Day 8

The pups have made it over the first big hurdle.  The next phase is probably going to end in a pup not getting enough milk because the 10 of them barely fit under Priss:

(click to enlarge) 10 babies for 14 nipples, quite a stretch this far down the road.

Priss is still in good spirits and is very industrious when she takes a break, so I still have faith she can pull them all through to the hopper phase.  I took time while she was cleaning herself to change out the excrement encrusted area around the nest and snap quick shots of each baby :

(click to enlarge) 4 Dark, 3 Self, 3 Agouti?  I'm interested to see what colors the in-between pups are

Bub is listed as the father, but has only shown up once on this blog.  So what is the Big Papi of my colony doing nowadays?  Mainly lounging about.  He had an accident on his wheel that made him favor his front left arm, so he is just rehabbing for now:

(click to enlarge)  He must be healing well, he managed to finally clean himself up!

I will post another pic when their eyes open or if anything major occurs.

Goodbye Pipa, Hello Babies

Pipa has headed off to a new home.  Since her failed breeding attempt I think it is in her best interest, plus I am going to have my hands full with this new litter that Priss is rearing.  She is VERY defensive of her children that are feeding 99% of the day and night.  I can only get so close or else she tries to fight my hand like I'm an invading hamster:

When woken up so I can photograph her babies, Priss runs frantically trying to position herself to defend the nest.

The babies look very healthy.  We are rounding the 1 week mark on this litter of pups.  Click to enlarge the photos, just as in all my posts.  Cheers.

5 are light colored, 4 are dark colored.  I'm very curious how many are long haired.

I counted 8 male, two female.  I have been wrong in the past though.

Babies and Fuzzballs

Priss has had much success with this batch of babies, so far only one casualty.  I left her tote in a well ventilated area and she is eating lots and feeding them very well.  I have some more photos to share on the subject, make sure to click on them to enlarge:

Priss the day before going into labor.  She literally doubled in size (I can almost palm an NBA basketball).

11 healthy pups remain

They are now 3 days old, already larger than the past 3 litters.

Pipa and Spinal are peacefully living together after adjustments to their enrichment and shelters.  I decided to spoil them for being such good roommates:

DID I DIE AND GO TO HEAVEN?!?!?!?!   Yes you did.

Spoiled so bad, Pipa looks like a kid that just ate a banana split.

Bub on the other hand, is experiencing Cage Rage.  I have a lovely bite on my right thumb pad as proof.  I will be giving him some special treatment and alone time for the days to come.

Priss is a mother

   As of this afternoon, Priss gave birth to what appears to be  6-8 healthy children.  Only one of them appears to have hemorrhaging on its face, the rest appear normal.  She actually gave birth outside of the box I provided for cover, probably because of how humid and hot its been the past few weeks.  I will post pics when we hit day 3.

Allergies

Due to my increasingly bad allergies I have started looking for a new home for Pipa and Bundy.

I will be keeping Spinal, Bub and Priss, but the offspring from Priss' pregnancy will be given away.

Please contact me if you are interested.

Roll Call

I have posted a few times about Spinal, but here is a post featuring my other critters.

Pipa (latin for Toad, she pees when picked up);  Black Eared White Self Hamster 

Bundy (Named after he ate his "wife" and babies); Chinese Hamster

Priss (named after her diva-esque disposition); Syrian Hamster

Bub (he is my stud);  Black Eyed White Self Hamster

My mice are constantly swapping around so I will list them later when they are more established.  For now, Priss, Pipa, Bundy and my mice are all living harmoniously in a 20G Long.  I have a hunch that Priss is pregnant from her first contact with Bub, since she is showing signs of fat hips.  I eagerly await the results since it seems Spinal and Pipa aren't fit to breed.

Spinal Nursing

Fourteen days after labor, Spinal has unfortunately lost the majority of her litter.  You can see the drain and fatigue on her face even through the wall of the tote.  If she breeds again I am going to have her build up fat for months beforehand.

Her three remaining babies are almost 3 inches long now and are entirely covered in fur; one is White Self, one is Black Self and the third is Black Hamster white ticks.  I have been helping out with her when I can, she hasn't been cleaning their faces from the weeks of feeding so I had to go in with Q tips and warm water to assist.  I didn't have much time to take pics inside the tote until she noticed and got defensive....

L/H T x S/H T Litter (Bub x Spinal)

Spinal, my Black Hamster, is currently raising 12 young.  This is my most successful breeding attempt and from a healthy Craigslist acquired pet.  I'm sure her first owners in Crystal Lake would be pleased with her efforts.  Here is the 10 day old litter (7 dark, 5 light, close to my punnet predictions):

She grew to almost the same size as my 18 month old Black Eyed White Hamster even though she's only 10 weeks old herself.  Quite an undertaking, here's her unbelievable girth before conception:

Welcome

Welcome to Rodentia Adventure.  

It has been 14 years since I had rodents as pets and recently returned to keeping them as a hobby. Here you will find pictorial updates on their behavior, breeding habits and well-being for your general enjoyment.

For a new beginning, a fitting image of one of my recent pups.  She comes from a 12 pup litter that my Black Long Haired Teddy Bear Hamster recently birthed: