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Dwarf Hamsters can give birth to around ten babies per litter after completing a gestational period that lasts 18-20 days. Typically, the standard litter size of a Dwarf Hamster is only 5 to 6 babies. Before you make the decision to breed Dwarf Hamsters, you must have everything well planned to deal with the litter when your hamster mother gives birth. It is recommended that owners conduct plenty of research about the breeding process so that they can raise the pups successfully, if you just let it happen you are in for a big shock, and you may endanger the litter.
For the first 10 days after their birth, baby Dwarf Hamsters must stay with their mother. You should not have any close contact with them whatever, if your scent gets on them the mother will kill them, it is also not advisable to transfer them to a different cage. After four days, the baby Dwarf Hamsters will have some color, and they will get their fur after seven days. When they are on their tenth day, the babies will begin to open their eyes, crawl and reach the water bottle. During this time you can start holding them for short periods of time. Sometimes mothers are over-protective of their little ones, so before grabbing them observe their mother's reaction first. Baby Dwarf Hamsters must be handled with exceptional care, because they are very restless and when you do not hold them properly they may possibly be injured by falling from your grip.
Once they are more than 10 days old you can start taming the babies by handling them more frequently, offer them trees of solid food as they start to eat regularly around the two week mark. You can give them servings of oats, oatmeal, wheat germ or small birdseeds. Once they are about three weeks old, the baby Dwarf Hamsters can eat fresh food with a mixture of lab blocks. Your pets will grow much faster and healthier when you feed them with small grains, something many experienced owners recommend. Slices of cucumber and red apple can also be included in your baby hamsters' diet to promote their growth.
Sometimes when the babies are able to find other ways to feed themselves, their mother will need them less often. They will be completely weaned after four weeks. You should also transfer them, grouped by sex, to their corresponding cages, because leaving the male baby any longer with his mother will result in the mother getting pregnant again. If this happens, the babies should be removed from their original cage as their mother will give birth to another litter after 18 to 20 days. This is obviously going to leave you with a lot of new baby hamsters, so avoid unnecessary inbre pregnancy, and separate male and female babies, and be prepared with two other cages in advance.
Once they are transferred to their corresponding cages, be sure to clean their homes at least once a week. However, if you have more babies in one cage, you need to clean it frequently because a crowded cage can get dirtier faster. It is essential to check on the health of the baby hamsters on a regular basis. Ensure that they are all receiving enough food and water and they are not injured from fights with their litter mates. Once they are four weeks old, you can sell them or give them away.
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Source by Francis Harris
