After a gestational period of between 18 and 20 days, the mother dwarf hamster will give birth to a litter size of between one and ten babies. But the average litter size is typically 5 or 6 pups. The thought of breeding a dwarf hamster can be exciting but in order to be successful, it is best to do research before an owner starts this process.
From birth to about 10 days after, owners should leave their baby dwarf hamsters alone with their mother. You don’t need to change the cage and you should not touch them. The babies will get pigment in about four days and they will get their fur in about seven days. After ten days they will open their eyes and begin crawling around. It is at this point that you may start to handle them for brief periods of time. But take cues from the mother. She might be over protective and not like it if her babies are handled. Take extra special care when handling baby dwarf hamsters. They can be very jumpy and are at risk to be seriously injured if fell from a high height. By continuing to handle the babies regularly it helps them to become tame. After about two weeks the babies will start to eat regular potions of solid food. Dwarf hamster babies should get regular and fresh portions of oats, oatmeal, wheat germ or small birdseeds. They can also eat lab blocks from when they are about 3 weeks of age but they can not thrive on them until they get older. Babies will grow faster and healthier if they are offered small grains. Some owners even offer their dwarf hamster babies slices of cucumber or red apple. When they get to be about 10 days old they are finally able to reach the water bottle. Once they are able to find other alternatives to nursing, their mother will naturally start to nurse them less often.
After about four weeks the babies should be fully weaned and ready to be moved to their own cage. If the male stays with the mother she will most likely be pregnant while she is nursing this litter. In that case, the babies should be removed after 18 to 20 days when the mother has another litter. Separate the babies by gender; males in one cage and females in another. This prevents any unwanted inbred pregnancies.
The care that is required for baby dwarf hamsters is the same that would be given to any other hamster. Owners should clean their cages about once a week unless there are a lot of babies in one cage. Cleaning requirements might be more if the cage is getting dirtier faster. They should also be offered fresh food and water on a daily basis. It is important to constantly check on the well being of the baby hamsters in your care on a regular basis. Make sure that they are all getting enough food and water, that they have not become injured through fighting with litter mates, and that they are staying physically healthy. Now that the baby dwarf hamsters are four weeks of age, they can be sold or given away as pets.