How Old Are Baby Hamsters When They Open Their Eyes? -

The mother hamster can have up to 12 babies during one birth, they are blind and hairless.

How old are baby hamsters when they open their eyes?

Baby hamsters open their eyes 14-17 days after birth. If the baby hamsters do not open their eyes after 17 days, then they may have an infection or deformity.

Sometimes hamsters open their eyes, and after a certain time, they close them again, which means that they have conjunctivitis or the hardened crust from the discharge from the eyes themselves.

In today’s article, you will learn everything about when baby hamsters open their eyes, why sometimes they do not open, and similar questions related to the topic.

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How old are baby hamsters when they open their eyes?

Baby hamsters will open their eyes after two weeks, although there may be small differences, maybe a few days earlier or later they will open their eyes, but by the 17th day, they should of course start to see.

This depends on the breed of the hamster and their development, so some can open their eyes 12 days after birth.

After two weeks, baby hamsters start to see, they become mobile, while after 28 days they start to move and function like adult hamsters.

They then have better hearing, sight, and smell, only they will be smaller than adult hamsters.

If the hamsters do not open their eyes even after 17 days, then there is obviously a problem, it could be an infection or deformity and they should be taken to a veterinarian.

The vet will treat the tiny baby hamster with antibiotics or warm water and cotton swabs to help clear the eye infection.

How can you tell if a baby hamster is about to open its eyes?

Before they open their eyes, baby hamsters will start doing some things that will let you know that a happy moment is coming for your pet.

Here are some of the signs:

rubbing the eyes with their paws – because at those times the hamsters will feel their eyelids slowly opening and the hamster will want to help itself in that process.
small swelling – which is common in baby hamsters in the area around the eyes before the moment of opening the eyes.

a change in behavior – because as they begin to slowly open their eyes, hamsters will become more and more active in their surroundings.

After these signs, expect the happy moment of opening the eyes of the little baby hamster.

Can we force open the eyes of baby hamsters?

There is no need to forcibly help the hamsters to open their eyes, they will open themselves after 14-17 days from their birth.

You just have to be patient and let the hamsters open their eyes naturally on their own.

Any attempt to force open the eyes of baby hamsters can only harm them and cause injuries to their eyes, so never do it.

Why does the baby hamster not open its eyes?

As we said, the baby hamsters should open their eyes by the 17th day, if this does not happen then you can wait two more days.

If even after 19 days the baby hamster does not open its eyes, it must be examined by a veterinarian.

The most common problems due to which baby hamsters do not open their eyes are deformity or macular degeneration, and it can also be an eye infection.

If the baby hamster has a deformity, blindness may occur.

Deformity or macular degeneration includes:

microphthalmos
congenital cataracts

neuro-ophthalmic lesions
coloboma
infantile glaucoma

Baby hamsters will not open their eyes if they have closed-eye injuries, infections, or excessive licking by the mother hamster.

Why are baby hamsters born blind?

Baby hamsters are born blind because that’s how they develop as babies.

For example, hamsters, apart from their eyes, do not have a sufficiently developed sense of hearing, that is, their ears are not sufficiently developed.

The eyes of the hamsters are closed until the 17th day, which may be good because in this way they protect themselves and their body because it is very delicate.

Hamsters’ eyes will open at that moment when their nerves and tissues are sufficiently developed, and in the meantime they are blind.

However, even though the first days the baby hamsters are blind, their mother takes care of them, feeds them, and protects them from predators.

Baby hamsters are born in nature until they start to see, are deep in the ground, and are protected from possible predators.

Can a baby hamster die if it is blind?

A baby hamster will not die if it is blind, it may just have difficulty moving around.

If the baby hamster is blind, it can still live quite normally both in a cage and in the wild, you just need to take more care of it.

For example, if they are in a cage, blind hamsters are not in danger of predators, while if they live in the wild, they often live in holes so that they are not exposed to the danger of attacks from other animals.

Hamsters have very well-developed senses of smell and taste, which help them to find their way around the environment more easily because their vision is a very weak point anyway.

Hamsters use pheromones with which they can detect predators and hide in time before they come to attack them.

Hearing also helps them a lot so that they can hear when predators are approaching them and hide again in time.

Only the baby hamster will find it more challenging to play and run, but with our help, he can enjoy such activities just like other hamsters.

Why does a baby hamster close its eyes again after opening them?

Sometimes baby hamsters open their eyes and then close them again.

This is certainly not right and should not happen, this kind of occurrence is not accidental and means that there is a problem with the baby hamster.

Although some owners think that this is a normal phenomenon, that is, that the hamsters have closed their eyes due to insufficient development, however, the reason is different.

The main reason for baby hamsters closing their eyes is sticky eyes.

Normally after birth, baby hamsters produce a discharge from their eyes, but if that discharge starts to harden then it will stick to the baby hamsters’ eyes and they will close their eyes.

What to do in such situations?

Here are some steps you should take:

soak a clean cotton ball in warm water and wipe the area around the baby hamster’s eyes.
then the crust will soften and begin to dissolve and remove from the eyes.

You should do this until you have completely cleaned the area around the baby hamster’s eyes.

After this home treatment, the hamster will open its eyes.

In situations where the hamster’s eyes are swollen and your pet constantly itches around them, then they start to have pus, which is the appearance of conjunctivitis.

Conjunctivitis should be treated with antibiotics, only in this way the condition of the hamsters’ eyes will improve and they will then open them again.

What causes conjunctivitis in hamsters?

The following factors cause conjunctivitis:

unhygienic in the cage
inappropriate bedding
injuries around the skin of the eyes

leftover food

Since you pay attention to these factors, conjunctivitis should not occur again in baby hamsters, but also in adult hamsters.

What do baby hamsters do when they open their eyes?

When the baby hamsters open their eyes, you will notice that they become much more active, they start running and playing.

They then become curious and want to explore the environment that surrounds them in their cage.

Baby hamsters when they open their eyes are happy because they can see and meet their friends and of course, see their mother.

FAQs

Can a two-week-old hamster survive without a mother?

Without care from the mother, baby hamsters can hardly survive if they are only two weeks old. Care from the mother hamster is crucial for them in the first three weeks. As much as you try to take care of the baby hamster on your own, it is best to be with its mother.

Why did my hamster die after 2 days?

If you buy a hamster and it dies in two days, then the cause may be diarrhea. Diarrhea in hamsters occurs due to bacterial infections or due to a lack of nutrients, electrolytes, etc.

Can a baby hamster live alone?

A baby hamster can only live if it is at least 3-4 weeks old from its birth. After all, Syrian hamsters like to live alone and do not want to share the space or the cage with other hamsters.

How long is a hamster pregnant?

Pregnancy in hamsters usually lasts from 16 – 22 days, depending on the breed of the hamster. It can be noted that, for example, Syrian hamsters have a gestation period of 16 – 17 days. Before the mother’s hamster gives birth, she becomes visibly larger in the abdominal area.

Conclusion

Baby hamsters open their eyes between 14-17 days after their birth.

Some hamsters can open their eyes even 12 days after birth, this depends on the development of the baby hamster and is individual for each hamster.

But hamsters should open their eyes by the 17th day regardless of their breed and development.

Hamsters may not be able to open or close their eyes if they have a hard crust around their eyes or if they have conjunctivitis.

The opening of the eyes of baby hamsters is a joyful moment for every hamster because then they get to know the environment that surrounds them, and they start exploring and being active.