It is not recommended to change the hamster's nest immediately after it gives birth. After giving birth, hamsters need a quiet and familiar environment to nurse their pups. This can reduce their anxiety and prevent them from carrying their babies around in search of the original nest. If the mother hamster detects the smell of others on her pups, she may abandon or even eat her own babies.
Precautions for Hamster Post - Partum Care
Environment: Ensure that the hamster is placed alone in a clean, warm, and quiet cage. Avoid overly bright light so that they can await the birth with peace of mind.
Food and Water: Prepare an adequate supply of food and drinking water for the mother hamster. Especially after giving birth, you can appropriately increase high - protein foods like mealworms to meet her nutritional needs.
Cleaning: When cleaning the cage, only clean the areas that are wet with urine and dirty. Try not to touch other parts. Newborn pups should not be touched directly by hand either, so as not to leave a different smell on them.
Nutrition: After giving birth, the mother hamster needs to replenish nutrients quickly. You can feed her mealworms, Yi'an Changshen (a specific product name, keep it as it is if there's no proper English equivalent), or zinc gluconate to help her regain strength rapidly and take better care of her babies.
Avoid Changing Items: Before the baby hamsters reach one month old, do not randomly change the items or bedding in the cage. This can startle the mother hamster and affect her mood and the health of the babies.
Through these care measures, it can help the mother hamster successfully nurse her pups and ensure the healthy growth of the pups.