How Many Babies Do Hamsters Have In A Litter?

Is your pet hamster about to become a mother?

Should you be expecting, one pup, two, or even more?

Key Takeaway:

Hamsters have on average 8 to 10 pups in a litter. They might have as little as 4 or up to 20 pups on very rare occasions.

Are you eagerly awaiting the arrival of your mother hamster’s offspring?

Then you’ll find out everything you must know about litter and what to do in the next section of this article.

newborn hamsters

How Many Babies Do Hamsters Have?

Congratulations!

You’re about to become a grandparent! Yes, that’s right, your tiny pet is moments away from giving birth to her first litter of hamster babies.

How adorable!

You’re no doubt keen to find out what to expect when the new litter arrives. So, let’s take a look at some of the details.

A female hamster will typically give birth to 8 to 10 pups in a litter. But depending on the breed of the hamster, they may have as little as 4 in a litter or on extremely rare occasions, as many as 20.

Now that’s a large family!

Your mother hamster will begin preparing for the arrival of her young a few days before she gives birth. While getting ready, she’ll display the following behaviors.

What Is A Baby Hamster Called?

Baby hamsters are called pups. The mother hamster is called a doe and the father hamster is called a buck.

How Large Is a Hamster Litter?

A hamster litter will typically have 8 to 10 pups in it. Some hamsters have as few as 4 pups in a litter and others have up to 20.

Is your hamster mother pregnant?

Then you’ll need to start getting things ready ASAP for the arrival of her young. Baby hamsters arrive quickly and do not take long to mature.

Let’s consider why by starting at the beginning.

How Long Are Hamsters Pregnant?

The gestation period of a pregnant hamster is just 16 to 22 days. The exact length of time varies with the breed of the hamster.

Here are some of the most common hamster breeds and their various gestation periods.

Hamster breedAverage Gestation Period
Roborovski dwarf hamster20-22 days
Syrian hamster15-18 days
Chinese hamster18-21 days
Teddy bear hamster16 days

As you can see, hamsters are not pregnant for very long. So, as soon as you see signs that your hamster is pregnant, you must begin preparing for her offspring’s arrival.

dwarf hamsters little

When Will a Mother Hamster Begin Weaning?

A mother hamster will begin weaning her babies when they are around 3 weeks old. Take the pups away from their mother at this point.

When Will the Pups Reach Maturity?

Not long after they’re fully weaned, your baby hamsters will become sexually mature. You will need to put the males in a separate section from the females before they become sexually mature.

Some hamsters feel distressed when they are too close to other hamsters. To avoid this, keep the hamsters in separate rooms.

Baby hamsters typically become sexually mature at 4 to 5 weeks old.

Baby Hamster Appearance and Size

Is your mommy hamster about to have babies?

Then you are moments away from seeing a litter of tiny babies occupy the cage with her. If it’s your first-time breeding hamsters, you might feel a little apprehensive.

What will her offspring look like and how big will they be?

Let’s find out.

What Do Baby Hamsters Look Like?

All baby hamsters are born hairless and pink no matter their species. The babies have teeth but they are born with their eyes and ears closed.

As the days go by and the hamsters reach the end of their first week, their ears will begin to open and so will their eyes.

What Size Are Baby Hamsters?

Pregnant hamsters will give birth to about 8 to 10 pups in a litter. Hamster owners can expect the babies to weigh anywhere from 1 to 7 grams.

How much the babies weigh depends on the species of hamster. Dwarf hamsters, for example, will only weigh between 1 and 2 grams.

Hamster Litters

Your mommy hamster is about to pop!

But, how many pups will she give birth to this time?

Most litters will contain 8 to 10 pups. But it could contain as few as 4 or up to 20 pups.

Next up, we’ll discuss the average litter sizes for the most popular breeds of hamsters. Take a look and get ready!

Hamster breedAverage Litter Size
Roborovski dwarf hamster4-6 pups
Syrian hamster 6-8 pups
Chinese hamster4 pups
Teddy bear hamster6-12 pups

How Can I Tell If My Hamster Is Pregnant?

Is your female hamster acting kind of strange?

Her behavior has changed and she’s not eating like she used to. Even her cage looks a little different on the inside.

Well, don’t worry, she might just be pregnant!

But, how can you tell whether she is pregnant or not?

Here are a couple of telltale signs for you to look out for.

  • Her abdomen is bulging
  • She is restless. She is constantly running around her cage doing something.
  • She is irritable
  • She begins hoarding more food to eat than normal in her cage. She is carrying more food in her cheek pouches.
  • She is hoarding bedding materials to make a nest

Baby Hamsters Week By Week

It will take up to 5 weeks for a hamster pup to reach maturity.

But what happens in the weeks before?

We’re now going to take a closer look at the life of a hamster pup and everything that happens while it is just a few days and weeks old.

Week One – What Do They Look Like?

The hamster pups are just born and are pink and hairless. They stay close to their mother and don’t move about apart from nursing.

The babies are born with teeth but with their eyes and ears shut.

Towards the end of the first week, they might begin to open their eyes and ears. Other breeds will only do this towards the end of the second week.

Towards the end of the first week, you might begin to see some of their fur growing. But depending on the color of the pup, you might have to wait a little longer to see this.

Do not pet the pups during these early stages.

We know these pets are so hard to resist, but you must!

Week Two – What Do Baby Hamsters Eat?

At around 10 days old, the babies begin to enjoy their first taste of solid food. Put one of the following treats in the cage for them to nibble on.

  • Wheat germ cereal
  • Seeds
  • Cucumber

By the end of the second week, the hamster babies should open their eyes and their ears should open too.

After two weeks, the pups should be able to maintain their body temperature on their own as they will have most of their fur at this point. Do not pet the pups yet.

Week Three – When Should You Separate Them?

Week three marks the end of the hamsters’ baby life as they will by the end of this week start being weaned off of their mother. The young will have started looking for food by themselves at this stage.

At just three weeks old you must begin to separate the males from the females and take all of the young away from their mothers.

At last, you can touch them!

baby hamster

Happy Hamster Litters

What should you know when your female hamster is expecting?

If you’re breeding hamsters for the first time, it is good to know that your females’ behavioral patterns will change just before they give birth. Mother hamsters may become agitated and start hoarding nesting material and food to eat.

Prepare yourself for the very large litter. Hamsters have litters containing 8 to 10 baby hamsters.

These tiny animals will only take 3 weeks to mature and not long after, you will need to put them in separate cages.

To keep your mothers happy, make sure they have enough to eat and drink and avoid disturbing her when she begins to make a nest until she finishes weaning her children.

Did you find the information in this guide useful? At Oddly Cute Pets we strive to provide you with the best tips on how to look after your small animals. Make sure you check out some of the other guides on our website about hamsters and other pets.

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