Hamsters need SPACE. No vertical space either (multi-story cages).

They need something they can lean against, burrow into, breathe and not chew on.

I have always used aquariums.

Every time I go to the local pet store for supplies, I always see this family. Dad just bought the kids a hamster, and they have the cute little cage. Oh, how nice it will be to see the hamsters walking through the tubes like in the movies!

I say to myself: “Give them a week”.

Nobody ever keeps this shit.

Bad quality. She is chewed in a day (indicating stress). Tiny. Nothing about them is positive. Hamsters get rid of stuffed animals as they dig a burrow. It ends in a mess.

Even if you buy more than one and tie them together, you end up spending two to three times as much money as you could be, all for a handful of shoddy products.

Take an aquarium over 20 gallons.

Listen to this. I had a small Chinese dwarf hamster named Macy. It was about 5cm long. An ignorant person would think giving him as much space as me is crazy.

We had an old 150 liter aquarium. So we put it to use. This thing could have held a hamster three or four times its size very comfortably.

Macy ended up living three times her life expectancy, until she was four years old.

Why ?

• To get to her food, her water, her wheel, or whatever, she had to run or walk a distance. Basins are inherently longer and wider than regular hamster cages, requiring it to exercise to get where it wants.
• More room to forage, dig, sleep and burrow. This means the tank didn’t get dirty as quickly, she was able to dig around the tank for a long time (exercise), and she felt more relaxed. She could stretch out and change where she was (change is good!). No tightness or entrapment.
• The larger space allowed dust to break up more quickly and air to circulate more cleanly. Almost any type of burrow material you use, whether it’s shavings, lint, or all-natural, organic, gluten-free pine, gives off dust. In a small aquarium or a small cage, it is stagnant and can cause respiratory problems.
• She didn’t really need to be changed. I mean, literally. Clean the “pee corner” and it’s done.
• She was discouraged from escaping. The space was large, airy and bright. She could do whatever she wanted and had room for lots of toys, chews and physical activities. It eliminates the feeling of “I need to get away from it all” and boredom. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t have succeeded; a closed aquarium is much better than a cage when it comes to potential escape. I suggest putting something heavy on your aquarium, though.

Small creatures need a big space. It’s essential.

They need to exercise more. They use the toilet area more.

I strongly believe that its long life is attributed to its huge living space.

Nothing I did outside of that would have made him live longer.

Normal diet, normal food levels. Normal water, no extra vitamins or supplements. Normal wheel, normal toys.

More space is better. You can put more activity in it, the hamsters can do more in it, and it encourages them to do lots of beneficial things. the initial investment is worth it.

Hamsters are funny fluffy creatures that make almost everyone feel affectionate. The news that your female is waiting for a replenishment evokes a variety of feelings. It can be a delight, or it can be fear of problem situations.

The only moment that shocks all hamster lovers is when your cute fluffy lump can eat its own babies. What is the reason for this behavior? Let’s figure it out. Find out why this happens and how to prevent cannibalism in your hamsters.

Why do hamsters eat their babies

Age

According to statistics, females under 2 months of age most often devour cubs. Although a hamster can become pregnant at 1 month, her hormonal background has not yet been formed. By the time of birth, the female does not feel the need to take care of the offspring and destroys the offspring. To prevent cannibalism, animals should be bred from 4 months of age and older.

Especially often trouble happens if the female was bought at a pet store, already being in position. A change of environment is very stressful for the hamster and affects behavior.

Unhealthy offspring

If the babies were born with some kind of genetic deformities, defects, the mother will instinctively get rid of them. Sick or weak kids will be eaten. Inadequate offspring are often born as a result of inbreeding – incest when animals from the same littermate. Sometimes the female does not kill herself but eats the cubs that have died for any reason.

Numerous offspring

Excessive attention from owners

Close attention, excessive custody will harm not only human relations but can also cause cannibalism in female hamsters. Since this rodent is a lonely animal, and after the appearance of the cubs, a secluded environment and tranquility is needed by the female, even more, excessive care will only harm these animals. Do not take the hamster in your arms, climb into the cageless. Let the family see you less.

Hamster cannibalism: why do hamsters eat their cubs and each other?

Alien odors repel the hamster mom. Feeling a foreign smell, she does not identify the cubs as her own creatures and, as a result, abandons them and destroys them. Don’t touch the hamster family within one to two weeks after the babies are born!

For the new offspring of fluffy rodents, you need to prepare in advance. While cleaning the cage, if you find hamster supplies, do not touch them. This is a strategic supply of food, which unpleasantly traumatizes the psyche of the animal, in the event of its loss, up to an uneven breakdown in a pregnant female. Only spoiled food can be thrown away to avoid the growth of putrefactive bacteria, odor and poisoning.

For self-arrangement of the nest, it is recommended to put a few paper napkins. Your task is to fill the drinking bowl with clean drinking water and put food in the feeding trough on time. This is the only thing the rodent needs from the owner at this time. The rest will be done by nature.

Possible Reasons for Hamster Eating Cubs

Offspring with health problems
In the wild, in order for the entire viable hamster genus to survive, weak offspring are destroyed, which will prevent rodents from escaping danger.

Domestic hamsters, which have long been tamed by humans, remain loyal to the centuries-old natural instincts that have saved them in the wild for a long time.

Born sick and weak, hamsters are usually eaten by their mothers. Injuries suffered by hamsters before or after childbirth equally make newborn babies weak and immediately become unviable. Such cubs, with almost one hundred percent probability, will be destroyed.

Important! Noticing a sick or even a dead hamster in the cage, do not remove it, the female decides what to do with it. Your unnecessary intervention can cause the death of all remaining offspring.

This is due to foreign odors. Not smelling her scent, the mother can start to panic and kill the rest of the newborn hamsters. Don’t worry, these rodents eat everything, including meat. As shocking as it may sound, the female herself will “clean up” in her nest.

If this does not happen within a few days, then use gloves to remove the deceased cub. This will somehow protect other hamsters from your smell.

Unwillingness to become a mom

Often, the first pregnancy in a female hamster can cause severe anxiety, anxiety and drive the young mother into a stressful situation.

Unpreparedness for maternal responsibilities can be another reason for cannibalism in hamsters.

The female is not ready either for pregnancy or for giving birth and taking care of her babies. This reason can provoke the killing of offspring unnecessary for her. The next bearing of offspring and their birth usually does not cause such a reaction in the female.

Weight of cubs

There are many or seemingly large numbers of newborn babies. Having become a mom for the first time, doubts prevail over both people and animals. Can I ask if I have enough milk? Your female, very little herself endured, gave birth. Lost a lot of energy and vitality. And here numerous newborn offspring squeak and ask for food nearby. The hamster may panic and think that she will not feed everyone, and it will be difficult to cope with such a horde of babies. Therefore, this is where the natural instinct is triggered, several individuals of the offspring can be eaten.

In order not to provoke such a situation, the owner needs to improve living conditions and maximize the hamster’s nutrition. She now needs nutrients and minerals, as well as vitamins. Feed her special food for pregnant females, vegetables, and fruits. Don’t forget about clean water.
The female has 8 nipples, she can feed 8-12 cubs, but if 16-18 of them were born, there is a high probability that the mother will bite the “extra” ones. In this case, “partial cannibalism” is observed – from time to time the female eats one or more babies, and the rest continues to feed, and they survive.

This situation is typical for multiple Syrians. The destruction of hamsters begins in the first days after giving birth and ends as soon as the cubs learn to eat adult food.

The health of the female

Childbirth and lactation is serious test for the rodent’s body. Cubs grow incredibly quickly both in the womb and after birth. If the mother’s nutrition was insufficient, her body after childbirth is on the verge of exhaustion. Such a female will not be able to feed the babies, and in order to survive, she can eat her children.

Any health problems, poor conditions of detention provoke such a development of events. If the female does not have enough water, food, or space in the cage, she will not raise offspring.

