Pregnant hamster with cage mate: How to prepare for babies?

It will be difficult to tell if she is pregnant until the last week or so. You will generally see an enlargement of the abdomen and her mammary glands becoming more prominent. Right before she gives birth, she will lose her mucus plug and you may find that as well. Provide her with a clean cage, and material to make a nest. You may also provide her with a box (make sure it has a lid or no bottom so that you can check on things without disturbing the babies and mother). Mother hamsters can become stressed out easily and will fail to care for the young or even eat the young so it is very important not to handle the babies and mother after birth for the first 2-3 weeks. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are correct in planning for the arrival of the pups. I recommend separating the male as soon as you are sure that the female is pregnant, because females can get pregnant again very shortly after giving birth. It is important to keep the pups quiet and calm, to prevent the mother from eating them when stressed. You should also not touch the pups until they are about 14 days old. There are several types of nesting material available in pet stores, or you could use pieces of paperCut up into small strips. The pups should be separated from their mother when they are about 14 to 21 days old. At this point they should be able to eat normal adult mouse food. I hope this helps and I’m happy to answer any additional questions you may have!

Hello, I'd recommend leaving Nibbles alone for at least one week after she gives birth. However, eating young is very common in hamsters and may not be preventable. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hamsters are easily stressed when they have new pups, and can actually cannibalize pups if there are any changes in the environment. You should keep any activity in the cage to a minimum, so if the wheel is already in there, I do not recommend removing it. I hope all is well with Peanut and her pups!

There is not really much you can do other than remove the male (put him into a separate cage) and make sure she has enough bedding material. She will do the rest. You will have to remove the male, because he will mate with the female shortly after giving birth and then you will have more babies within 3 to 4 weeks. Gerbil males are fertile by the age of 3 weeks, so you will need to separate the babies by gender at that age. There are videos on the internet, where you can see how to tell the difference.

With these pictures, I would guess she is pregnant. Gestation for a hamster is 15-18 days. On the third photo, it appears as if her mammary glands are developed. Usually hamsters start building a nest site in a corner. I would definitely separate her from the male as they can be aggressive during birthing. It is important to allow the female to have a quiet, minimally disturbed environment, especially during their first litter, to decrease the chance of rejection of babies by the mother.

She should be fed extra protein and vitamins (usually found in fresh greens and vegetables). Offer her regular diet and supplement with the other items in a separate bowl. She will eat what she wants when she wants. Rotate through the items so she has a balanced diet. Always keep a commercial hamster diet and fresh water available. She will care for her pups (baby hamsters). They can be fed a commercial hamster diet after weaning at about 3-4 weeks of age.