to look after them. There is no cause for concern here. Но иногда самка уходит и не возвращается, не желая ухаживать за своими cubs. She can build a nest for herself at the other end of the cage and go about her business. In this case, you will not be able to change the situation, you will have to think about finding a nurse for them.

The immunity of cubs at a young age is still very unstable, so they can be susceptible to various infections and diseases. Try to follow the changes that happen to them. So, your kids can catch "milk fever". It is transmitted through contaminated mother's milk. This is a very dangerous disease that can lead to the death of cubs. The following symptoms are characteristic of this disease: the abdomen swells, and the skin becomes dry and hard. Usually "milk fever" affects hamsters 1-2 weeks of age. However, older hamsters can also get it. To avoid further death of the offspring, the female must be urgently shown to the veterinarian. He will prescribe her treatment with special antibiotics.

Only when the babies reach three weeks of age can they be separated from the female. If you do not want to do this at this age, then you can keep them together for a whole month. After that, hamsters must be settled in different cages: males - in one, and females - in another. After you sort the young offspring by gender, they should be raised for another 2-3 weeks. At the same time, it is necessary to tame them. This is easy enough to do: just pick them up more often or play with them. Otherwise, hamsters will not grow up domestic, but wild. After 5-6 weeks, your pets are ready to move on to new owners.

Chapter 4
Hamster Diet
Since hamsters are inhabitants of the steppes and fields, the basis of their natural diet is a variety of cereals and legumes: wheat, oats, buckwheat, corn, peas, sunflower seeds and other seeds and grains, as well as nuts, dry herbs, berries, root crops, vegetables, фрукты и т. п. Естественно, что в степных и полевых условиях хомяки имеют возможность полноценно питаться лишь в тёплое время года, а в остальной период они вынуждены питаться теми запасами, которые самостоятельно сделали на winter. For this purpose, hamsters have special cheek pouches in which they are able to carry a significant amount of food, which they then store in underground storage.

Foods rich in dietary fiber and low in fat are ideal for hamsters, but to avoid malnutrition, you must ensure that your hamster receives all the necessary substances that are contained in a variety of foods. And this is not only all kinds of grains, legumes, seeds and nuts containing carbohydrates, but also vegetables, fruits, berries, rich in vitamins and moisture.

Also, your hamster needs green food. It can be all kinds of green grass that you need to collect in gardens away from roads. In the cold season, greens can be replaced with dry herbs, leaves (tops) and root crops (even if the hamster does not eat grass, he uses it for construction). However, you should not go to the fields and collect cereals, it is still better to buy food for your hamster in a pet store, since such food is environmentally friendly, has undergone special testing and processing. In addition, this food contains special vitamin supplements necessary for the normal growth and development of hamsters at different stages of their life.

Under no circumstances should you feed your hamster the food that you prepare for yourself, because rodents do not need processed food supplemented with fats, salt, sugar and spices at all. The same applies to sweet (I must admit, hamsters love sweets): this type of food is also harmful to them. Contrary to popular belief, hamsters do not know what is good for them and what is not, so they can eat a lot of what you can give them, but this does not mean that such food will not harm them.

As for water, in general, hamsters do not need a lot of liquid, but in winter (when vegetables and fruits are not rich in moisture), you can put a bowl of water in your hamster's cage - he will thread as much as he needs.

Water will not harm in the summer either, it is only better if you hang a special drinker in the cage, in which the water is not contaminated and stays fresh longer. Thus, the daily diet of your hamster should include, if possible, those foods that he needs for nutrition, development and full life. Despite the fact that in nature hamsters can eat long-stored grains, dried vegetables and fruits, at home it is better to feed hamsters with fresh foods.

Since hamsters rest most of the day, and are engaged in the main activity at night, they eat in the morning. However, your task is to make sure that your pet does not overeat early in the morning, but, if possible, eat evenly throughout the day.