Human intervention

If there is a foreign smell on the cubs, the female will kill them. This is related to the ban on taking babies in the arms in the first week after childbirth. Given the nervousness of these rodents, you should stop sticking your hands in the cage a few days before the birth of the cubs. Hamsters eat offspring when they sense the presence of strangers, that is, danger.

During the breeding season, even a familiar and beloved owner is regarded as a stranger.

The presence of relatives

Both Dzungarian and Syrian hamsters are loners by nature. The presence of a male in the cage makes both animals nervous. The female becomes nervous and aggressive. She can first bite the male, then the cubs, ready for anything, just to remain the sole owner of the territory.

Sometimes the father of the hamster will eat his children. The female exhausted by childbirth cannot prevent him, and often does not even try.

Stress, fear

Any emotional shock of a pregnant or lactating female poses a threat to the offspring. The repair started with the sounds of a punch, moving. You just need to get the hamster out of the house or let the cat close to the cage.

Why do hamsters eat each other

Cannibalism among hamsters is not always associated with the birth of helpless babies. These rodents fiercely defend their territory from congeners and other competitors. In nature, a slain enemy is a valuable source of protein food. Another reason: a dead animal must be disposed of so as not to attract predators. In the wild, the loser has the opportunity to flee, in the cage – not.

Proven fact: hamsters eat their own kind and, on occasion, other smaller rodents.

Hamsters must be kept separate, otherwise, they will fight among themselves. Gender does not matter. The owner may be unaware of the enmity for quite a long time, because fights take place late at night, and the animals sleep during the day. If one of the rivals manages to gain the upper hand, the other hamster will mysteriously disappear. The hamster may not be able to eat an entire adult animal, or it may not have enough time. But the situation when the hamster ate the hamster is not an out-of-the-ordinary event. They do not gnaw at each other because they lack food. Hamsters eat a corpse not so much from hunger as guided by instincts. At home, the owner usually finds bloody remains, bones, or a gnawed head of one of the hamsters in the morning.

Conclusion

People are confused by the appearance of rodents in the hamster family. They seem to be the embodiment of harmlessness, touch, and amusement with their habits. Man ceases to associate “fluffy” with wild nature and its harsh laws.

Most often, hamsters eat their cubs through the owner’s fault. Cannibalism occurs among them and at large, but much less often. Compliance with a number of rules when breeding these rodents will prevent such an unpleasant development of events. The owner must decide – why does he need a litter, and not to take hamsters for fun.

Joint keeping of adult animals is unacceptable. Sometimes you can hear that the Dzungariks get along peacefully with each other. But this is a time bomb, the animals themselves are under extreme stress. They don’t fight just because the forces are equal. It’s not worth checking to see if hamsters can eat each other. The sight is unpleasant, and for children, it is completely traumatic.

Male living with offspring

After the mating process of the female with the male, they must be immediately divided into different cells. This is due to the fact that the male is completely devoid of any parental instincts. He will not even think about leaving his offspring or not, he will destroy it.

Some owners think that the hamster is jealous of the offspring of the female and receives little attention from her. In fact, such passions do not need to be attributed to them. Recall that a hamster is a loner by nature. And the struggle for territory is going on all the time. Here, in the cage, there is a whole brood of competitors that are easier to deal with before they are grown.

Hamsters are small rodents, there are about 24 species in total. Some of them are kept as pets. Hamsters have several differences from other rodents: small size, short tail, short legs, and small ears. Now about the duration of life.

How long do hamsters live?

The life span of a hamster is much shorter than that of most other common pests. The life span of these animals is influenced by many factors: genetics, food quality, stress, illness, exercise, housing conditions, and much more. Some long-lived hamsters can live up to 4-5 years, but this is not common.

The average life length is as follows:

• Syrian hamster: 2-3 years
• Dzungarian hamster: 1-2 years
• Campbell’s hamster: 1.5-2 years
• Roborovsky’s hamster: 3-3.8 years
• Chinese hamster: 1.8-3 years

How to improve the quality and longevity of your hamster

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help your hamster live a healthy and fulfilling life.

Prevention of infections

The simplest thing to remember when caring for your hamster is to wash your hands regularly.

This is important because you can get an infection from the street and not even be aware of it. Hamsters have accelerated metabolism, diseases develop rapidly and are often fatal.

Quality diet

The hamster’s diet should be varied and balanced. It must include grain mixtures, juicy vegetables, and fruits, twigs, as well as small insects, which can be purchased at specialized pet stores.

Protection from injury

Don’t forget to keep your little friend in the cage safe as well. Although they should be a real refuge for hamsters, they often break their paws on wire wheels. Buy only hard-surfaced wheels for your pet. Outside the cage, the hamster can only be in a walking ball, as there is a risk of losing a small animal.

If your hamster has metal or wire surfaces in its habitat, long-haired babies should be trimmed to avoid tangling or snagging.

The hamster’s poor eyesight can play an evil role, the animal can accidentally jump off your hands and get injured. Hamsters are very excitable and do not tolerate stress. If they are scared, they may jump or bite, and they may develop stress-related illnesses. Therefore, it is recommended to communicate with your pet while sitting on the floor or on the couch.

Lack of neighbors

Perhaps the most important is the question of cohabitation. Hamsters should be kept singly unless you are planning to breed. Despite the fact that, for example, adult Syrian hamsters are called cute “teddy bears”, they will resort to violence if they intersect with other rodents.

Safe content

Be careful with your hamster’s bedding, avoid cedar and pine shavings, and opt for odorless paper filler instead. Wood particles can be potentially harmful to small animals as they irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. In addition, the ubiquitous aromas of fragrant bedding can disorient the hamster, since his vision is poorly developed, so the animals depend on their sense of smell.

Even if your pet lives alone among odorless litters and safe playgrounds, it is important to keep an eye on it throughout its life and contact a rodent specialist – a radiologist in a timely manner.

Keep in mind that proper nutrition and care are essential to a healthy hamster. Closer to old age, the age of 2-3 years, health problems may arise. Moreover, not every veterinarian takes up the treatment of such an exotic animal. A rodent expert will help you compose a diet for your pet, tell you about care and maintenance. You can make an appointment with a radiologist by calling the phone number indicated on the website.

It is important to remember: proper care and feeding are the keys to the good health and the long life of the rodent. Under natural conditions, the animals do not live long, barely reaching one and a half years. The reason for this is a disease, poor nutrition, predators hunting hamsters. A calm home environment, absence of stress, disease prolongs life up to 3 years or more.

The opinion that Dzungarian hamsters can eat everything is wrong. Although they look like mice, they are not nearly as sturdy. Fatties are constantly gnawing, not refusing any food offered. But only high-quality food, the right menu will help to ensure a good mood for hamsters and keep them healthy. When starting a small rodent, the owners need to familiarize themselves with the rules for keeping a dwarf hamster, find out how to feed dwarf hamsters at home.

Basic rules for keeping Dzungarian hamsters
When composing a diet for animals, one should focus on their natural nutritional needs. Life in the steppe conditions adapted them to a low-calorie food. Nutritious, fatty, it will damage the digestive system: the Dzungarian hamster is prone to obesity, and sweets are the cause of diabetes. In a confined space, when the animal does not have the opportunity to move a lot, the diet of the Dzungarian hamster should be composed correctly, avoiding the appearance of excess weight. On the day, a hamster needs only a tablespoon of feed. The activity of the rodent is increased by frequent walks, outdoor games, and, of course, the wheel on which the animals like to run.

Wild individuals feed on seeds and grain. Collecting supplies in a burrow, they are sealed in it, feeding on dry food during the cold period. In spring and summer, the diet is more varied: berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, insects, and smaller animals are used. The teeth of the Dzungarian hamster grow all their lives, so it is necessary to give them the opportunity to grind them down.

