Please meet my new hybrids

[Bailey]

I recently posted about my new Campbells': Aristotle and Archimedes in that section. Went back to the same pet store today and adopted an orange hybrid female; no more than six weeks old. She's very pretty, does not seem to be a biter, and is a bit scared. Named her Andromeda. She was free for adoption; had been dropped off with her hybrid mom and two sisters.

I wanted to get two girls, not just one, but I usually end up having trouble with pairs, regardless of space, etc., and I have a lot of experience so not sure why that tends to happen. This is my first obviously hybridized hamster.

I am somewhat fascinated by the hybrid concept; her overall build is very WW in appearance to me, but with a thin dorsal stripe and a bright, pretty color and big ears. Unfortunately, I can tell that she may be nearly blind, although she sees my hand when I put it near her. I will work on getting her as tame as my boys once she has time to settle in to her new space. I'm excited to have her and eager to learn more about hybrids and how to best care for them.

Does anyone know what color she is?

[evel_lin]

aw she's very pretty :) I think she might be a mandarin colour but not 100% sure

[Gazmo]

wow how gorgeous is she? :D

[littlescruffies]

Aww she's gorgeous :)

[Stockannette]

Andromeda is very pretty!

[Nikkigrace]

Lovely little girl. Hope she settles right in with you soon :)

[Bailey]

I felt guilty for just taking one when she has family she might get on well with. So, went back and adopted one of her sisters! Hopefully, they will always get along. They are still babies. If not, I have an extra cage. Andromeda seemed happy to see her. I named her Pandora. I think she's some sort of blue argente? :confused: She's just a bit fussier, but has not bitten. Giving them some time to settle in well....

Thanks for all of the compliments!!

[Nikkigrace]

Aww pandora is lovely too! Pretty pretty sisters!
I hope they settle well together and remain a peaceful pair. Give them a typical 'pair' setup (no levels, 2 wheels, open nest, scatter feeding etc) and that will hopefully help :)

[Bailey]

Nikki, thanks so much for that advice! I had not thought about scatter feeding instead of a dish. Also, by open nest, do you mean no 'huts'? Thanks!

[Nikkigrace]

Yeah sorry, I should've explained properly. No houses/huts with one entrance/exit as one may trap the other one in there. I'd just give them a big pile of bedding and let them burrow underneath it as they please. Or the other thing you can do, is get a large wooden bendy bridge and as long as you place it away from the sides of the cage so they can get in and out both ends, fill under there with bedding and they might sleep there and it gives them some shelter.
No levels or platforms is advised so that there is nothing for one to become territorial over.
2 wheels, preferably identical and next to each other , again so there is nothing to fight over.
Scatter feeding will firstly allow them both to eat whenever they want regardless of where the other is and will stop one claiming a bowl as 'theirs' but also it encourages natural feeding behaviours as they would do in the wild :)

[Nikkigrace]

I'd advise having a spare cage already too, just incase. If you haven't already that is :)
I think sometimes people think they will get a second cage IF/WHEN they need one, when actually things can escalate very quickly between pairs and having a cage ready that you can set up quickly is what I'd advise just to be safe.

[Bailey]

Very helpful! I wish I had known this when I had female robo's a few years ago. I had to separate them. Hopefully, I have a little time to adjust their space as they are still babies, but they seem to mature very fast.

Also, I wonder if it's ok to keep them just a couple feet from the males? Will it cause fighting among my male Campbell's (who are closely bonded) when the hybrids come in heat? Or will the females fight each other when they are in heat and can smell the males? (and they def have a slight odor). maybe they should go in different rooms.

[Bailey]

Nikki; didn't see the last part of your message. It seems today that Andromeda is scared of her bolder sister Pandora. Andromeda hides and keeps her pouches full at all times. Pandora also nips at her. I do have a nice spare cage with everything and may split them soon. But they are both doing very well otherwise. Thanks!

[Nikkigrace]

I would suggest stripping their cage right back to basics to try and encourage them to get a long. Take toys out and leave them with plenty of substrate, a biiiiiig open nest, lots of food scattered all over and water. If you have 2 identical wheels, leave them in too. And leave them like that for a good day or 2 to see how they get on. Removing everything else will hopefully give them nothing to fight over and hopefully encourage bonding between them.

