the reason hamsters have so many babies. There will always be a few runts and it is quite possible that they will either not be healthy (with congenital deficiencies) or not strong enough to fight their way to the nipples. Mama will take care of them as she sees fit, and if they are not ok she will either eat them or abandon them to ensure that the other strong ones have a good chance of survival. So while it is sad if some die due to being weak or very small, it ensures that the others will have a better chance to live. Do not disturb the nest much, as stress can also cause the mother to kill babies. If the house with the nest has a lid you can gently lift the lid once a day to visually check the little ones and remove a dead one, if it occurs. Otherwise leave them be as much as possible in order not to cause stress.

Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Hamsters can get aggressive, especially around their young. I recommend handling the young as little as possible to prevent Khaleesi from being aggressive towards you or from taking it out on her pups. While it is less likely at this age, hamsters can even canibalize their young when they are stressed. Hamsters can typically be weaned (start eating dry food, no longer needed milk from the mother) at about 3 weeks. I recommend separating them into different cages or homes to prevent the hamsters from reproducing. You should also separate Khaleesi from the male hamster if you wish to prevent further breeding. Once the pups are gone, Khaleesi should resume her normal behavior towards you. I hope this helps!

Poor Peanut! There is no way for me know what has happened, but hamsters don't always have live births. She may have been too young to be pregnant, or have some kind of health problem. She is most likely finished with the birthing process at this point. If you don't want other litters, you will have to keep the male and female separate.

You'll need to set up a baby safe cage. A basic cage (preferably one without fancy tubes and tunnels), paper towels, Pet-safe bedding (NOT sawdust), Hamster muesli, Fresh vegetables (carrot or cucumber being better choices for babies), and a water bottle. Keep this all warm with a hot water bottle wrapped in two thicknesses of towel or a heating pad underneath only half the cage, that way if it gets too hot they can move away from it. From 1-14 days old hourly feeds with kitten formula are required. Pups get dehydrated in a matter of hours so not feeding them hourly could kill them. It is a very time-consuming task hand feeding pups.You have to take it slow. Any hurry or forceful feeding can lead to milk being inhaled into the lungs and causing death within the minute. Gently hold the pup in your hand being careful not to squeeze them tightly. Using a pipette or eyedropper full of milk, place it near the pups mouth. They are not used to being fed this way so resistance is natural.

Hi there and thanks for posting this question! I would wait about 2 weeks after whelping prior to any major changes. I agree that it may stress Mom a little too much at this time. Best of luck and have fun watching those babies! Thank you for using Pet Coach.