The teeth of the Dzungarian hamster grow all their lives, so it is necessary to give them the opportunity to grind them down.

The metabolism of a small glutton is fast, hamsters eat constantly. Starvation of the Dzungarian hamster should not be allowed, because of this, his health will become worse. But obesity will not do the hamster anything good either.

What products are required and allowed

The well-being of the pet is facilitated by competent content, a carefully selected diet.

What should be given to a Dzungarian hamster at home? Food must contain:

Dry feed (grain mixtures).
Juicy food: greens, vegetables, fruits, herbs, berries.
Animal proteins (lean meat, fish, insects, eggs).
Mineral stone, vitamins, tree branches, shrubs.
Dry food
Grain mixes form the basis of food for Dzungarian hamsters.

What cereals are needed:

corn,
oats,
barley,
wheat,
rye.
Shoots of cereal plants sprouted on the windowsill are useful.

You can give nuts, seeds:

walnuts,
cashews, hazelnuts,
peanut,
flax, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds.
It is recommended to purchase ready-made industrial special brands from the pet store, including the necessary nutrients, the required vitamins, and mineral supplements. They are hard enough that Dzungarian hamsters can grind down teeth that grow throughout their lives. Pay attention to quality products from trusted manufacturers. As in any business, it is better not to buy cheap dry food of economy class.

The ready-made mixtures include peas, rolled oats, oats, corn, nuts, seeds. This package lasts for two months. Can be diluted with buckwheat, lentils, beans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.

Fruits, berries
Fresh fruits are given peeled, seeds should be removed – they contain poisonous, deadly substances. It is important to remember that most juicy fruits contain a lot of carbohydrates; it is often unacceptable to feed sweet to your pet. The diet of a dwarf mammal should contain no more than 5% sugars.

Few fruits are allowed. From the age of two weeks, you can give, for example:

Apple – cut into small wedges. Sour, unripe, spoiled fruits cannot be a rodent.
Pears are given a couple of times a week. Frequent use has a laxative effect.
Peaches, cherries, plums – every 7-10 days.
Strawberries, grapes – a limited amount.
Tropical fruits (banana).
The presented list can be supplemented with dried fruits. In winter, it is difficult to provide complete, vitamin-rich foods. It is worth preparing the fruits for future use by freezing or drying them. Dried bananas, dried apricots, figs, raisins, dates, previously soaked in water for 3-4 hours, are introduced into the menu. They are added to food in a small amount due to the high glucose content.

Vegetables

The low sugar content is favorable for feeding the Dzungarian hamster with vegetables. Given twice a week.

What is allowed:

Cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin.
Cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower).
Radish, carrots.
Tomato is rare.
Bulgarian (sweet) pepper – unlimited.
Green beans – young shoots of asparagus, green peas.
Green forage
Greens are collected far from the city limits (it has the ability to absorb harmful substances from the soil, air), highways, washed, dried.

Allowed:

Household herbs (dill, parsley (not allowed for nursing, pregnant women), lettuce, coriander, basil). Celery is limited, it contains a lot of liquid. The tops of carrots, beets will also be useful.
Wild plants (plantain, dandelion, nettle, clover, alfalfa, bamboo shoots).
Succulent feeds often contain pesticides and are thoroughly soaked for several hours. It is better if the greens are grown by the owners on their own, without the use of chemicals that can cause poisoning, cause the death of the pet.

Hay of alfalfa, timothy will be a good source of fiber, necessary for intestinal motility.

Tree branches
It is necessary to place branches of fruit and deciduous trees in the cage. They are required for grinding teeth. Before use, the branches are washed, boiled for about an hour, dried. Conifers cannot be used – they contain essential oils, resins.

What else should be given to Dzungarian hamsters
Other foods are important to maintain a good mood and well-being. These include:

Mineral stone.

Hard treats (dog biscuits) are given every seven days to grind down the incisors. If the teeth become excessively long, they can damage the palate.
Protein food (low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, boiled rabbit, turkey, chicken, eggs, low-fat boiled fish, earthworms purchased at the pet store, butterflies, daphnia, Gammarus, grasshoppers, peeled shrimp. A Turkmen cockroach is ideal). Wild-caught insects are often contaminated with microorganisms that cause disease in rodents.
Clean, daily changed water, even if the animal drinks a little. The stagnant liquid is poured out. Filtered spring water will do. Protect the drinker from sunlight, which can cause algae to grow inside the container.
The feeder is washed regularly. Grain, dry food is poured every day. Learning to a new component is carried out gradually, starting with a small crumb. Throw away the leftovers. A small glutton is inclined to stockpile; eating spoiled food is fraught with poisoning.

In case of indigestion, the Dzungarians are given rice broth, which has an enveloping, fastening effect. Babies who find themselves without mother’s milk are supplemented with dairy-free formulas, ordinary cereals soaked in water, vegetable, meat baby puree without adding salt or sugar.

cute hamster
What can not be fed
Some foods used by humans are poisonous to animals. It is impossible to treat everyone without fear for the health of the rodent. The animal is small in size, an insignificant crumb will cause suffocation, intoxication, death.

What is forbidden for a Dzungarian hamster to eat:

Cabbage, beans, bread – cause fermentation, start the processes of putrefaction in the intestines.
Potatoes – Contains a lot of starch.
Spices – irritate the digestive tract.
Mint.
Mushrooms are hard food.
Onions, garlic, sorrel.
Honey, chocolate (rich in theobromine, which affects the cardiovascular system).
Sour berries: sea buckthorn, drumstick.
Raspberry – weakens.
Almonds – contain toxic cyanic, hydrocyanic acid.
Melons, watermelons – often processed with nitrates.
Fatty food.
Bakery products, pasta. Black bread – has high acidity, causes gas formation.
Milk, sour cream, cream, butter.
Sausage, sausages include prohibited soy, starch, spices.
Muesli, breakfast cereals – rich in sugar, harmful flavorings.
Exotic fruits – persimmon – are rich in astringents, tannins that cause constipation. Avocado (mass fat), pineapple, pomegranate, mango, kiwi, orange, lemon (acid).
Pits of apricot, peaches, cherries.
Unpeeled seeds, pasta – injure the cheek pouches of animals.
Brightly colored berries, fruits – cause allergic reactions. Watery eyes, redness of the skin, itching – a reason to refuse the product.
Fatty cheeses – contain an excess of salt, milk sugar – lactose, which is difficult for the stomach to digest.
Spices are rich in essential oils that cause allergies.
It is highly undesirable to treat an animal with food from the table, sweet, spicy, salty, flour, fried, flavored with spices, spices. Food from the refrigerator is prohibited, it must be at room temperature.

What is given to weakened, elderly individuals?
With age, the teeth of the animal become weak, food is difficult to chew. You need special, mashed, ground food. Chopped nuts, crushed peas, rye bread crumbs, rolled oats, baby food, cereals, puree without spices are suitable. It is impossible to refuse the grain component – cereals contribute to the activation, normal activity of the digestive organs. You can offer a grated fruit mixture, add medicines, vitamins to the trough with the prepared product. Human drugs cannot be given – their dosage and composition are destructive.

The pet’s menu needs to be diversified. You cannot constantly feed the same foods. Mono-diets are not allowed. It is good if dry, juicy, protein foods are present in the diet every day.
It is useful to give chamomile broth to sick, elderly pets. If the animal is weak, refuses to eat, the food is ground to a paste consistency, fed, and watered warm from a syringe without a needle.

The nutrition of a small mammal at home is entirely up to you. When living in an apartment, a pet needs a reasonably composed menu that includes vital components. Try to make a crumbs menu that includes a lot of fresh, healthy vegetables.

Treat your pet correctly, at the same time, without relying on his choice. Poisonous plants are laid in the feeder, the baby will eat without a doubt, he is illegible, omnivorous. He will have high-calorie food to taste. The pet will be happy to eat sweets. Remember: in nature, rodents do not receive such food, which means that there is no benefit in it.

