One cannot simply take their eyes off hamster babies. These small, charming animals will surely have your attention. Infant hamsters are born with no fur and are carefully connected to their mother. Though you might have the desire to hold them, bear in mind that you should not do anything within 2 weeks after delivery.
Never touch the babies. Your action may hurt them, alter their scent and puzzle the mother. She may believe that they are not hers, desert them, and worse, she may even consume the infants. Avoid tidying up the cage within this duration to prevent triggering tension from the mother. It is also suggested to put the infants at the bottom of the cage as none have opened their eyes yet.
After this crucial time, you can hold them only for short periods of time to avoid interrupting or worrying the mother or infants. You can also tidy up the cage and put fresh bed linens in the majority of the cage. Eliminate only the stained parts in the nest location and put a great part of the old bed linen in it. Put the infants back in the nest after it is tidied up followed by the mother.
When the babies’ eyes are opened (which usually takes 11-12 days, however some take more or less time), they have to find out how the bottle works. In order for them to reach it quickly, put it lower and in a location where they often go. If they have not found out ways to utilize the bottle and you are worried that they are not consuming enough water, you can provide pieces of cucumbers to avoid dehydration. Do not put water in a bowl to prevent them from falling in and drowning or catching a cold.
At 3 weeks, you can separate the infants if you observe any fighting amongst them. However if they appear immature, less developed and are not sufficiently independent to leave their mother, let them remain together till they are 4 weeks old. When they reach 5 weeks old, and are already independent and have a healthy development, they can be put in new houses and play in new environments.
