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kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 03:06 PM

I will separate them before that happens.. lol... I think Ive learned my lesson there. Ha ha ha

Wondergirl · May 19, 2012, 03:08 PM

Hmmmm, how many cages will she have to have...

At least hamsters are cleaner than mice are. Mice poop and pee wherever; hamsters have a potty corner.

Alty · May 19, 2012, 04:12 PM

Hi Kayosqueen, I'm Alty. :)

First and foremost, you definitely need to keep the adults separated, not only because of the chance of pregnancy (and you should know that a female can get pregnant again before she's even done weaning the first litter), but because of potential fighting. Hamsters are solitary animals, they do not like being house together. Russian dwarfs (you didn't mention the specific breed of your hammies) can be housed together, but having had these animals in my life, I wouldn't even recommend that. They tend to fight, and they will fight to the death. Also, Russian dwarfs are very aggressive.

Most hamsters can't reproduce until they're around 6 weeks of age. You have until at least that long to either re-home them, or buy a lot more cages. ;)

Mom will know what to do. Make sure she has enough food, because nursing the babies will take a lot out of her. Food high in protein, carrots, lettuce, and other snacks, aren't a treat at this point, they're a necessity.

As for your other female. It's very likely that she's pregnant too. As WG said, if a male has 13 females with him, he'll go after every one. Watch her, she will likely give birth shortly if she's pregnant and you're noticing a fat belly.

One question I have. You mentioned that you didn't get these hamsters from a pet store. Where did you get them? How old were they?

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 04:30 PM

I got them from a local site: Kijiji. A woman had them on there to give away and they were just babies. I got 3 sisters because I was told that we could have more than one in a cage if they were raised together. Unfortunately, one was a brother? I have them all separated now. All in big cages. I don't know what kind they are. I got one from the pet store awhile back and they look like it. It was a Black Bear Hamster... so it was labelled anyway... and mean as heck. They are all black with white/tan hands and a bit of white down their bellies. They were almost 3 months old when we got them... again... so we were told. They were really small and the male did not show testies, which are CLEARLY visible now. Can we post pics or no? I can show you what they are. I am giving her bread soaked with skim milk as was recommended on a few websites I read. Im not even totally sure they were born yesterday... but from the look of them and the pics I've compared them to on Google images... they are clearly just newborn. Even the 3 day old ones online seem to have pigment starting to be visible and these do not yet. Just barely shades. I have touched them... the cage was NOT clean enough to keep them in (gave my daughter a load of crap for that) and mom didn't seem to mind. I got as much cage scent on me as I could before hand and was VERY careful... she is great with them still. I have dealt a LOT with rats, as I bred them a LONG time ago for my lizards... I know I was awful, but... these little guys... I have become weirdly attached to all of a sudden. =)

Alty · May 19, 2012, 04:37 PM

Yes, you can post pictures. I'll walk you through it. :)

Below the box where you type there's a button that says "go advanced".

Click that button.

When you do that a paper clip symbol will show up on the top part of the box your type in. Click that.

A new screen will show up, named "manage attachment". You hit the browse button, browse through your pictures, and then double click on the ones you want to post.

Once you have selected the picture you want, hit "download".

When it's finished downloading close the "manage attachment" window, and go back to your post. Click on the paper clip again, a link will show up. That's your picture. Click on it, and then post as you normally do. :)

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 04:58 PM

Ok... so here is five pics.
1. Baby with quarter for size comparison
2. Mama with babies day one
3. The belly of the one that was in the nest but not feeding I don't think... now that I look at the pic her nipples look weird. (one I was thinking could be pregnant too) Now I just had a thought that maybe they both had some of the 13... OMG I don't know)
4.Not the mama in her cage
5. Mama with babies again today.

Wondergirl · May 19, 2012, 05:12 PM

Awwwwww! Pink Play-Doh babies--just like mice babies!

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 05:17 PM

Soooo can you tell the breed? Does she look pregnant or do you think she may have birthed some of them too? Im freaking out that I may have taken her away from her babies... I know for sure the other mother is feeding them...

Alty · May 19, 2012, 05:26 PM

If the other mother is feeding them, then don't worry too much. But, do make sure that she's getting extra nutrition, because 13 babies will take a lot out of her. She needs extra calories to sustain her milk.

Can you get a better picture of the face of the adults? Right now, if I had to guess, I would say that you have Syrians. Syrians definitely cannot be housed together. Once they reach 6 weeks of age, they're at sexual maturity, and have to be separated. They will fight to the death. But, a picture of the face will help.