The bowl is selected in accordance with the nutritional needs of the animal, it should be small, not allowing overfeeding, made of ceramic. This will not allow it to be gnawed or choked on parts of the dishes.

There is controversy over the need for various products. These are, for example, beets and radishes. In case of doubts about the usefulness, potential risk, fears for the existence of a pet, it is better to refuse, not to conduct experiments. There are many more useful and useful products.

If the animal was bought for children, adults should immediately explain to the kids the rules of keeping, proper feeding of the pet. Play with the animal, keep in constant contact. Then the life of your tiny funny friend will be joyful, happy, long.

Hamster Supplies Checklist (With Prices)

Here is our list of hamster supplies to purchase before bringing your new pet home. Once you have everything below, you’re all set!

Essentials are:

• Suitable hamster cage (more on this later)
• Water bottle
• Toys for enrichment (climbing frames, tunnels, wheels, etc.)
• Chew toys
• Exercise wheel
• Exercise ball
• High-quality food mix
• Suitable bedding and substrate material
• Hamster home(s) (nesting area)
• Food bowl(s)
• Hamster treats
• Non-toxic cleaning products
• Fresh fruit and vegetables

Non-Essential:

• Gnawing blocks or sticks
• A ladder or climbing frame
• Plastic tubes
• Litter scoop
• Travel cage
• Sand bath & hamster bathing sand

Choosing Your New Hamster

There are a few different types of hamsters, all of which grow to different sizes and have slightly different care requirements. If you want to keep two or more hamsters, you’ll want to keep a species of dwarf hamster. The larger Syrian hamster must be kept alone.

Dwarf hamsters are often more energetic and entertaining to watch although that does make them slightly harder to handle (it just takes some practice).

Bedding & Substrate

A substrate is a material used to cover the bottom of your hamster cage. This is usually wood shavings or some form of soft material such as CareFresh. A substrate will keep your cage clean, absorb odor/waste and provide a soft surface for your pet.

Hamster bedding is the nesting material used by your hamster to create a comfortable place to sleep. Bedding is usually a softer material than the substrate and will be kept in the hamster home/hide within your cage.

There is a huge range of different substrate and bedding materials out there. Sawdust is not recommended as it can cause breathing issues in your pet (due to the dust sawdust creates). We recommend going for a reputable brand and using a material such as wood shavings for the substrate with a material like CareFresh for bedding.

Before discussing dwarf hamster care tips, you need to know that the Dwarf hamsters follow their regular-sized family members in terms of eating habits and nocturnal activities. They have the same cheek pouches which are used to carry food back to their burrows.

The most common dwarf hamster species that are kept as pets fall under the Phodopus genus. 

The appearance of the hamster species under the other three genera tends to be more rat-like, thus, they are not considered as companions for domestic life.

A few examples of these wild dwarf hamster species are the Tibetan Dwarf Hamster, Chinese Dwarf Hamster, and the Kam Dwarf Hamster – all under the genus Cricetulus.

Types of Dwarf Hamsters

There are only three species of dwarf hamsters under the Phodopus genus. They are all considered to be great pets for beginner owners as they are low-maintenance in the sense that they don’t require any specific living conditions or special diets. They’re not aggressive to humans and generally get along well with other members of their species.

These three common dwarf hamster pets are:

• Roborovski Dwarf Hamster – Also known as “Robo Dwarf Hamster”, it’s the smallest of the three species. You can identify a Robo by the eyebrow-shaped white spots on its fur and its lack of a dorsal stripe.
• Djungarian Dwarf Hamster – Also known as “Siberian Dwarf Hamster” or “Winter White Dwarf Hamster”, it possesses the ability to change the color of its fur from dark to white as winter approaches. The ability is somewhat suppressed when in captivity as a pet.
• Campbell’s Dwarf Hamster – Closely related to the Djungarian, it’s differentiated by having smaller ears and no dark fur on the top of its head. It is named after Charles William Campbell who discovered the species in 1902.

4 Tips For Caring Your Dwarf Hamster

Whether you currently own a dwarf hamster or are looking to purchase one as a pet, there are four essential aspects of dwarf hamster care that you need to know. Consider this as your checklist for successfully owning and raising a pet hamster.

1. The Essential Dwarf Hamster Supply List

One of the most important first steps to caring for a dwarf hamster is making sure that all the equipment and supplies that you need are on hand. Here’s a prep lineup that you can use to guide you through the planning process.

• Shelter – Hamsters typically live in either cages or tanks. Both are viable options, but make sure you get one that’s big enough. The larger the better. A dwarf hamster is pretty small. So if you’re getting a cage, make sure that it can’t squeeze through the bars. An exercise wheel or hamster house is included with some types of shelters.

• Bedding – Softwood shavings from pine and cedarwood have been scientifically found to have some level of toxicity not conducive to animals of the Rodentia class, so stay away from those. There are a variety of commercial beddings available for dwarf hamsters that have built-in odor control and absorbent properties.
• Hydration – Your hammy needs fresh water and in a container that doesn’t easily spill. Most shelters include a free water bottle that either free-standing or hung. If yours didn’t come with one, make sure to buy one separately.
• Exercise – The stereotypical hamster wheel. Dwarf hamsters like the Roborovski are known for their running capability and love doing it daily. It is said that they can run an equivalent of four human marathons every night. If an exercise wheel wasn’t included with your shelter purchase, consider buying a silent one so that your hamster can run without bothering anyone.

• Victuals – Hamsters in the wild eat grains, fruits, and vegetables, with the occasional insect or frog thrown in. Unless you’ve got a handful of lizards and frogs lying around, consider purchasing a commercial hamster food mix that contains all the essential nutrients that they need.
• Entertainment – They love chewing on stuff. So, rather than letting them chew up their bedding or water bottle, try giving them a chew toy or wooden blocks. You can also get a hamster ball if you want to let them roam outside their tank.

Not only is it amusing to watch them rolling around, they also get good exercise while being able to explore their surroundings in a safe manner.

Once you’ve got all the essentials down pat, it’s time to take a closer look at safeguarding your hamster’s health.

2. Dwarf Hamster Nutrition

Buying a commercial hamster feed will save you a lot of time, but if you want to prepare everything yourself, here’s what you need to know. The bulk of a dwarf hamster’s diet should primarily consist of a grain and seed mix.

There are various millets and grass seeds that you can use for the base of the mixture. Sunflower seeds, corn, oats, and wheat are all viable options. If you’re having trouble locating the ingredients at the supermarket, try local health food stores or online.

In addition to the base, they also need a good supply of dried or fresh plants in order to provide the required nutrients that they need. You can collect plants or leaves outside as long as they’re clean and haven’t been contaminated with fertilizer.

Consider creating a stockpile of dried plants in storage to use if you live in a wintry or rainy area. Healthy ones to look out for are dandelion, bramble, and plantain or hazel leaves.

Finally, you’ll need to ensure your hamsters consume some veggies at least two times a week. Introduce them slowly to find out what it likes. A few examples of some great green and leafy vegetables are cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, and cauliflower.

You may also feed your hamster herbs such as coriander, parsley, and basil. Fruits are an option but only as an occasional snack, as their high sugar content may be problematic for some hamsters.

Even though their primary diet consists mainly of herbs, don’t forget to provide a little bit of protein throughout the week. Peas and soy flakes are great sources of protein and you can also opt for small animals like crickets or mealworms.

3. Staying Clean and Fresh

Keeping your hamsters and their living area clean is essential for good health. The first thing you should be aware of is that hamsters don’t take baths in water. They don’t like it and can get sick. Instead, they clean their fur by rolling in the sand which serves to remove dirt and oil from their fur.

Consider getting a sand dish to put inside their tank or cage. Make sure it’s made of ceramic and not a light material like plastic so that it doesn’t get knocked over.

