Hamsters have a short life cycle, generally living between 1 and 3 years, and can have on average up to 12 babies at a time. Le nombre de petits d’une portée dépend de plusieurs critères : l’âge des parents, la période de reproduction et surtout l’espère du hamster
How many babies do hamsters make?
Depending on the breed of your hamster, if your female hamster is pregnant, she will give birth to a litter of pups as shown in this table:
| Species | Number of babies in a litter |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | from 4 to 6 babies |
| Syrian Hamster / Golden | from 5 to 12 babies |
| Hamster Roborovski | about 6 babies |
| Campbell's Hamster | from 4 to 6 babies |
| Chinese Hamster | from 4 to 6 babies |
When to separate baby hamsters from their mother?
The separation between the baby hamsters and their mother is important. If you don't separate them at the right time, the mother can become increasingly aggressive towards them.
Don't think of this as malice on the part of the female, it is a natural behavior that can be explained very well. In the wild, once weaned, wild female hamsters leave their nest to find another one and leave their young able to fend for themselves.
| Species | Weaning |
|---|---|
| Russian Hamster | between 18 and 28 days |
| Syrian Hamster / Golden | between 21 and 35 days |
| Hamster Roborovski | between 20 and 25 days |
| Campbell's Hamster | between 18 and 28 days |
| Chinese Hamster | between 21 and 25 days |
So, when they are in captivity, hamsters will try to reproduce exactly the same behavior: the mother will try to get away from her young after the weaning period. If you leave them in a single cage, they will fight until some die.
You will have understood that after a period (called weaning), you will have to separate the little hamsters from their mother. What is this period? Here it is, it depends on the breed:
Having baby hamsters is a responsibility, including separating the young from the female and buying a second or third cage for your hamsters.
When you separate them, you will need to know what is the sex of the hamstersIf you don't, you will quickly find yourself with a new litter of babies!
How to take care of baby hamsters?
What should be done after the birth of a baby hamster? The answer is simple: nothing! Their mother takes care of everything. Many novice hamster owners wonder how to take care of their babies when they are so tender and helpless: leave it to Mother Nature, their mother vs. provide for all their needs during the first month.
Durant les 15 premiers jours : ne touchez pas les petits, laissez la mère s’en occuper. Si vous les touchez dans les premières heures, la mère pourrait sentir une odeur étrangère sur la peau de ses petits et les tuer. Là aussi, n’y voyez aucune cruauté, évitez simplement une intervention humaine dans un process auquel il ne devrait en principe pas participer. Contentez-vous de regarder pendant 15 jours, sauf pour rajouter de l’eau et de la nourriture !
Some baby hamsters, the weakest or smallest ones, may die, this is a natural process that you should not interfere with.