Why Hamsters Abandon/Eat Their Young?

Why hamsters abandon/eat their young? People are often shocked and appalled when they find out that animals such as hamsters will actually abandon and sometimes eat their babies.  This seems to be disgusting, cruel, and you may think that there is something wrong with your hamster. Unfortunately, this can be quite common. This article will explain why some hamsters do these awful things.

Hamsters aren't the only animals that sometimes abandon their young. What possible reasons could they have for doing this? This often occurs if the mother knows that something is wrong with a newborn, such as a disease, deformity, etc. The mother will abandon them instead of caring for them when they are likely to just die anyways. This is kind of awful and not something that humans would do, but it is part of the animal world. Mother hamsters may also abandon some or all of their young if their small environment is overcrowded, if the litter is too large, or if the environment is too noisy. Mother hamsters can get scared and overwhelmed. Other reasons include the mother's insufficient milk production or if the babies were handled by humans too much. This is true for many animals. It is why humans shouldn't touch young animals in the wild. If a baby animals smells like humans its mother may abandon it.

Abandoning babies seems horrible, but hamsters do eat their young sometimes. You probably don't want to witness this, but it does happen. Mothers that sense their young are ill or deformed may actually eat them instead of abandoning them. Overcrowding, stress, and malnutrition may also cause a mother hamster to eat her young.

To prevent these things from occurring you can make sure your hamster is not stressed, make sure the cage is large enough for the mother and all the babies. Make sure your hamster gets a nutritional and well balanced diet. Also, don't bother the hamsters, try to eliminate noise, scaring the mother, and don't touch the babies.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.