When can I safely do a full cage clean for my hamster after babies?

Clean around the nest and cage until the pups are about 2 weeks old. Try not to disturb the nest before then. After 2 weeks, you can scoop the nest and pups up in one scoop, clean the cage and replace the nest.

It really depends on how old Frankie's babies are, if they are still curled up in the best I would try your best not to disturb them. However if they are older and exploring about as long as you are gentle and don't leave any separated for too long you can move them fine.

They look to be 3-4 weeks old. At about 4 weeks old, all hamster babies should be split from the mother into two cages—one for males and one for females. If you keep them all together they will start to breed as they become sexually mature at only 4-6 weeks of age. It is very bad for them to breed each other as they are related.

Yes, usually after about 2 weeks you can start tohandle them . They can reach sexual maturity between 4 and 6 weeks old so make sure to separate males and females by that time. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

You'll need to set up a baby safe cage. A basic cage (preferably one without fancy tubes and tunnels), paper towels, Pet-safe bedding (NOT sawdust), Hamster muesli, Fresh vegetables (carrot or cucumber being better choices for babies), and a water bottle. Keep this all warm with a hot water bottle wrapped in two thicknesses of towel or a heating pad underneath only half the cage, that way if it gets too hot they can move away from it. From 1-14 days old hourly feeds with kitten formula are required. Pups get dehydrated in a matter of hours so not feeding them hourly could kill them. It is a very time-consuming task hand feeding pups.You have to take it slow. Any hurry or forceful feeding can lead to milk being inhaled into the lungs and causing death within the minute. Gently hold the pup in your hand being careful not to squeeze them tightly. Using a pipette or eyedropper full of milk, place it near the pups mouth. They are not used to being fed this way so resistance is natural. Try not to squeeze vast quantities into their mouth, they’ll choke! Little and often is the way to go. Allow the pup to lick/bite the end of the pipette on their own to take in milk. If they don't show an interest, a small drop of milk on the bottom lip can be licked up. Wait for the pup to stop ‘chewing’ the milk (its how they swallow and is normal) then repeat About 2 or 3 drops in one sitting is plenty for a little hamster. Anymore and you may be doing more harm than good. When the pups are eating soft/solid foods (approximately between 10-16 days) the milk weaning can begin reducing feeds to every 3 hours. When the pups are comfortably feeding themselves, milk feeds can be stopped altogether.

Ideally, you should wait at least two weeks before disturbing the nest. If you must move it, scoop it and the pups up in one piece and relocate them to the larger cage. Be sure to transfer some of the cleaner used bedding as well.

Great question! You can send them to their new homes around four weeks of age. When they reach this age, the male and female pups should be separated and kept in different cages until they go to their new homes. I hope this helps!