Now about my hamster mum and babies

1-the babies are 3-days old.. when is it possible for me to hold them without fear of my scent on them triggering the mum to eat them?

2-when can i start letting mum back in to her ball to run around in the evenings?

she was tired the 1st 2 days but now seems eager to run around and get out. shes always been EXTRA energetic. (thats polite for hyper crazy thing!)

3-the mum and dad(in diff cage) both refuse to drink water by any way.. but eat lettuce and tomatoes and food like that.. is that ok?

4-both parents enjoy the ball but dont use the wheel at all.. how can i train the babies (as they get older) to use the wheel instead of having to get the ball out all the time?

1. Wait until the babies are roaming around the cage on their own and with their eyes open. However if you absolutely MUST pick them up, then do not touch them with your bare fingers, instead use a teaspoon. But you really shouldn't until they're much bigger.

2. When the mom is rattling the bars saying "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" (I'm serious - when our hamster had babies at about the 10 day mark, she desperately wanted out of the cage for a break from the kids. All the moms posting here will understand.) Let your hamster dictate how things go.

3. Really? I've never seen hamsters not drink water.. but, as long as you provide a water bottle with fresh water and plenty of vegetables for your hamster to get water from, then they should be fine. One important point - if you were providing water in the form of a dish, remove it and get a water bottle. When the pups are wandering around and blind, they may fall into a water dish and drown.