5 Reasons Why a Hamster Would Eat its Babies and how to prevent it. ♥️ ♥️
Hamsters are known to be cute pets that spend their days running in wheels and adorably stuffing their faces.
While these traits are a major draw to owning one of these fluffy buddies.
Hamsters can have some primal moments that aren't as warm and cuddly as their appearance.
There are 5 main reasons why this shocking behavior may occur.
In this video we will look at these 5 main reasons and also
ways you might be able to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Female hamsters will begin to prepare a nest in anticipation of the arrival of their babies.
A hamster is pregnant for only about three weeks and up to
20 babies can seemingly appear overnight in a hamster's nest
if you didn't know your hamster was pregnant.
Hamsters will use soft material to make a comfortable nest for their offspring,
often making use of tissues, paper towels, shredded paper, and the cage substrate.
Sometimes, food is even kept in or around the nest.
Hamsters will eat more when they are pregnant and nursing,
but otherwise their diet will remain the same as if they weren't.
Seeds, fruit, vegetables, and pellets remain staples in a hamster's diet during pregnancy.
Occasional treats are okay, but fresh water should always be available.
If a hamster has prepared for a normal birth by nesting
and eating a little more food than usual,
then it can be especially surprising to see a hamster kill and eat its own baby.
But while a lack of food may be the reason this occurs,
there are a few other reasons why a hamster may eat its babies.
The 5 main reasons why a hamster would eat its babies are as follows.
#1. Stress:
Anyone who has had a baby can relate to a stressed-out mother hamster.
Being pregnant, giving birth, nursing, and caring for multiple babies is very stressful for anyone,
including a hamster.
If a hamster is feeling excessively stressed, then it may eat its babies.
It may feel as though caring for its young is more than it
can handle and unfortunately kill and eat its babies.
This may be more likely to occur in young hamster mothers or
if you are disturbing the mother too much throughout the day.
# 2. Fear:
It is normal for mothers of many species to want to protect their young,
and hamsters are no exception.
But when hamsters are scared or fearful,
this emotion can result in killing and eating their own young.
Threats like a person that your hamster is scared of,
other pets, loud noises, and other things that are intimidating to a
small hamster can all cause it to eat its babies.
# 3. Scent:
A mother hamster spends a lot of time cleaning and caring for its young.
The scent left on each baby helps the mother recognize the young.
If a new scent, such as the scent of a human, is found on the babies,
the mother might become confused and not recognize its own babies.
It may then kill and consume the perceived impostor because the scent of the baby changed.
# 4. Lack of food:
Perhaps the most obvious reason why a hamster would
eat its own babies is due to the lack of food.
Any animal that is pregnant or nursing is using more energy in its
body than it typically would to provide for its young.
Therefore, more food is so necessary.
The hamster may simply be hungry, or the lack of food may result
in the fear of being unable to provide for its baby.
# 5. Inability to care for all the babies:
If a mother feels as though it is overwhelmed with its new litter of pups,
especially if it is a larger litter,
it may decide it is unable to care for all the babies and eat them.
The mother does this out of good for the rest of the babies
to help them survive, even though it doesn't look like a kind thing to do.
3 ways to prevent a hamster from eating its babies.
There are a few easy ways to help prevent a hamster from eating its babies.
# 1. Keep things calm and quiet:
# 2. Check on the babies, but don't touch them:
# 3. Provide plenty of food:
And as a responsible hamster owner,
make sure that you have pet insurance in case your cute hamster needs an operation.
Simply Google the Best Pet Insurance companies and compare the various premiums.
If you look, you'll find a pet insurance plan you can afford.
Pet insurance should be arranged for all your pets at home to prevent stress for both you and your animals.
Choose the best veterinary insurance to cover your loved pets.
Pet insurance premiums vary,
so choose the best premiums and have a good nights sleep.
Don't forget to subscribe if you love hamsters.
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