Poor Baby Hamster...please Help!

[Tikismom]

Okay for Christmas my son got the cutest black bear hamster. We bought it from a pet shop! One week to the day we bought it "SHE" delivered 8 baby hamsters! I came here to learn all I could about what to do. Luckly we made it to 18 days old with all 8. On day 19 one was alone and looked cold so I took a hamster stick and pushed it back in the nest. A few hours later when I checked on it it was dead with it's head ate off! We got over that then last night I heard the babys yelling. I checked to find that two babys had gotten there back left feet tied together with the cotten bedding in the nest. One of them already had their foot almost all the way chewed off. I worked for over and hour with tweezer getting their feet lose. I put them in boxes away from each other and away from the mother. they are eating on their own and their eyes are open. today the one with the foot almost gone still has the foot hanging there and it's leg is swollen. But aside from that it seems fine. The other one has a very swollen leg and it's foot has turned a very dark purple and is also very swollen. I can deal with three legged hamster. But I'm scared that they may get infected. I really just don't know what to do. I didn't ask for this and didn't want babys hamsters. i don't have the heart to put them out of their misery just because they are hurt. What do I do? Will the ones foot fall off on it's on? Please help if you can I'm lost and scared!
:fangel:
thanks

[SapphireWolf]

Take out the cotton bedding IMMEDIATLY! Cotton bedding is very bad for small animals and it can kill them. As for your baby hamster, I would take it to the vet. If need be, he can amputate the foot for you, and may prescribe an antibiotic for your baby. If it's eyes are just opening,it still needs mothers milk. The mother hamster may not accept it back into the nest, so you will probably have to feed it some kitten milk replacement formula. But if they are fully weaned(about 4-5 weeks old), then they should be fine as long as they have food and water. I hope this helps, and good luck to you and your babies

[Jennseng83]

Yes, I definently agree with Sapphirewolf.
Cotton bedding is very very dangerous and they even might try to eat it!
You should take your baby mice to a vet REALLY SOON!
Good luck!

[Zouave]

Read this thread! It directly relates to what happened to you as the same thing happened to me:

http://petshub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8997

I kept all the babies, and I have in the past year posted many photos of them, which you can find if you look here.

Give the mom peace and quiet; do not touch the nest or babies; give her fresh food and maybe a little warmed baby food (chicken/vegetable); give her lots of soft tissues (ripped up) for bedding. Remove any wheels.

Three weeks after birth you can start considering separating them from the mom; in 6-8 weeks the babies have to be separated by gender.

I kept ALL my babies and they are still here, well, 9 out of a litter of 12; three died. :( But that is pretty good, nine still living after a year. it was their first birthday on January 9th!

Keep posting; we'll tell you what to do.

I am so happy I kept them all, by the way. I love all of them - just look at the photos I posted on this forum earlier.

[Tikismom]

The two babies are doing fine so far! I will be sure to give them some type of pet milk for a week or so more. They haven't lost their injured feet yet. The one is still hanging on by skin. The other still worries me with the dark purple coloration. I don't want to put them back with the mother because she seems to eat her weak! I would really love to take them to the vet and feel guilty that I can't but I bought my son a hamster because I thought that would be cheep and easy upkeep for a seven year old. We have 5 horses and a Donkey, a Ferret, and five kids, 9, 7, 6, 3, 1 and one due in May. Our feed and upkeep on those are more than you can imagine! It's not that the hamster means any less to us than any of our other critters. Including our children. It just my son wanted a pet and I was like noway! So we agreed on something cheep for that reason! We didn't expect babies! The pets shops should do more to make sure this doesn't happen to other families. My son was only able to play with his christmas gift for 7 days then he can't touch her for 6 weeks! He didn't ask for that either! I didn't buy a male hamster because of there HUGE assets! LOL Guess I got more assets this way afterall!
Rest asure we will love these little guys three legs or not. And will do what we can for them. I did ask the Vet that takes care of our horses what to do. Of course he said It's a rat, kill it! NO WAY!!!!!!
Thanks again for your help!

[SapphireWolf]

I'm glad to hear that your babies are doing better. And I hate it when people call hamsters rats! (Nothing against rats, I love them, If I had room for some I'd get a few!)

[Tikismom]

I had a rat for 8 years! His name was Ben and he was my only pet for a very long time! I saved him from being snake food when he was very small. they say that reptiles and rodents don't have feelings and can't love.... BUT Ben loved me. I could put that guy out in the yard and he would follow me around like a dog! Never tried to run away. He knew my voice and came to me. He would sleep in my hair, and chase the kids. He never offered to bite any of us! That was my baby. I went on my one and only vacation and while i was gone he became very sick and got stiff, he was foaming at the mouth and slobering. My husband was scared he had somehow gotten rabies. So while I was away he shot him. He knew that I would never allow it once I got home and he told me that Ben was only hanging on to life and suffering! I have missed my baby. I don't think I could ever get another rat! This is my first time with Hamsters. So far they don't seem to have that same sweet disopostion that my Rat had. I'm sure they do make good pets but my first experinces have not been good! I'm going to give them a chance to grow on me! Have you ever noticed your Hamsters become more "dog like" in affection? thanks again for your help! :rainbow:

[SapphireWolf]

Aww poor Ben, I'm sorry.But to the hamsters. Well, my dwarf hamsters, the only doglike thing they do is beg for me to hold them(it's so cute! When they notice I come in the room, they all run to the side of their tanks and try to climb up them until I hold them) My syrian hamster though, he dosen't beg to be held, but he just likes sitting in my lap when I get him out. I also have gerbils, they are fun, they like running across my shoulders and sitting by my face. I think my pets love me, even my rodents. I just want to move to a bigger house, and then I would love to get some rats, I hear wonderful things about them!

[Tikismom]

:EL:
Well I have bad news! Guess my two three legged babies were destine for destruction! They have gone to hamster Heavan now! :angel: The kids got home from school this afternoon and just like everyday let our nutty :flippy: ferret Tiki out for play. I completly forgot to go upstaris and check if my bath room door was shut. Well Tiki brought me the hamsters! I had left them in a box by my shower! They were doing fine today so I'm sure Tiki killed them. :bawling: I'm angry :mad: but more with myself. It's in a ferrets nature to hunt. I hate that they had such tuff little lives. I hope they are in a better place now! :angel5: :angel5:
I would like to say that it really ticks me off that the pet shops are not more careful. Not everyone wants baby hamsters. Many people are just learning about there pet for the first time and it's a big load to have unplanned little fuzzies! I love the five we have left but I only planed for one. I might have let my children get a male to breed after we learned all about our one! But with this experince I'm not even sure getting one was the right thing. AND WE WILL NEVER BREED! Pet shops should think about people out there who might even kill the babies the didn't want to start with. there should be policy to try and prevent unwanted liters!

[SapphireWolf]

Oh, I'm so sorry. Recently, a cat got to one of my hamsters :( They are in a better place, don't worry