However, if blood has been drawn from the nipping then I would separate now. If they are just little nips and not too serious then there's still a chance they can stay together but I'd definitely take them back to minimal basics with the set up for now

[Bailey]

Thanks so much! This is very helpful info for anyone trying to keep a pair together. No blood yet. They can't be more than six weeks old really, but I can already see that Pandora has the aplha personality.

[Nikkigrace]

That's fine and one probably will take on a more dominant roll, it's just whether the other accepts that or not. As they are so young, there is the added pressure of them going through puberty together which may unsettle things. But also, stripping back to basics and trying to settle them now will be a good start :)

[Bailey]

I tried my very best to keep these two together, but Andromeda prefers to live alone (I think they both do, actually). Pandora is currently staying with my next door neighbor who adores her and has lots of hamster experience.

Andromeda is a beautiful hamster. I take her out every night for playtime. Wanted to post a few more photos of her...

[racinghamster]

Beautiful girls, no wonder you went back to the shop! :mad: As Nikki was saying, keeping pairs can be tricky, but follow what Nikki suggested and also, I would add just to spot clean their enclosure rather than remove all of their substrate because doing this can not only remove their scent, but can cause stress, so taking out the damp or smellier parts and replacing with handfuls of fresh bedding and nesting material is the best approach at least until they have had a good few months together and seem happy. Best of luck with them. x

[Bailey]

Thanks so much racing hamster! I always keep something from the dirty cage, like most of the nest, etc, but I'll try keeping a bit more substrate. I may try them together again at some point. They do not seem to care that they are sisters!

Of topic, but I visited Scotland a few few years ago and absolutely loved it! I see that you live there.

[Victoriah107]

Gorgeous little sisters! You'll have double the fun now :D Great advice from NikkiGrace too.

[cookies29]

She is beautiful :) she looks like my little one, lemon. :)

[Bailey]

Andromeda has revealed her true identity as a male hamster! But I love the name and we're keeping it! As he has matured, I see a rather WW head with a Campbell dorsal stripe and overall Campbell body type. He's pretty easy to handle, but not as tame as my Campbell boys and easier to handle than my Campbell girl who is getting feisty, but they are all different and that's ok! :)

[Bailey]

love these two...

[Bailey]

Time to explore...

[Axeria]

Awwh! Adorable :D

[zany_toon]

Aww, how cute is she in her little PetCo house? :D

[Bailey]

It's the Petco carrier that he came home in. I tend to save those types of things are turn them into toys for out-of-cage time. He runs in and out of a square I cut on either side, which is where you see him sitting in that photo. I know he has a girl's name, but that's before I knew and the name Andromeda (aka Andy) just stuck. :-)

He was left at Petco with his siblings and mom, but at least the people brought them in during the day and didn't leave them outside after hours like my Campbell boys were. They were put up for free adoption and all got good homes, last I checked.

[WendyAnne]

They are beautiful! I just love their coloring, and I love the Greek/mythological names! Good luck with them! I hope they are settling in and getting along nicely. :)

[Bailey]

That's so nice, thanks! I've had some issues with bickering, but overall they've done pretty well so far.

[zany_toon]

Oops!! You need to give little Andromeda a little hug from me then as an apology for calling him a girl :lol: I'm glad they are settling in now :D

[DrKMcK]

Uhmmmmm. Bailey... :-D I'd watch Andromeda fairly closely for the next 21 days or so. She's been with Uhmmmm...Andy, LOL, and they may have been far busier than you might have expected. Keep us posted on these two little furries. :-D

[Bailey]

LOL, yes, poor misunderstood (by me) Andromeda is often referred to as Andy nowadays!

[Bailey]

Andy's coat is turning somewhat white for the L.A. "winter"! He's extremely gentle, loves his wheel, and is getting a bit plump regardless so I have to watch it with him. He is also very big, which often happens with hybrids. Super little hamster though!

[Axeria]

aww! Lovely color on Andy! He reminds me of Fenris actually xD He has gone through a coat change and are much more white now, he also is getting quite round and big :P
xx

[Bailey]

Aw thanks, Andy loves his wheel but is a big boy nonetheless.