If your hamster misinterprets the purpose of the dish and uses it as a toilet, or doesn’t use it at all, don’t be alarmed. Just clean it out and replace it with fresh sand. It might take some time but your hammy will eventually learn what to do with it.

If you really care about your dwarf hamster, change the bedding once a week and disinfect using hot water. If the shelter smells bad, scrub it down with vinegar to remove the fumes. Make sure to remove any uneaten food and refill the water bottle daily.

All accessories including the exercise wheel need to be kept clean so keep a close eye on the interior for any soiling so that you can do on-the-spot cleanups as necessary. Charcoal is a great item that deodorizes and absorbs foul smells. Hang a block outside your hamster’s cage to keep the air fresh.

4. Fitness and Exercise

Hamsters that are left alone without any human bonding time can become increasingly solitary and eventually refuse to interact. To avoid this from happening, schedule some playtime every day. This will serve to keep your hamsters active and allow them to stay familiar with you as their owner.

Since hamsters are nocturnal creatures, set some time aside either during the evening or early in the morning so you can catch them at the moment when they have the most energy.

If you want to let your hamster exercise by itself, take the running wheel out of the cage and set it in a secure area (with four walls so it can’t escape). If you have a hamster ball, put your hammy inside and place the ball in a large open area with plenty of sunlight.

If you’d like to play with your hamster outside of its cage, here are a few things to keep in mind. Hamsters are sensitive to loud noises, so eliminate sources of loud music or other sounds. When picking it up out of the cage or tank, let it sniff your finger first so that it becomes accustomed to your presence and scent.

Avoid grabbing it from behind as this can startle the poor creature and frighten it so much that it won’t want to come out. Don’t hold your hamster up too high, as it might suddenly jump off your hand and injure itself on the ground.

It is always a must to have a hamster wheel whenever you get a pet hamster. This is advocated by veterinarians, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the old-timer hamster owners themselves.

Some habitats in the market even offer an installed hamster wheel together with the cages. But really, do hamsters need a wheel?

Hamsters are naturally active and energetic mammals. They are big on exercise since they are biological runners by origin in the wild. They run to forage food and thwart predators since they are usually seen as prey due to their size.

Hamsters can run as fast as 5 miles a night which is most probably at a minimum when they’re out in their natural habitat.

It’s in Their Genes

Simply put, hamsters just really love to run. This is the main reason why hamster wheels are always present in the needs section of a hamster supply list. Hamster wheels are especially helpful to hamsters in captivity since their cages limit their running space and this is where the wheels come in. They provide the basic health necessity of hammies which is exercise.

Using a hamster wheel will keep your hamster happy and devoid of boredom since it is also its way of playing around. It can also prevent possible mental problems such as cage rage and severe aggression.

Studies have shown that hamsters who don’t get enough playtime at a young age suffer weak coping mechanisms to outside stress factors when they grow older. Hamsters are known to get a low immune system whenever they get stressed.

Not only in hamster pets but interestingly, one research showed that wild animals go crazy for hamster wheels in a natural setting as well. The result of the study opposes the notion that hamsters do it as a form of neurotic behavior. The result simply suggests that running on a wheel is fun and is rewarding by itself.

Hamsters that live in small cages and those that don’t have wheels to run around are at a higher risk of having paralysis. These animals lose the feeling of not being able to move freely if not given the right amount of exercise or are unable to run around. If a hamster wheel is added, this may reverse the paralysis and get the hamster back on its feet.

Hamster wheels come in various designs and colors that would probably get you interested more than the others. There are a lot of hamster wheels in the market right now, so how do you choose the right one?

Choosing a Hamster Wheel

There are several factors to consider in selecting the suitable hamster wheel for your pet to keep it up and running. Probably the most important one is the hamster wheel size because of serious physical injuries that your hamster may end up with if it continuously runs in the wrong wheel.

Appropriate wheel size should be one where the back of your hamster is not arched when they are running. A small-sized wheel compared to your hamster’s size may cause joints and fatal skeletal injuries because of the arched back.

It is recommended that the Syrian hamster wheel has a minimum of 12-inch wheel diameter while an 8-inch wheel would be suitable for dwarf hamsters. The bigger the wheel, the better for the hamsters to run around.

Another factor is the type of wheel based on their material and the available wheels are either made from metal or plastic. A metal wheel is more durable and is less likely to be chewed on by your hamsters.

The disadvantage, however, is that most metal wheels are designed as rungs or ladder-like which has gaps. These gaps may cause bruising to hamster’s paws since their legs can easily get injured while running.

Plastic wheels, meanwhile, are often made from one solid wheel structure with textured flooring to keep the hamsters from slipping.  It is better for hamsters to run on a solid surface to prevent injuries.

Plastic wheels are usually shaped like a half tube or are just flat. They are quite easier to clean as well if you compare it to metal wheels.

A good hamster wheel should also be stable. You may choose from one that comes in a stand or the type that attaches to the side of the cage. You have to make sure that it is secure and won’t fall down whenever your hamster does its thing.

The hamster wheel should also produce little or no sound at all. Remember that hamsters are creatures that usually run at night so it might be a bother if the wheel goes squeaky when you are sleeping.

There are options of silent spinner wheels that you would want to choose to keep your sleeping habit in peace. If the hamster wheel still produces a sound, try putting in olive oil by the spindle to reduce the noise it makes.

The Syrian hamsters are perhaps one of the most popular. They’re a beefy species and can grow quite large. You can spot them in cartoons such as Disney’s Bolt and the G-Force.

The other three species, named Roborovski, Winter White, and Campbell’s Dwarf are dwarf types, which means they’re much smaller than their Syrian family members. The Roborovski, or “Robo Dwarf”, is the smallest of the three with an average size of 2 to 4 inches long.

These furry little critters have a lot of amazing qualities that you might find interesting, whether you own one or not.  Here are 15 fun facts about hamsters that you probably didn’t know about!

1. Hamsters don’t live for very long

The average hamster lifespan is very short – only about 2 to 2.5 years. Some hamsters have been known, however, to live for as long as 4 years. In human years this doesn’t seem very long, but believe it or not, 1 hamster year is actually the equivalent of 30 human years!

The good news is that hamsters live longer in captivity than they do in the wild.[middle1]

2. Hamsters are blind at birth

When baby hamsters first enter this world, they are greeted by darkness. That’s right, they’re blind at birth. It can take from 1 – 2 weeks for them to have complete vision. Not only are they blind at birth, but they’re also hairless as well.

During the time period where the baby hamsters are adjusting to the outside world, they are taken care of by their mother in a nest prepared in advance.

3. Hamsters have huge litters

They may be small creatures, but they can have double-digit litters – up to as many as 24 babies at a time! Hamsters usually breed during the spring and summer months and can easily produce several litters per year.

Another odd and slightly bizarre behavior of mothers is their tendency to sometimes eat their young. Mother hamsters are particularly sensitive to disturbances so they may scoop up an infant in an effort to hide it in their cheek pouch. This usually works, but sometimes the mother ends up accidentally consuming the young hamster. Gruesome!

4. Hamsters are active at twilight

Hamsters are crepuscular, which means that they’re most active during the twilight hours of dusk and dawn. They mostly sleep during the daytime and come out at night to play in their cage or run on their wheel.

In the wild, a hamster would leave its burrow shortly before dusk to forage for food. It would return before darkness has completely fallen. This behavior would repeat itself around dawn.

5. Hamsters have bad eyesight

It seems like being blind at birth left a permanent mark on the poor hamster. While they have a great sense of smell, their eyesight in adulthood isn’t that good. They are nearsighted and colorblind.

The reason for this is wild hamsters were born in darkness and are used to living deep underground where their eyes adjusted to the blackness. Being crepuscular creatures, they normally stay below ground for most of the day; only venturing out when the sun is low in the sky.

