How many hamster babies are in a litter

Some hamster mothers might allow the females to stay for a day or two more. If the dwarf father remained in the cage, mating will likely occur soon after birth—as little as three to four days, so a new litter of hamsters could appear when the first litter is about 3 weeks old. To avoid unintended pregnancies, it is suggested to remove the father hamster from the cage. Male dwarfs if the female allows him into the nest may make excellent fathers and help with baby-sitting duties.

Siblings from the previous litter will also help if the mother hamster allows them to remain in her cage. Remember to remove the first litter from the cage by the time they are 4 weeks old to avoid any more unplanned pregnancies! At 4 to 5 weeks, all hamster species are fully weaned and capable of fending for themselves.

Hamsters of the Syrian species are normally sexually mature as early as 4 weeks of age—a female Syrian hamster can conceive, and a male Syrian hamster can father a litter. You can house same sex Syrians together from for their first four to six weeks of life, says Ramsey. Having them live with siblings up until six weeks is important so they can learn what pain is by playing and wrestling with their siblings, she says.

The task of grooming will then be easier when the hamster reaches old age. Dwarf hamsters appear to mature sexually later than Syrians if paired with a mate of the same age — usually at about 3 to 4 months of age. However, there are exceptions. If a female dwarf is paired with an older male, however, conception can take place. Unlike the territorial Syrian, dwarf hamsters can live together in single-sexed pairings or colonies.

Once they mature at around 12 weeks of age, however, fights can occur that may cause serious injury. In such a case, you must split the pair into separate cages or, in the case of a colony, remove the one being bullied to a separate cage. At 12 weeks of age, Syrian hamsters can be six to eight inches long, so some of them may outgrow the exercise wheel you first purchased.

Breeding And Reproduction Of Hamsters. Veterinary Manual. Munford, Malena et al. Hamster Care River Landings Animal Clinic. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products.

List of Partners vendors. Featured Video. Related Topics. Birth Nest building activity increases as does eating, grooming, and digging before giving birth. The female will seem restless and may startle easily. She stands erect as the babies pups are born and will sever the umbilical cord on her own. The pups are born at minute intervals and the mother will sleep or tidy the nest area between births.

The mother will then hold and clean her pups. Make sure she had adequate food and water since she will be very hungry and thirsty after the birth.

Do not open the cage to look at the babies for at least two weeks. The mother may interpret this as a threat and eat their young if the cage is disturbed. Babies The babies will begin drinking water at days of age and eating food between days.

Make sure they can reach the water bottle and the food dish.