I can say with almost 100% certainty that you don't have dwarfs. Dwarfs are brown and white. I'll post a picture. I have never ever seen a black dwarf.

Google Image Result for http://www.hamsterhideout.com/illustrations/marlene/normalww.jpg

Google Image Result for http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-30GltMI8EkY/TfDUJDxbf3I/AAAAAAAAAwY/Nn9Aj-YmZ6Y/s1600/1675748_f520.jpg

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 05:35 PM

Here is the best I could get.. lol... they are so black that its hard to get a clear shot. =)

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 05:35 PM

Oh guess they are pretty clear =)

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 05:36 PM

In the first picture you can see that she is nesting still... but do they all do that anyway? My rats did.

Wondergirl · May 19, 2012, 05:53 PM

I'd always give my hamsters and mice empty paper towel and tp rolls/cardboard tubes, and they would chew them apart for nests.

Alty · May 19, 2012, 06:04 PM

I'd bet that you have syrians, not dwarfs, just judging by the pictures. Of course I'd be better able to tell you if I could see them, but since that can't happen, I've given you my best guess based on the pictures.

Syrians are the "teddy bear", "panda bear" etc. made up names to make them seem cuter to sell. But, syrians, like dwarfs, are all just one breed, with different coloring. There really is no such thing as a "teddy bear" hamster. It's just a syrian with a certain color, and coat texture.

The main thing you should know about syrians is that you cannot house them together. As human beings we feel sorry for lone hamster, think they need a friend, so we get two, put them together, and more often then not, one day we wake up to a severely injured, or dead hamster. They will fight. Unlike humans, they don't want to be with others of their kind. They prefer to be alone. It's something that's really difficult for we humans to wrap our heads around.

You've already separated them, and you have a while before you'll have to either re-home the babies, or get 13 more cages. ;)

Right now, let momma hammy do her thing, and just make sure she's comfortable. Don't disturb them too much, that can lead to her abandoning the babies. Keep her and the babies in a separate room, a quiet room, and only disturb them when you feed, change their water, or clean their bedding (don't do too much of that if it's not absolutely necessary).

Please, continue to post pictures. They'll grow quickly, and soon they won't be pinkies anymore, they'll be little balls of fur. :)

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 06:09 PM

I will post more pics. Did you think the other was pregnant by the pic of her belly or ? Oh and WG I will put a tube in each cage for you... and maybe a pic of dad too =)

Wondergirl · May 19, 2012, 06:12 PM

Empty Jello and cake mix and Hamburger Helper boxes work well too. ;)

Alty · May 19, 2012, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by kayosqueen

I will post more pics. Did you think the other was pregnant by the pic of her belly or ? Oh and WG I will put a tube in each cage for you....and maybe a pic of dad too =)

I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you for sure that she either is, or isn't. I really can't just going by the picture. But I wouldn't rule it out. In fact, I'd prepare for it. You may have another 13 babies soon. Eek! ;)

The good news is that if she is, you'll know soon enough. So watch out for more pinkies. You're going to have to start putting out feelers for people wanting to adopt. Don't ask me, I have too many animals as is. In fact, I could open up a petting zoo! ;)

kayosqueen · May 19, 2012, 06:21 PM

Here's Dad on his wheel. Im so not in love with all the new plastic cages. =( They did escape once but were confined to the bedroom... we were lucky to have caught them all =)

Alty · May 19, 2012, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by kayosqueen

Here's Dad on his wheel. Im so not in love with all the new plastic cages. =( They did escape once but were confined to the bedroom...we were lucky to have caught them all =)

He's adorable! I still see a syrian hammy. Adorable.

If they escape again, put the cage on the floor, and leave the door open. As you know, hamsters are nocturnal. They'll scrounge around during the night, but once morning comes, or they get hungry, they'll likely go back to their cage. I've had many hamster escapes, and 99% of the time I just put the cage on the floor with the door open, and by morning the hamster is back in his/her cage. Except for my Sweet Pea. She was a stinker. She loved to crawl in behind the stove, and build a nest, even though she was never with a male. She'd spend days there. The first time we searched the entire house for her, then gave up, hoped she'd come back. Only to find her behind the stove because I could hear her at night.

She's also the hammy that went down a vent, ended up in the basement, in a vent, unable to get back out. Luck was with her, because I went to do laundry and heard her in the vent. She had been missing for 2 weeks, we had to rip apart the vent to get her, and then we got her a new cage, reinforced, so she wouldn't escape again. Little stinker. ;)