This is one of the reasons why hamsters may sometimes bite their owners when being picked up from their cage or tank. Because they cannot see who is approaching, they easily become frightened and may activate defense mechanisms in order to escape from their perceived foe.

Multi-level cages and tanks with high ledges can also be dangerous, since the hamster may not have any idea how high up it is.

When attempting to pick up a hamster, always approach from the front and make slow and gentle movements. If it’s asleep, make sure it’s awake first before touching it.

6. Hamsters are omnivores

Contrary to popular belief, hamsters are not herbivores, but omnivores. This means that while their primary diet consists of seeds, grains, and nuts, they also enjoy partaking in the occasional meaty dish made of lizards, small frogs, and insects.

They can also eat vegetables and fruits to a lesser extent, as these provide nutrients and vitamins.

7. Hamsters have backpacks in their cheeks

A unique feature that hamsters possess is the pouches inside their cheeks that extend up to the shoulders. When full, the pouches can cause the hamster’s head to double or even triple in size.

These are used when they leave their burrows to gather food. They’ll stuff these pouches full of food to keep it safe during transportation back home. Hamsters love to hoard food in their burrows and will oftentimes gather much more food than they actually need.

They aren’t the only animals with cheek pouches, though. Other mammals that have cheek pouches are the platypus, marsupial koala, chipmunks, most monkeys, and other rodents.

8. Hamsters won’t overfeed

One good thing about hamsters as pets is that they won’t overfeed. They’ll never eat more than their capacity. You can feel free to refill their food bowl throughout the day as many times as you want.

Just make sure to keep the bowl and cage or tank clean and if you’re feeding the hamster fruits or vegetables, remove and dispose of the leftovers as soon as possible. Rotting food can expose the hamster to diseases and cause the living area to have a foul smell.

9. Hamsters love to participate in marathons

It wouldn’t be a regular night without you suddenly waking up to a scurrying sound emanating from the hamster’s cage. Hamsters love working out and competing in world-class marathons.

The Roborovski dwarf hamster is well known for being the most energetic runner of all the hamster species; scampering the distance of four human marathons every day.

A running wheel is a necessity for any pet owner that plans on caring for a hamster. Another mechanism that allows hammy to get out and about while still getting its exercise is a hamster ball. This clear plastic globe lets a hamster actually move around while the rodent continues to backpedal like there’s no tomorrow.

10. Hamsters can’t eat certain foods

There are certain foods that hamsters absolutely may not indulge in. These include caffeinated products and anything with alcohol in it. These products can cause health problems to arise such as stomach irritation, diarrhea, and even death.

Other foods that you shouldn’t feed your hamster are chocolates and candies, junk food, almonds, onions, garlic, and peppers. All citrus fruits must be avoided, as their high acidic content can be too much for a hamster’s stomach to handle.

11. Hamsters enjoy eating fruits and vegetables

Unlike dogs and cats, hamsters can actually eat veggies and fruits – and enjoy doing so! Some of their favorites are bananas, strawberries, carrots, or lettuce.

Just make sure that these foods are enjoyed in moderation, as a pet hamster only needs about 6 – 15 percent fiber in its diet. Protein should account for about 17 – 19 percent while fat needs are at 4 – 7 percent.

12. Hamsters’ incisors never stop growing

Here’s something you probably never would have guessed. Have you ever seen a hamster chewing maniacally on an object and wondered what compelled it to do so in such a manner?

Well, the reason is that the incisors (front teeth) of a hamster never stop growing! This is why they chew on wood, paper, cardboard, and anything they can get ahold of. Chewing keeps their teeth filed down and allows them to move their mouths properly.

13. Hamsters were first discovered in the desert

The first types of hamsters that became introduced to humans as pets were the ones discovered in the wild and windy deserts of Syria. These, of course, came to be known as Syrian hamsters after they were brought over to the United States in 1936. They became the first domesticated hamsters.

Besides Syria, wild hamsters are also found in many other European and Asian countries including Greece, Romania, Belgium, and China.

14. Hamsters like sleeping in enclosed spaces

Hamsters, along with most other members of their rodent family enjoy a life of solitude; preferring to hole up in enclosed spaces such as under a pile of papers, in a hamster house, a corner of its cage, or even inside an empty toilet paper roll!

Their reason for doing this is most likely to imitate the conditions of their habitat in the wild. A feral hamster’s burrow would be tight, deep, snug, and warm.

15. Hamsters can be taught their names

It’s been found by many owners that hamsters can be taught to respond to their names. Whether they actually know what a name is and that it belongs to them is unknown. Most likely they are responding to a stimulus as a result of their training.

You can get a hamster to recognize its name by immediately saying its name after giving a treat. Make sure to speak clearly and use the same intonation consistently. Keep doing this every day for a week or two.

They should then be able to associate their name with the treat, so you can say the name without showing the treat and see if the training worked. If not, don’t give up right away as it takes some hamsters longer than others to learn the trick.

That is why some new pet owners get surprised if they just bought their hamsters and then get a new litter just two weeks after.

It can be quite hard to differentiate the sexes of hamsters. That’s maybe why some pet stores, often mix male with female hamsters.

 This usually results in rapid breeding and a surprise to hamster owners. To reduce the fret, here’s a guide on how to care for pregnant hamster and their babies.

Abdominal Examination

If you notice that your hamster has put on some weight and an increase its appetite, it might be time to examine its abdomen. A pregnant hamster may show its bump typically 5 days prior to giving birth. A hamster’s nipples may be visible as well and will begin to show on its abdomen a week before birth.

Ensure that it is really pregnant and that the lump is not an illness such as a tumor, infection, or bowel issue. You could ask for help from your veterinarian to verify the pregnancy. This will make sure that it is not sick and may diagnose any problems early, if ever.

Accompanied by physical changes, pregnant hamsters are usually aggressive especially with other hamsters or with male species specifically. It is at this time that they should be separated to avoid fights. Other behavioral changes include hoarding food and building a nest using any materials available to them.

Breeding

You have to be aware that breeding hamsters is not easy and should be left to experienced breeders instead. If by any chance, you had an idea of starting a hamster breeding business because of your pregnant hamster, give yourself more time to think about it.

It has been known that there is a high possibility of genetic defects between various types of hamsters. It would be difficult to avoid these abnormalities and eventual deaths without knowledge of a hamster’s lineage prior to breeding. This is not recommended by animal experts.

You don’t want to be labeled as a reckless breeder and it would be heartless to take a risk in the lives of the hamsters and the pups. If you are serious about it, you have to learn a lot and ask yourself a lot of questions.

It is also not easy to sell hamsters to pet shops or online shops if you’re a private breeder. You should also be aware of the laws on selling hamsters in your state.

Caring for the Mother

Initially, provide extra tissue paper to the pregnant hamster to be used in their nest. This is advisable as it is soft enough to nestle newborn babies. It will also not be entangled with the pups that may cause accidental death. Aside from tissue paper, you may also offer unprinted paper or toilet paper for the nest.

Avoid holding the pregnant hamster during pregnancy and especially after giving birth. As mentioned, females are very aggressive and may bite you if you try to touch them or just be near their nest. This could also pose a threat to future newborns.

Try to provide a calm environment by using dim light or covering a part of its cage with a blanket. This will help her think that it is safe and will reduce its stress levels.

Pregnant hamsters still need their exercise so providing a wheel may help. Enough cage space is also essential for them to walk around to help their body systems during pregnancy.

Diet

A pregnant hamster would need more nutrients than normal, just like any other pregnant animal, to support the babies inside their womb. Primarily, pregnant hamsters need a high-energy diet to support litter development and breastfeeding.

Increasing its protein and fat intake is recommended like mealworms or cricket, says Dr. David Elbeze of PetCoach. Extra portions from other sources of protein are boiled eggs, boiled chicken, cereals, nuts such as walnuts and almonds, beans, corn, or wheat. Just be aware of the food that is easily spoiled because you need to remove it from the cage before they eat it.

