How to Take Care of Newborn Hamsters
Proper care for pet hamsters is crucial to their survival. Care involves keeping them clean, fed, watered and adequately sheltered. When they are first born, and assuming that the mother is present, you can take a few important precautions to ensure their survival.
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Instructions
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Avoid touching newborn hamsters. If you touch a newborn hamster, your scent will remain with it, which may cause the mother to reject it or even eat it. Leave the hamsters alone with their mother when they are born. Make sure the mother is fed well and hydrated for optimal protein transfer to the newborn hamsters. The mother will provide everything they need in the first few weeks. She will feed them and clean them. It may look like the mother is squashing the hamsters, but she is simply feeding them and keeping them warm.
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Wait about three weeks and then transfer the young hamsters from their mother to two other cages, dividing the sexes, to prevent reproduction. The mother and babies may be distressed, but this will subside after a few days.
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Provide young hamsters a constant supply of fresh water. Feed them hamster food that can be purchased at your local pet store.
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Tips & Warnings
Interact regularly with the hamster. Hold them and pet them so they build trust around humans.
References
- Photo Credit Hamster image by Annekathrin Kohout from Fotolia.com
