Help! Are my Robos play fighting or real fighting?

[mountaingirl95]

This is my first post, and I wish it was happier instead of so panicked! I have 2 Robo dwarf hamsters, Nugget and Burrito. They are both males and came from the same litter at the pet store. I have had them for almost 4 months now and they have been happily living together until recently.

About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I switched them to a different brand of food (it was cheaper). Nugget had been the smaller of the 2 hamsters but he suddenly gained a lot of weight and became much larger than Burrito. I also found Burrito with a large scabby patch of skin on his butt above his tail one night. I worried that it might be an allergic reaction to the food and so switched them back to their old food (it's worth the extra money for healthy hamsters!) Nugget very quickly returned to his normal healthy weight and Burrito's scabby patch appears to be getting smaller, although it's not gone yet.

I thought all was well but tonight things took a sudden turn for the worse. I went to feed them and found that there was a lot of blood on one of their wheels (they have 2) and it appears to be coming from Nugget's rear left foot. There is no obvious cut and he's not limping but his foot is covered in dried blood. I also noticed that their normal play fighting is a little different tonight. Usually they have short little play fights with no injuries and then go back to running on their wheels together, but tonight they are squeaking and fighting a lot more than usual. I'm worried that Burrito may have injured Nugget and maybe even that Burrito's scabs were actually an injury from Nugget.

They are still sleeping next to each other and running in their bigger wheel alongside each other, and they don't seem to be taking each other's food or anything. I'm still worried though because I've read that hamsters can become aggressive and kill each other. They've been happy together for 4 months though so I would hate to separate them if this is just normal play fighting. What should I do?

[souffle]

It sounds like you need to separate them. If one has an injury the other is likely picking on it. The scab sounds more like a bite wound and once blood is drawn they need separated. They are at that age when they reach maturity and are much more likely to fall out. Don't risk it any longer as it could end in much worse injuries.

[flowerfairy]

I agree with Souffle. I have two roborovski girls and they started wrestling soon after I brought them home. They are now separate and although the more dominant one was a bit depressed for a couple of days (hiding in her bed and running away whenever I was in the room) they are now both completely fine.

It is rather lovely having two set ups to buy things for (hamster accessory shopaholic here).

Hope your two boys quickly adjust to life on their own.

[mountaingirl95]

Thanks so much for the advice. They had another nasty fight last night (thankfully I was there to break it up so no injuries) so I have separated them. I've set up a new bin cage for Burrito and am working on building one for Nugget. I'm a little worried about Burrito since he was the more dominant one but hopefully they'll adjust!