If you were already feeding them pellet food, then a bit of an increase in their daily intake wouldn’t hurt. It will provide the energy they need to maintain their activeness. Maintain their food bowl at least half full daily.

The typical fruits and vegetables good for hamsters are also recommended to help their immune system. This will also increase the vitamins and minerals in the body that the fetuses also need for development.

A small amount of broccoli, cauliflower, endive, apples, and bananas may be given in moderation. Remember to remove the seeds or the skin prior to giving it to your mommy-to-be hamsters.

Just like in humans, calcium is also important for pregnant hamsters. You can provide it by serving them lean cheese or milk for bone development.

Assure that there is an adequate supply of fresh water in their cages daily. Most pregnant hamsters tend to be more thirsty than normal.

Using the “ad libitum” feeding system to your female hamster is important for a successful birth and a high rate of alive pups. This system will both nourish the females and help them hoard food for their future birth.

Expecting

When expecting a litter, it is important to clean the cage prior to the hamster giving birth. This is to help reduce their stress and that they will be able to give birth in a clean cage. This will also help reduce possible microorganisms inside the cage that may affect the newborn pups.

Since it is not ideal to be near the mother during pregnancy, your hands should not be inside the cage at least 3 days before they give birth. It is better to clean the cage immediately before that and leave it until the big day. Do take into consideration that you are not to clean their cage even after 2 weeks of giving birth.

The reason for this is to avoid having your scent on the nest and on the pups. Once a mother hamster smells a different scent on her babies, she might kill them for the litter’s overall safety.

The next thing to consider is removing the toys and the hamster wheel to prevent injuries that might happen to the babies. You also have to remove the sand bath and provide more beddings for comfort.

Father

At this point, it is better than the father hamster is removed from the cage. Once you are sure the female hamsters are pregnant, isolate them from other hamsters and start preparing their needs.

Gestation Period

This is the time interval from when the fetus develops and ends when the hamsters give birth. The gestation period differs for every breed but it is 16 – 22 days on average. To have an idea per breed, see below:

• Syrian Hamster: 16 days
• Winter White Hamster: 18 – 21 days
• Chinese Hamster: 18 – 21 days
• Russian Dwarf Hamster: 18 – 21 days
• Roborovski Hamster: 30 days

It is during this time that the mother hamster experiences many physiological, hormonal, and behavioral changes. It is best to reduce stress in their environment as much as possible by giving them space and avoid approaching their cages unnecessarily.

As the delivery closely approaches, the mother may be restless and may have vaginal bleeding so don’t be scared when you see red spots in the cage.

Homes

If the pregnancy was unplanned and a surprise, you have to consider if you will take care of the extra hamsters. If not, it is best to plan ahead how you will provide them new homes.

Interval Period during Birth

Expect the pups to be hairless, pink in color, blind, and deaf after birth. They will be depending on their lives entirely on their mother hamster to survive since they are very fragile.

A litter size on average is between 4 and 6 babies per birth, but it still largely depends on the hamster breed.

• Syrian Hamster: 4 – 12 babies
• Winter White Hamster: 4 – 6 babies
• Chinese Hamster: 4 – 5 babies
• Russian Dwarf Hamster: 7 – 8 babies
• Roborovski Hamster: 3 – 5 babies

Hamster labor usually lasts for 1 – 2 hours and has an interval period of 15 to 30 minutes in between pups. You’ll be able to see the female standing as the babies are being born. They will also be able to cut their umbilical cord. They usually take naps in between labors or may actively organize their pups in their nest.

The mother will clean her pups by eating the placenta that envelops the youngsters inside their womb. After giving birth, there will be blood spots due to the placenta so this is normal and not a source of worry. But if you observe severe bleeding, this should be considered as an emergency.

This is where the hoarding and the supply of food are critical. The mother hamster will be very tired and hungry after birth so make sure that she has enough food and water inside the cage. If she finds that there is not enough to feed her and the babies, she will resort to killing her babies then let them die thru starvation.

Just Leave Them Be

Make sure that you do not interrupt nor approach the cage right after birth. It is essential that you restrain from touching the babies for the next two weeks. The mother hamster may misinterpret the scent as a threat and may abandon its pups, or worse kill them. This defensive mechanism behavior is known as kronismus.

The baby hamsters are very small and even smaller for the dwarf hamster breed at around 1 inch long. They are very restless from day one and are just in a pile inside their nest.

Even if you see the newborn babies scattered in the cage, do not give in to the urge to care for them. Their mother will have the instinct to bring them back to their nest.

Keeping the Room Temperature

The room should be kept at a constant temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. Hamsters are usually comfortable at a temperature between 18 to 24^o Celsius (65 – 75^o Fahrenheit).

Little Hamster Diet

Check the cage if it has enough food at least twice a day without interrupting the mother and her babies. Do it as silently as you could. The mother will be nursing her babies for the first week so there’s no need to worry about them.

After a week, you may start sprinkling food around the cage because, at this time, the babies will start to explore on their own.

Wheat germ cereal is advisable for baby hamsters so you may scatter it where the babies usually go. Millets are also good for pups even for those less than 10 days old.

Also, put extra water bottles and lower them down in case the pups are old enough to drink from them. Avoid using water bowls as the babies may drown while drinking. If you think they’re not getting enough water in their system, add in celery and cucumber in their diet.

Mortality

A 10-day old hamster baby has a high chance of surviving, so it is critical that you only let the mother take over the pups for the first two weeks. There is a high mortality rate of pups when you touch the nest or the babies themselves.

Nursing Abandoned or Orphaned Pups

Sadly, it is possible that a mother hamster may be killed after giving birth due to complications. If this happens, you would have to nurse the pups yourselves. This is pretty tricky and requires a lot of time and attention from you.

If the pups are 12 – 14 days old, the chance of surviving is higher with your care and nourishment. Clean the cage by this time and ensure that there is enough bedding to keep them warm. You may also use a heating pad under the cage to manage the temperature. It is important that a well-balanced diet is provided for their early years especially without their mom.

Some enthusiasts suggest a surrogate mother for 8-day old hamsters and below. The regretful side in this option is that it is rarely successful. If the surrogate mother finds out that there is something wrong, she will dispose of them.

If there are no other options left but for you to feed them, you will be needing a milk replacer. You have to feed them using a dropper but not forcefully. It is a good sign once they are able to survive until they are able to eat solid foods. A good milk replacement would be Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) powder. If this is not available, you may opt to use baby formula or diluted evaporated milk.

Overall Cleaning

If the pups are more than two weeks old, this is the best time for you to clean their cages once again. It will be at this time that the mother wouldn’t care less anymore if your hand is inside their cage. Don’t forget to put in an extra set of bedding again for the mother and her pups.

Petting the Baby Hamsters

At two weeks and above, you may now be able to hold the baby hamsters without putting them at risk. It would be good to start it early for them to be familiar with humans and socialize early on. It is still safe to be wary of the mother when you try to hold the pups. Those who are not well-socialized may not take it easy.

Be careful in handling baby hamsters as they can startle you by squeaking suddenly then jumping off. This could potentially hurt them. They are very quick albeit their size.

Quiet Environment

The first month for the mother and her pups is critical so it is safe to still put them in a quiet and calm environment. Sudden, loud noises may induce a panic attack on the mother hamster, which in turn, might kill her young.

Maintain the stress-reduced place from pregnancy to ensure the safety of the litter. The mother goes back to her normal behavior only after weaning the babies.

