Baby Dwarf Hamsters

Exotic, cute and interesting, the thought of breeding and rearing dwarf hamsters is undoubtedly exciting. However, their diminutive size coupled with their high activity levels can make this a very challenging undertaking! It is best to take the time and trouble to do thorough research into what is required before you start the process rather than after.

The gestational period of hamsters is between 18 to 20 days after which a mother dwarf hamster will give birth to between 1 to 10 baby dwarf hamsters or pups. The typical litter size is about 5 to 6 babies.

The First Few Days…

The pups should be left with their mother to nurse at least till they are 10 days old. During this time, it is best to avoid touching the babies and to leave the cage alone too; do not even attempt to clean it.

When the babies are about four days old, they will start to get pigment in and around the seventh day, they will begin to grow fur. The babies’ eyes will open and they will start crawling around when they are about 10 days old. At this point they are just about ready to be handled, albeit for short periods of time only. Do this cautiously though and get a feel of how the mother hamster feels about her baby being handled by you. Some mother dwarf hamsters are over-protective of their young ones and will not approve of this intrusion, so be extremely careful when reaching out to touch the pups for the first few times.

Taming Baby Dwarf Hamsters

It cannot be overemphasized that you need to be extremely careful when you handle baby dwarf hamsters. They can be extremely nervous and jumpy in the early days and may well try to run and jump right off your hands. If your hand is a long way from the ground, this could result in the pup getting seriously injured. Regular, gentle and careful handling of the babies will help to tame them.

Weaning Baby Dwarf Hamsters

Baby dwarf hamsters can begin to be weaned at about 2 weeks of age at which time they will start to eat solid food. Ideal food for the babies should consist of oatmeal, oats, small birdseed and wheat germ. Babies can also be fed lab blocks once they are 3 weeks old but keep in mind that they will not thrive on this sort of food until they are more fully grown.

A diet of small grains will help babies to grow up quicker and healthier. Some dwarf hamsters relish thin slices of red apple or cucumber. They will finally be able to reach the water bottle when they are about ten days old. Once the babies start to eat and drink on their own, their mother will gradually begin to stop nursing them.

4 Weeks & Counting…

The babies should be completely weaned by the time they are four weeks old. By this time, they are also ready for their own cage. You need to be careful about keeping the male with the mother during this period as she will most likely be pregnant again soon after the first litter is born. If that happens, the first litter should be moved to their own cage just before the new litter is born, which is within 18 to 20 days of the first litter’s birth. When keeping them in their own cages, keep the sexes separate. Keeping the
females in one cage and males in another will prevent inbreeding among litter mates.

General Care Instructions

Caring for a baby dwarf hamster is similar to caring for any other hamster. Cages should be cleaned once every week unless there are several babies in a single cage, then cleaning should be more frequent as the cage will become dirtier faster.

Fresh food and water should also be provided daily. It is vitally important to constantly monitor the health of your baby dwarf hamsters. In addition to ensuring that all the pups are physically healthy and getting the nutrition and water they need, you also need to keep an eye on them to make sure none of them have gotten hurt while fighting with their litter mates.

Baby dwarf hamsters are ready to be given away or sold when they are about four weeks old.