By the second week, the hammies were looking like little dwarf hamsters with hair and dorsal stripe. Still they were no bigger than a cotton ball. It was so tempting to hold them, but we did not want to interfere with mothering.
Zebras pups were obviously larger than Baby's now. Were they older or just larger because her litter was half the number as Baby's litter? Zebra is larger than Baby; maybe just genetics at work.
We believed Zebra's pups were older, so near the end of week two, we moved Zebra's family to new digs. The new home is a 10-gallon glass tank, which provides us (and Cosmo) with a better view of the habitat. We used mailing tape to attach water bottles low enough for pups to reach. We put in a mini hamster wheel, a feeding dish and two small huts.
Lauretta transferred the hammies with gloves so as not to get her human smell on the babies. The transition went smoothly. The hammies were happy in their new home. The pups explored. Running on the wheel. Trying to drink from the bottle. Choosing a cozy den.
The pups were already eating packaged hamster mix from the pet shop. We experimented with new foods, focusing on foods that would provide necessary hydration. Cucumber, apple, lettuces and carrots were favorites. Mango and plums were ignored. Of course, they loved hard cheeses. We also found they liked small Iams dogfood chunks. We read that dwarf hamsters are particulary susceptible to diabetes if given too much sugar, so we offered mostly veggies, and apple were offered only as occasional a treat.
We observed as Zebra started to deny her babies momma's milk. They would try to figure out the water bottles. Somehow they new it contained liquid, but it took a while for each to locate the dropper.
Even as all the pups became weaned, Zebra remained protective of them. If I hovered above the tank, she would stand on hind legs making herself appear larger and warning me to stay away. If I reached into the tank to remove an unwanted piece of food, Zebra would come out of hiding and nip my hand.
Zebra enjoyed running aound the house in the hamster ball. We would put her in the ball so we could pick up the cottonball pups. They were so sweet and light and soft.
One day Gabriella put a little too many Iams chunks in the tank. As I was removing pieces of dogfood, Zebra bit my hand (not painful, but startling). My natural reaction was to pull my hand out and shake it. Well, Zebra was still hanging on and upon the shake, she went flying into the next room. Good thing the door was open and the floor was carpeted. She was immediately face to face with Cosmo. Then she took off under the bookcase. I coaxed her into the hamster ball and got her back into the tank unharmed.
