at what age is it ok for me to start holding her again?
and
at what age is it ok for me to touch the babies? (as i'd like to clean out her cage cos it smells)
2007-03-04 10:52:35 · 9 answers · asked by dan 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
The nest should not be disturbed whilst the female is nursing and the babies should not be touched as this will change their scent and may cause the mother to reject them. During this period the cage cannot be cleaned.
The continued feeding of high protein foods to the mother will help her to nurse her babies successfully.
Depending on the colour of the babies the skin will become dark or flesh coloured and so at around 4-6 days the skin may start to pigment, become darker depending on the colour of the baby. At 5-7 days hair begins to emerge and the ears open and by 9-10 days the babies are covered in short fur and the eyelids are developing. At this time the babies may also start wandering around the cage, even though still blind. The female will usually collect the wandering babies and return them to the nest - this may be accompanied by squealing from the babies but is not usually anything to worry about. At 14-16 days of age the eyes open and the babies are covered in fur. It is safe to handle the babies for short periods at this time and so the cage can be cleaned.
During the time babies are developing plenty of hamster mix should be provided and young babies will also easily manage grated carrot, and scrambled or boiled egg. High protein foods and a shallow dish of low fat milk or bread soaked in low fat milk can be beneficial.
At 3 weeks of age the babies are fully weaned and no longer require the mother's milk although they may still suckle if she has milk available. The babies should be moved into two separate cages (one for females and one for males) to avoid breeding at this young age. This removal from the mother can be a little stressful for the babies and the mother may also take a day or two to adjust to her babies having been removed.
The babies should be kept with their brothers and sisters (in their single sex cages) for another 2-3 weeks before being kept singly. The babies will still benefit from high protein foods and so these should continue to be fed with plenty of hamster mix. During these weeks the babies will adapt to being away from the mother and benefit from a continued care routine whilst they develop their confidence. During this time small squabbles may occur as their solitary nature starts to develop. The babies should be handled regularly once removed from their mother to get them used to being handled before going to new homes.
Get handling!!! And good luck. Sometimes they have HEAPS of babies. Hope you have a lot of cages!
2007-03-04 11:19:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My rat gave birth to 15 babies on Saturday and I have held the mum and the babies from the day they were born and she is still a good mum and has not rejected any apart from yesterday when she would not feed them because she only has 12 nipples but we had her feed the babies in 2 separate groups in a carrier and last night she was back to feeding all of them (I think she wanted a break) and al 15 are doing fine this morning. So what I'm trying to tell you is when you go to her cage put your hand in the door and let her sniff your hand and if she does not bite you touch one of the babies and if she lets you do that you should be fine and be able to clean her out. When you clean her out put her in a carrier with the babies but make sure the babies are warm and clean out the cage and put her back with the babies in the spot she keeps them and she will just redo the nest her self and she wont kill them unless they are deformed or dieing so please do not be afraid to clean her out. Good luck with her and the babies.
If you want more info do a google search for hamster breeding and you should find all the info there from a breeder who has been breeding for a year or longer and they will know more than anyone here.
2007-03-05 23:21:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hiya, Only pick her up and the babies after 2 + half weeks, when all the babies have left the nest. she may even try to bite you when you first try to pick her up, but this only lasts until the babies have grown. You could clean the sawdust carefully, but don't touch the nest. After 5 weeks have the babies sexed so you can split them up otherwise you will have more babies. You will be able to clean them out once you have seen all the babies out of the nest in the sawdust area. The babies will be lovely they soon get used to you and run onto your hand because they know you feed them. I used to give our babies cooked pasta (not cooked in salt) and egg, they loved raw friut and veg. Have you moved the father out of the cage, otherwise the mother will get pregnant again, i took the whole cage mother father and babies to the pet shop cause i didnt know which was the mother you cant trust the father on his own with the babies, they were really good and they took the father off me, but she was already pregnant. Our last set of babies was born Christmas Eve 2006, they were lovely just like the first set. It was so hard giving them to the pet shop. We do still have the mother, and one of the babies (in seperate cages) the baby we still have bites, cause he had to defend himself from his brothers and sisters, he was different he only has 3 legs. Good Luck with your hamsters.
2007-03-05 03:28:28 · answer #3 · answered by kevina p 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I definately wouldnt touch the babies at least until their eyes are open and they are moving around the cage themselves. If they are handled too young or the mother gets upset, she may kill them. Is there any way that you could just clean the dirty section of the cage without upsetting the hamsters? If not then I would be inclined to leave them until they are more developed.
2007-03-05 21:15:34 · answer #4 · answered by Catwhiskers 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DON'T TOUCH THE BABIES! SHE'LL EAT THEM! wait until the babies are about 2 weeks old! ( i know the cage stinks, but if you touch the babies, or move them, the mother will think there's an intruder!) and then you can either keep the babies or put them in a different cage and take them to your local pet store and sell them! good luck!
2007-03-04 11:00:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
i would say it was safe to do that now, but be carefull an do it slowly, perhaps but them in a warm box while you clean her out, then try to make a nest again in the sawdust or bedding so theres not too much work for her to do. and congrats x
2007-03-04 10:56:51 · answer #6 · answered by suzie1968uk 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The babies won't nessecarily be eaten if you clean out the cage. The only time they are really eaten is when they are sick, dying, dead, or they are overcrowded. If she allows you to you can hold her now.
2007-03-04 11:24:11 · answer #7 · answered by clytisciasha 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Once the babies have their eyes open and are moving around on their own and have fur you can do all these things.
2007-03-04 11:45:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i thinks its about 3months and don't touch the babies intil they finish feeding from there mother
2007-03-04 10:55:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