Worried about hamster runts. How can I help my small pups survive?

Question

My hamster gave birth to 12 healthy pups last week. sadly one died yesterday of an unknown cause. the remaining 11 are doing well but we have 3 runts; the biggest a fraction of the full sized ones, the smallest barely half the size of the full sized ones. i am worried about losing them, is there anything i can do???? Pet's info: Small Animal | Unknown - Small Animal | Female | unspayed | 0.440925 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

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.

Worried about hamster runts. How can I help my small pups survive?

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