Hard food
The natural food of hamsters living in nature mainly consists of various grains, legumes, seeds and herbs. This food is rich in carbohydrates and therefore is the main component of the diet of domestic hamsters. However, it should be borne in mind that for different types of hamsters, various grains, legumes and seeds can be used as food.

So, for golden hamsters, a mixture of flax grains, millet, oats, corn, wheat, as well as sunflower seeds, pumpkins and other wild and cultivated plants is suitable. These same grains and seeds can make up food for Roborovski hamsters.

For dwarf hamsters, it is better to soak large grains and seeds in water or milk - this way they absorb them better, you can also feed them with beet seeds, caragana, saltwort, sedge and other cereals, as well as crushed bulbs of some herbs.

Djungarian hamsters love to eat various seeds and grains, as well as leaves of cereals, cinquefoils and other plants.

Dry grain food for hamsters usually sold in boxes (“Khomyachok”, “Khomka”, “Khomik”), as well as in the form of “spikelets” covered with food and packed in plastic bags. Both types of these foods are suitable for hamsters, so it is best to combine them. Animals are very fond of this type of food, because it allows them to sharpen their teeth. Boxed feed contains special granules, which are supplemented with vitamins and hay, which are necessary for rodents. When buying hamster food, do not forget to check its expiration date, it is always indicated on the package. However, not all hamsters are willing to eat store-bought food with additives, so it's a good idea if you yourself store different types of grains for your hamster and mix them to feed him. So, for example, you can buy and make your own mix, which is usually sold for parrots - a mixture of unpeeled oats and unpeeled millet.

You can sometimes replace oat grains with oatmeal, and in addition, include cereals such as barley, lentils, barley, buckwheat, rye, millet in the hamster’s diet, or sometimes replace them with dried wheat or rye bread, pressed or granulated food sold in pet stores. In addition to the grains themselves, it would be nice to occasionally give the hamster stalks of cereals.

In addition to grains, add raw and dried corn kernels, sesame seeds, peas, beans, beans, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and hazelnuts to your hamster's food (all nuts must be in shell), as well as spruce and pine cones, fruit pits (apricots, peaches, plums, etc.), apple and pear seeds. Everything that can be chewed on and "left in reserve" will give pleasure to your pet and will be to his liking.

Fruits and vegetables
In order for your hamsters' food not to be monotonous, in addition to grains, legumes and nuts, you must definitely include various succulent foods and greens in their daily diet. First of all, these are hard vegetable root crops that your pet will gnaw and at the same time receive the necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as the liquid that it lacks. These vegetables include carrots, beets, cucumbers, potatoes, celery, zucchini, zucchini, eggplant, Jerusalem artichoke, bell pepper, etc. In small quantities, you can occasionally give your hamster various types of cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, radishes. Necessary to protect them from the use of onions and garlic.

Every day, you must add various fruits to the main food of hamsters: apples, pears, bananas, as well as fruits and berries: apricots, cherry plums, raspberries, currants, strawberries, grapes, cherry plums, persimmons, pomegranates. Hamsters should not be given citrus fruits and other exotic fruits that contain a lot of acids and are unusual for the stomach of rodents. In winter, you can replace many fruits with dried fruits. Dried apricots, prunes, dried apples and pears are the favorite food of hamsters.

Make sure that your hamster always has wood in his cage that is good for his teeth. You can sometimes give your hamster all kinds of twigs, cones and leaves.

Additional vitamins and minerals
An additional food containing substances necessary for hamsters is hay, so you can give your pet a handful of hay from time to time, which is also used by hamsters to build nests and warm holes.

Also constantly supply your hamster with ears of cereals, dried ears of wheat and oats - this food is necessary for them. An ideal top dressing (especially for dwarf hamsters) is panicled millet.

For abrasion of incisors, as well as as additional food, it is recommended to give hamsters sprigs of beech, birch, hazel and other fruit trees (apricot, cherry, plum, apple) from time to time.

As