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New Peanuts! Another surviving generation of
Robos! Born 07 Oct 2005. Out of 8 babies, 3 were stillborn (I discarded the
carcasses before mummy had a chance to eat them. Sorry mama, but I would
provide you with other nutritious food), one went to heaven prematurely the
next day, & I have got 4 strongest survivors. Was a winy bit surprised to
see one of the hamsters bloating suddenly & becoming extremely aggressive
towards the other 3 in the same cage. (In fact I
grabbed hold of it and asked why it was getting so fat & aggressive while
stroking its underbelly the night before she gave birth) Then I realized my
error: I had mistaken a male for a female when I separated this batch. Should
have noticed the huge balls of the culprit long ago… Well, had to remove the other 3 adults to
provide a stress-free environment for mummy so that kiddos have got a chance
of survival. I will track their growth
during their early stages at this page (lots of pictures on this page; hope u
have got broad-band ;) |
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Post-birth Reddish pink in color. Fetal-like. “What the heck am I doing here? What’s this all
about?”
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1 day post-birth Size of peanut. All they could do was to lie on
their backs, wave their limbs frantically & make squeezing sounds.
Totally clueless. “Yeah… I am totally clueless. But my lungs seem
to be functioning”
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7 days post-birth Eyes unopened, but whiskers & ears have
started to develop. Could crawl a little as limbs
start to strengthen. “Will ya stop rolling me about on your palm?”
“Will someone get me some clothing or s’thing?
It’s kinda cold”
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10 days post-birth Eyes still unopened. Ear flaps obviously
protruding already. Whiskers obvious. Short fur on posterior visible.
Stronger limbs; can crawl about unsteadily. Starting to look like a hamster. “Check out my new hair/fur!”
“Snooze time.” Dreaming hamster dreams
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11 days post-birth Hair at the back longer. Eyes are ready to open
anytime. “Mummy’s milk is good for our teeth & bones”
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12 days post-birth First time I noticed them walking (crawling, I
mean) about independently & quite steadily I must say. So I took one of
them out for a walk on my bed. Eyes are still shut. “Put me back in my cage, or I’ll pee again”
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13 days post-birth Able to move about quite independently. Eyes are
finally open (though I believe their vision should be ultra blur now)! Brought one of the out for a run on my office
chair, & it fell 1 foot to the ground (ouch). I suppose it must be quite
alarmed, for it ejected small golden pellets of waste matter (digestive
system is working well!) “Dun press on my head! Makes me stupid”
“Let me go! I need to explore this new world”
“Where’s mama?”
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14 days post-birth More independent now. Nibbled my hand when I
played with it (teeth growing strong, but jaw strength is lacking still).
Should be ready for solid food … time to make food & water available at
their height.
“I am gonna bite thru your arm – check out my new
teeth”
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15 days post-birth Can be considered weaned. Noticed one of the
kiddos trying out a maize seed which means that they should be ready for
solid food. They can crawl about confidently & quickly now (vision should
have cleared up), but get turned over easily. Theoretically speaking, I think
they can be separated from mummy very soon if necessary. “Peek-a-boo”
“Hey Mummy! Get off me!” says hamlet #4 (being
squashed)
“What’s dat Mummy? Can eat one ah?”
“Here, try this…it’s good & my nipples ache
after 2 weeks of breastfeeding”
“Oh man… the wheel doesn’t move despite the fact
that I’ve already put in all my milk-drinking strength…”
No more updates until November – gonna go
overseas for a week :) |
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2 unfortunate discoveries when I got back :( (i) One of the babies was found MIA. Its carcass
was never found, & I have already filed a missing-hamster report with the
Police. (ii) The remaining 3 babies were apparently
suffering from some allergic reaction to something & had shed all their
fur. Meaning I have got 3 weird-looking naked young hamsters. They look very
strange, but on all other accounts, were extremely alive & jumping. Notice the fur at the back of the babies missing?
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34 days post-birth Fur seems to be growing back slowly. Situation
seems normal after I removed the new bathing dust (strongly suspected to be
the source of allergy). Here are photos of Baby Bonk: the smallest of the 3
children. Bonk got its name because it bonked (really ‘bonked’ – as in I
heard a distinct bonk sound) its head on the floor when it leapt from my hand
from a height of 1+ meter 1 week ago. It didn’t know how to land correctly
yet, & basically tried to indent my floor tile with its head. After a few
worrying seconds of concussion, it suddenly struggled awake & acted
‘normal’ again. Whew. Nevertheless, if there is a hamster IQ test, perhaps
Bonk would register a lower score? Hmmm… Bonk goes left
Bonk goes squashed
Bonk goes cute
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