Pregnant Black Bear Hamster

[APoetCalledAnya]

I decided I wanted to try my luck again with a black bear hamster. I went into Petco because although I have tried to locate a breeder I could not. Anyways, they had some black bear hamsters and they were not too friendly. I went around to the other side and they had even even more on that side. I asked the guy how they kept them together without them fighitng, as everything I have read and heard said that hamster should not be kept together because they fight. He has no idea, of course. When I looked into the female tank I say a female hamster who looked like she was carrying two golf balls, one of each side. I knew right away she was pregnant. She should have been separated from the others one a long time ago. She must have come from the breeder that way, since Petco is usually pretty good about separating the sexes. She was having quarrels with the other girl in her cage and seemed all a round unhappy. I asked to see her and she came to my hand right away and was very friendly. I asked if I could buy her and he said he wasn't sure they could sell pregnant hamsters. But "she might not be pregnant". He asked his boss and he could not decide if she was pregnant either. I breed rats and I could tell she was ready to pop at any moment. They finally agreed to sell her to me. I took her home and the next day she had a dozen or more babies.

I bought her because I have a very big problem with the way pet stores do things. Especially when they could not even tell she was pregnant. She was waiting until it was safe. She was stressed, you could clearly see it, and I felt so bad for her. I am in school for veterinary and animal science and I know A LOT of people who would be good owners, who want the babies. So, in all good conscience, I could not leave her in there to suffer and feel all that misery.

Right now, she seems very content, she's still friendly, and all is well. Except for with me.

I have a few questions. I do not trust everything I read on here so I want some people's answers who have gone through a hamster litter. It would be dumb of me to assume she is just like the rats and everything can be done the same.

1. Sites say not to change her cage for two weeks. Is this true? She already sounds a little congested, thought I haven't touched her since she had her litter. So, it could have been the weight of the litter making her have trouble breathing. But then again, it is Petco, so she could be sick. For now, I am keeping an eye on that. But I would want to keep her cage as clean as possible to eliminate any possible risk of her getting sick. So, could I remove her from the cage, then use a clean spoon to remove her babies, keeping them separate for a minute or two while I dumped the cage and put in new bedding? Or should I take her out, clean around her next, and put some fresh bedding in? Or should I just do as the sites say and leave her in the dirty cage for two weeks?

2. All the sites say different things. When can I touch the babies? With my rats, depending on the mom, I can touch the babies as soon as they are born to a week after they are born. I read not to touch them until they open their eyes and have fur, or around two weeks old. I ask, not because I can not control myself and touch them, but because I want to socialize them as soon as possible. Just like I do with my rat babies.

And, I think that is it for now.

[WildHammyHopper]

Nobody has commented on this thread yet and I woulkd like to be the first. You have done something very generous to that hamster and helped it to give birth comfortably. You removed her from the rest of the gang and made suyre she would give birth in a environment where she feels best. Thank you ! Those babies sure do sound lovely! Hope everything goes to plan for you and I will pray that the mom is not ill. How many did she have ? Do we have a name for the little hammy yet?
We would love to hear more on the family. Congrats!
xx

[APoetCalledAnya]

Well, when I was taking her home she was chewing through the air holes in the box. She had her head through one of the holes and I watched as her thick jaws just chewed away at the card board. I tried pushing her back in, gently of course, but she was relentless. To me, she looked like a Pitt bull. And I had planned on calling her Molly, so now she is Pitt Bull Molly.

When she gets up, I try to count the babies. But they are so small and all tangled. Since I do not want to touch them, I have to guess. I believe she had 14, but I won't know for sure for another week or two. They are starting to get dark, but no fur yet. They will be a week old this coming Sunday.

You have to double click the pictures to make them bigger.
2.JPG

8.JPG

9.JPG

12.JPG

11.JPG

[RodentzRule]

I hope she isnt sick, she is lucky to have you, good luck with molly and her babies!

[HammyLicous]

Aww well Molly sounds like a great name! What are you going to doo with all those babies.