(no subject)
pamc noted to my last post, "That was quick!"
Amber didn't gain weight until... well, around Monday is when I noticed that she'd suddenly expanded a lot. But, since the gestation period for dwarf hamsters is about 16 days... and the babies are only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long...
This experience has been really interesting. I'd noted to pamc and a few other people that, starting around this past Monday or so, Amber nearly doubled in size. I thought that she might be pregnant, but... after the last time, I wasn't sure. (Although I suspect that she was pregnant before, but miscarried.) I mean, the last time that I had a pet that whelped, it was my cocker spaniel, Shadow. And dogs have a much longer gestational period. Plus, we knew that Shadow was pregnant - we had her mated.
About Tuesday, Amber (who'd never done more than lightly nibbled on my fingers when they smelled of food) bit me a few times and refused to climb into my palm, but I really had no idea why. I noticed that Gress was chasing her around the playpen, acting much like he's done in the past when he... er... wanted some ;), and figured that maybe that had made her a little testy. But she only remained a little aggressive for a couple days. On Thursday she was back to her sweet, friendly, social self, giving kisses and climbing into my hand when I presented it to her. And, last night, she chased Gress around. In fact, she jumped into the wheel with him, and they ran in tandem, which I have to admit was exceptionally cute.
Anyway... I'm coming down with something, so I didn't get up until about 1:30 this afternoon while Morgan was out grabbing some 'breakfast' for me. He brought back an 'egg mitt' from Noah's, and I decided that it would be fun to see if my babies liked egg, and I went over to their little house to offer them a treat. Gressy came out first, and happily took the egg I offered, and Amber followed a few seconds later, whereupon she climbed into my hand. Which is when I noticed that she'd lost a great deal of her volume. I found, looking down through the sort-of-transparent plastic half-floor into the "basement" of their little home, a small area that was darker than the surrounding bedding. I placed Amber and Gress in their playpen then lifted the top off their home so that I could see into the "basement". And there the five little newcomers were. :)
They're *soooo* tiny, only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, they are all pink (apparently, their skin remains unpigmented until they are about 4 or 5 days old), they are bald (they grow fur between 7 to 10 days), and their little eyes are shut.
Amber is acting terribly cutely - she keeps grabbing the food that I put in and carrying it around in her mouth - from 'floor level' to basement, back up to floor level, into the wheel.... :) And Gress is obviously a good daddy - he keeps them warm when Amber goes to get a drink or a bit of food, and, entranced, I've watched him fastidiously bathe each of the babies in turn.
Amber didn't gain weight until... well, around Monday is when I noticed that she'd suddenly expanded a lot. But, since the gestation period for dwarf hamsters is about 16 days... and the babies are only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long...
This experience has been really interesting. I'd noted to pamc and a few other people that, starting around this past Monday or so, Amber nearly doubled in size. I thought that she might be pregnant, but... after the last time, I wasn't sure. (Although I suspect that she was pregnant before, but miscarried.) I mean, the last time that I had a pet that whelped, it was my cocker spaniel, Shadow. And dogs have a much longer gestational period. Plus, we knew that Shadow was pregnant - we had her mated.
About Tuesday, Amber (who'd never done more than lightly nibbled on my fingers when they smelled of food) bit me a few times and refused to climb into my palm, but I really had no idea why. I noticed that Gress was chasing her around the playpen, acting much like he's done in the past when he... er... wanted some ;), and figured that maybe that had made her a little testy. But she only remained a little aggressive for a couple days. On Thursday she was back to her sweet, friendly, social self, giving kisses and climbing into my hand when I presented it to her. And, last night, she chased Gress around. In fact, she jumped into the wheel with him, and they ran in tandem, which I have to admit was exceptionally cute.
Anyway... I'm coming down with something, so I didn't get up until about 1:30 this afternoon while Morgan was out grabbing some 'breakfast' for me. He brought back an 'egg mitt' from Noah's, and I decided that it would be fun to see if my babies liked egg, and I went over to their little house to offer them a treat. Gressy came out first, and happily took the egg I offered, and Amber followed a few seconds later, whereupon she climbed into my hand. Which is when I noticed that she'd lost a great deal of her volume. I found, looking down through the sort-of-transparent plastic half-floor into the "basement" of their little home, a small area that was darker than the surrounding bedding. I placed Amber and Gress in their playpen then lifted the top off their home so that I could see into the "basement". And there the five little newcomers were. :)
They're *soooo* tiny, only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, they are all pink (apparently, their skin remains unpigmented until they are about 4 or 5 days old), they are bald (they grow fur between 7 to 10 days), and their little eyes are shut.
Amber is acting terribly cutely - she keeps grabbing the food that I put in and carrying it around in her mouth - from 'floor level' to basement, back up to floor level, into the wheel.... :) And Gress is obviously a good daddy - he keeps them warm when Amber goes to get a drink or a bit of food, and, entranced, I've watched him fastidiously bathe each of the babies in turn.