Raising the Baby Hamsters

Baby hamsters grow very rapidly. In a span of 4 – 6 weeks, they can usually reach their sexual maturity. Imagine the pups during their development stage:

• Day 1 to 3 – they will be born naked and pink. You can usually see the milk in their stomachs while they’re feeding on their mothers. They are quite the transparent creatures at birth.
• Day 4 to 5 – a dark covering of fur will start to appear especially for the breed with darker varieties. The ears will also start to open up by this time. Some markings will also start to show by the fifth day.
• Day 6 to 8 – most pups will start to explore in the cage. This is also the time where they would look like real hamsters already. It is also during this time that they’ll start to take interest in solid food.
• Day 13 to 15 – their eyes will now start to open. After opening, they will be able to explore more so the cage should be cleaned before weaning. They will also be able to drink water on their own from the sippers during this time.
• Day 16 to 21 – the mothers will be able to nurse the pups up until this week. They will also be able to eat food properly at this age.
• Day 21 to 28 – the mothers would already have lost interest in them since the babies can already take care of themselves. Though some breeds may tolerate them a bit longer, it would be better to make them ready to leave their mothers.

Sexing

In order to determine the sex of the hamster babies, hold one firmly and lift it upright with their backend visible to your eyes. Look at the genital area and observe the proximity of the anus and genital opening. Females have a closer distance between the anus and genital opening. Male hamsters would be the opposite and would be separated by a distance equal to your forefinger.

If you try to check their gender at five weeks of age, the male testes will naturally fall down and form two distinct lumps on each side of the anus.

Territorial Creatures

Hamsters are solitary creatures by nature. They are very territorial so it would be good to separate them as early as possible to prevent violence. It is very common for hamsters to attack one another when kept in one cage.

Understanding their Personalities

It would be good to have an idea about the personality of some hamster breeds before weaning. The Syrian hamsters, by any means, should be separated as early as 4 weeks of age and should be placed in individual cages. This is because they tend to hurt or eventually kill another hamster in one cage. They are more territorial compared to other breeds.

Some say that dwarf hamsters can be paired, but it is recommended that they are introduced to one another at a young age. If that’s not the case, it would be better to also separate them from one another.  Even if they are more social than Syrian hamsters, it is still better to be safe than force a living condition that could result in injuries.

Vet Check-up

The best time to get your new litter for a veterinary check-up would be 1 month or more after birth. At this time, the mother is already stable and you can now freely handle the new babies. This is especially applicable if you observe something strange from one of the pups or even the mother herself.

Weaning

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing other food aside from the mother’s milk. For the hamsters, this is also a good time to separate them to avoid fighting.

It is important that during weaning you also separate the males from the females. They can reproduce at a fast rate due to their early puberty that starts at 2-18 days after weaning. You should always be aware of the reproductive system of your hamsters as responsible pet owners.

Observe the pups if they are ready to be weaned from their mother. If you think that some are still weak to be away from their mother, you may leave them for another week. But you have to keep an eye on them as much as possible.

It is advisable that you are able to adopt them out when they reach their 7^th week. Ensure that the new home they’re going to would be the best for them and that they don’t end up as abandoned pets.

Extra Wheels and Water Bottles

If you’re planning to take in all the newborns, prepare your place to have additional running wheels, water sippers, food bowls, more toys, toilet paper rolls, and proper cages. A proper cage should be a minimum of 24 inches long and 12 inches wide, especially for aquarium-type cages according to The Humane Society of the United States. Review the different types of cages that are proper to the breed that you own.

You have to be ready before the weaning period. This is also applicable to your food inventory since you have more mouths to feed.

Young Mothers

If you’re planning to take in all the newborns, prepare your place to have additional running wheels, water sippers, food bowls, more toys, toilet paper rolls, and proper cages. A proper cage should be a minimum of 24 inches long and 12 inches wide, especially for aquarium-type cages according to The Humane Society of the United States. Review the different types of cages that are proper to the breed that you own.

You have to be ready before the weaning period. This is also applicable to your food inventory since you have more mouths to feed.

Young Mothers

More often than not, if a hamster becomes a mother at a young age, it usually results in an abandoned litter. This is because it is too young and inexperienced to even care for itself. That is why the environment is crucial to pregnant hamsters specifically for first-timers.

Zealousness

Prepare to be devoted once again to the new members of your family. Take care of the young hamsters as you do with the adult hamsters. Living with more family members under one roof will encourage fun and relieve your stress as long as precautions are taken seriously. They are such adorable, little creatures that will amaze you as they grow further.

If you’ve only purchased your hamster just recently, you’re probably wondering why your pet acts this way. But no worries, we’re here to fill you in on what you need to know. To give you a heads up, your hammy is probably in his sleep!

Wild Hamster Sleeping Patterns

A hamster in the wild is a small crepuscular rodent, which means that it sleeps during the day when most predators are on the prowl and the sun is covering everything with a thick blanket of heat. It awakens shortly before sundown when the temperature has cooled down significantly and leaves its burrow to gather food and hunt.

It moves silently and quickly, eating what small amounts of food it can find and storing the rest in its cheek pouch to bring back home.

What’s on the menu? Grain, seeds, any edible plants, vegetables, and fruits that it can lay its paws on. If it comes across a lone cricket or another small insect on the path, it might just help itself to a quick mouthful of protein. This is because hamsters are omnivorous, which means they can eat both plant-based foods and meat.

Once its foray into the wilderness is complete, the hamster will return to the burrow and take a nap or have a bite from its food storage. Shortly prior to sunrise, it will leave the den and repeat the activity once again.

How long do hamsters sleep? In the wild, probably somewhere around 8 – 12 hours a day.

Captive Hamster Sleeping Patterns

Now that you have learned how hamsters in the wild have learned to sleep in the day and come out at twilight, let’s take a look at hamsters in captivity.

Even though they are no longer in their natural habitat and need not fear the sun or wild predators, their instincts still take control of their actions. This is the reason why they’ll attempt to hide in their cages and sleep during the daytime and suddenly reappear in the evenings.

Since they no longer have to leave their home for long periods of time to eat and search for food, hamsters in captivity end up being more nocturnal than crepuscular. This means that they will still become active around dusk but they may stay active all night long until morning. Since they have a lot of extra time on their hands at night, they put it to good use by exercising.

Certain species of hamsters can tend to be active to a limited extent during the daytime while in captivity. These include the Syrian, Winter White Dwarf, and Campbell’s Dwarf.

A pet hamster sleeps lightly and is easily awakened by loud noises. This response may be due to instincts learned in the wild where it would have always needed to stay alert to any threats of danger. When disturbed during sleep, some hamsters such as Syrians can become quite agitated and upset.

It can’t see very well during the day and when it’s startled from its sleep, it immediately thinks that it is being attacked. This could activate a defense mechanism that results in attempts by the hamster to attack or bite its owner.

If you observe your hamster sleeping a lot in the daytime, be aware that this is completely normal behavior and the animal should be left to its devices.

Hamster Beds

Hamsters are very independent and will only sleep in a bed of their own construction. Attempting to build a bed for them usually ends up with them ignoring it. Instead, provide the hamster with construction materials and it’ll build a sleeping nest by itself.

Some materials that you can put in its tank are ripped-up pieces of paper, cardboard, hay, or wood chips (not pine or cedar). It’ll use whatever it can find lying around to build a comfortable place to hide and sleep.

It is very important to keep a hamster’s sleeping area clean. It often brings food and defecates in its bed, so replacing the bedding at periodic intervals is recommended. However, be careful not to disturb the area too much.

Hamsters get used to the scent of their sleeping area, so try to remove a little bit of the bedding at a time and not all at once. This will eventually allow you to provide fresh bedding while the hamster doesn’t lose familiarity.

Hamster Hibernation

When the weather becomes cool past a given temperature, certain behavior is triggered in hamsters that cause them to enter “hibernation mode”. While they are not actually sleeping, at first glance it may look like they are asleep or even dead.

That’s because a hamster will decrease its activity and slow its breathing to the point that not the slightest movement can be detected. According to the ASPCA, the best temperatures for hamsters are between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

This hibernation behavior is called “torpor”. Hamsters can go for long periods of time in this state without eating food. If you notice your hamster exhibiting this, check the room temperature and turn off the air conditioning or open a window.