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Original poster

Crap the hamster has babies

16 replies

Dionysuss · 29/05/2015 22:31

A week ago I went to the petshop for pigs ears, and came out with a hamsters. It had been dumped on the counter in a shoebox. Today dd2 volunteered to clean out the cage and found babies.

She didn't disturb the nest too much before she saw them. We put the mum back in, and just added extra food and bedding to the other side of the cage. She's moved it all into the nest.

From the glimpse we saw they looked like uncooked cocktail sausages.

Any advice?

OP posts:
AJNH · 29/05/2015 22:37

Awwwwww!
No advice, sorry!
But can we have some photos as they grow up please Grin

You should probably let the pet shop know they sold you a pregnant hamster!!

Cookiecake · 29/05/2015 22:42

This is why we bought a boy hamster! We have a hamster book and the baby thing seems complicated. It depends what type of hamster it is but Syrian hamsters have to be kept on there own after a certain time period. How many babies are there?

Original poster
Dionysuss · 29/05/2015 22:42

We were given it for free. The shop doesn't take in unwanted pets. But someone walked in, plonked down a box, and walked back out. The shop lady was going to take them home with her, but muggins here jumped in.

Photos certainly will follow. At the moment it's a mystery pile of bedding.

Crap the hamster has babies
OP posts:
BertieBotts · 29/05/2015 22:44

Oh no Grin

I would contact your nearest vet and find out how soon they can be sexed and when you need to separate them.

Then get an advert in the paper, quick!

Original poster
Dionysuss · 29/05/2015 22:44

It's a winter white. We saw two, but they could have been more.

OP posts:
Moln · 29/05/2015 22:48

Did you call her Crap Shock?

What sort of hamster is she? I think it'll be quite a short period before you'll need to seperate them if she's Syrian.

First port of call would be to talk to the pet shop. I know you didn't but her but you helped them out in a sense so might help you home the babies!!

AJNH · 29/05/2015 22:49

What a lovely mystery pile of bedding Grin

Im not overly clued up on hamsters, DD had one for about a year until it escaped...we never saw it again.

Pretty sure mummy hamster will do the work, I'm not sure what age you'd need to rehome them, but where I live we have a Facebook page for pet adoption, it's not overly busy but seems to work l, then a few weeks later photos of these adopted pets in their new homes pop up, quite sweet! Unless you're going to keep all the baby hamsters of course ha!

FadedRed · 29/05/2015 22:50

This happened to us some years ago. Dwarf Russian Hamsters - pet shop owner promised were both girls - (they are sociable hamster breed so like to have company, unlike the bigger ones). After a couple of months they looked 'very friendly' iyswim and a few weeks later, there were four little (tiny) sausage babies. They were soooo sweet. When they were about 8 weeks old and eating proper food, we rehomed 2 with a family member and the pet shop man rehomed the other 2. His DW thought it was absolutely hilarious, as he prided himself on his ability to sex hamsters Hmm
We kept the parents together as it would have been cruel to separate as they pair for life, but they never had another litter, despite living for another 2 years.

JenniferJen · 29/05/2015 22:52

We have had babies before. Basically, Just leave Mum to it, providing she seems to be looking after them and looks well. DO NOT disturb the babies or the nest and definitely do not handle them.

Mum maybe slightly aggressive over the next few days, she is just protecting her babies and is hormonal - I would leave her to it.

Good luck! What area are you in?

PenguinsAreAce · 29/05/2015 23:03

Crap is not a great name for a hamster.

Original poster
Dionysuss · 30/05/2015 09:15

Hamster is called Elsa, not Crap. Sorry.

I wish there was an edit function so I could add in the missing comma.

OP posts:
lljkk · 30/05/2015 09:18

peace & quiet for mama, they savage their babies if disturbed.

LIZS · 30/05/2015 09:19

You'd be lucky if only 2! My childhood hamster had about 10 but dwindled to 7. Be aware they do eat their young if not thriving. I seem to recall feeding them a sloppy cereal (Farex?) to wean.

RattieofCatan · 30/05/2015 21:45

Hahaha, Crap the hamster would be brilliant!

This happened to my family when I was a child, no advice, just aww and good luck!

Original poster
Dionysuss · 31/05/2015 11:39

We still haven't seen anything. But Elsa is taking all the food into her nest and keeps adding more bedding, which I'm assuming is a great thing.

OP posts:
elementofsurprise · 01/06/2015 11:51

This happened to us when I was a teen. We had eight babies in the first litter, removed dad as soon as we realised, but mum was already preganant with another seven! They were Russian hamsters. The second litter had a cute little runt, we had to feed him sepearately because the others would just shove him out of the way of the food bowl. They were so funny when growing up, little balls of fluff. We wore gloves to handle them until they were used to it - just sticking your hand in the cage to change the food bowl and you'd pull it out with six or seven little fluff balls hanging on by their teeth!
We kept one male and one female to pair with the parents, rehomed about half the rest and gave the rest to the pet shop. I sexed them myself from diagrams so goodness knows how accurate that was! I was right about all the ones we kept track of!

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