My pregnant hamster had dead babies. Is she done giving birth?

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.

Thank you for using Pet Coach to address your questions about Shine and your male hamster. That is unusual behavior. Hamsters can produce prolifically. So only producing two litters makes me concerned that something in one of the hamster's body is not normal. Likely one of them has abnormalities in the reproductive tract making it difficult to conceive. I would agree with the other vet that something was likely wrong in the milk which is why the pups didn't make it. Additionally, hamsters generally live 2-3 years. At their ages, fertility is going to be significantly decreased. At Shine's age, I would also be hesitant to breed her again. Pregnancy in older animals carries higher risks. I'm not sure there is anything you can do to increase fertility short of seeing a specialist for hormone supplements. If you are looking to breed hamsters again, I would advise to get a young adult female OR get a new pair of a male and female. Younger hamsters have much better fertility rates. I hope I have answered your questions. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Winter White hamsters have an average of 3-9 pups (baby hamsters). They can have as few as 1 or as many as 14. The pup may have died due to illness or lack of care, especially if this was the first breeding. The female will go into heat again almost immediately after delivery. Gestation is about 3 weeks.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hamsters can get aggressive, especially around their young. I recommend handling the young as little as possible to prevent Khaleesi from being aggressive towards you or from taking it out on her pups. While it is less likely at this age, hamsters can even canibalize their young when they are stressed. Hamsters can typically be weaned (start eating dry food, no longer needed milk from the mother) at about 3 weeks. I recommend separating them into different cages or homes to prevent the hamsters from reproducing. You should also separate Khaleesi from the male hamster if you wish to prevent further breeding. Once the pups are gone, Khaleesi should resume her normal behavior towards you. I hope this helps!

Other hamsters in the environment can harm and bite babies, so it is best to make sure mom and babies have an entire cage to themselves. If mom isn't caring for the babies even after a reduction in stress and removal of cagemates, there could be something wrong with her or the babies, and a vet visit may help check for illness. You may also need to begin to supplement feed the babies with a KMR formula if they aren't getting enough from mom. Hamster babies mature very quickly, so lots of care is needed to help them pull through. Looking up "hand rearing hamsters" may point you to some useful links about how much to feed, how often, and the right environment for care.

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.