The solutions to a mother hamster not nursing her babies after giving birth include the following:
Ensure Adequate Nutrition
The mother hamster needs sufficient nutrition during pregnancy and after giving birth. You can provide her with a comprehensive mixed hamster food and increase the sources of protein, such as dried small fish, dried mealworms, fruits, and vegetables. This ensures that she has enough energy to nurse her pups.
Let the Pups Absorb the Mother Hamster's Scent
If the mother hamster refuses to nurse, it may be because the pups have picked up human scent. You can rub the pups in the urine - sand or wood chips where the mother hamster has excreted, so that they absorb the mother's scent. After smelling the familiar smell, the mother hamster may resume nursing the pups.
Hand - Feed
If the mother hamster still refuses to nurse the pups, you can try hand - feeding. Use specialized hamster pup milk powder, dissolve it in a small bottle, and then feed the pups. Although this is quite troublesome, for the sake of the pups' lives, the owner needs to be patient with the feeding.
Isolate the Mother Hamster
In some cases, the mother hamster can be temporarily isolated to let her calm down. Keep the pups in the mother hamster's original environment. After she calms down, put the pups back. She may then start nursing again.
The reasons why a mother hamster may not nurse her pups can include:
Inadequate Nutrition
If the mother hamster doesn't have enough food, she may selectively abandon some of the weaker pups.
Pups with Human Scent
Hamsters are solitary animals. If the pups have human scent on them, the mother hamster may abandon them.
Insufficient Physical Strength of the Mother Hamster
After giving birth, the mother hamster's physical strength declines. When she is unable to take care of all the pups, she may also selectively abandon some of them.