Dwarf hamsters fighting?

MissyL · 12-01-2016, 05:51 AM

Hi there,
I brought home two 10 week old male robo dwarfs 5 days ago.
They were housed together at the pet store and I have moved them into a large cage together. I have provided two wheels, two food and water sources to try to avoid territorial behaviour.
However, I am aware if they do not get on they may need to be separated.
At first they seemed very happy, however last night I noticed that one was chasing the other round the cage whenever he was approached.
They used to sleep together but they are now sleeping on separate cage floors.
Is this normal behaviour or should I be preparing to split?
Thanks,
MissyL

cypher · 12-01-2016, 06:50 AM

It is normal, most pairs soon want their own space & tend to fall out, there is almost always a more dominant one & submissive one & you do need to keep a close eye on them as they may need separating if this continues. I always think it's better to do this sooner rather than later as fights can result in serious injury if they do occur.
Pairs really do better in a cage with no levels so they don't have anything to become territorial over.

Fluffagrams · 12-01-2016, 06:52 AM

Hello and welcome to Hamster Central.

Hamsters living together will occasionally squabble but if it continues, blood is drawn or one is repeatedly bullying the other then there's more of an issue and you might have to be prepared to split them up.

However there are a couple of things that could help your boys to settle down that you might want to consider. One is the level in the cage, is there any way of removing it? This is because arguments can occur when one hamster claims that level as his territory and the other one wants access.

The other thing that might be worth thinking about is the size of the cage itself. Contrary to the common idea that big is always best, pairs of hamsters don't tend to do well with larger spaces and many experienced keepers have found that they are more likely to squabble in larger spaces - possibly because they have more to fight over, I don't know. Do you have a smaller cage or a storage box that you could make into a cage for them to try?

Obviously there's no guarantees that any of this will work and you may feel that you're more at ease with separating them. They may have difficulty adjusting to start with but they will get over it and you will at least be able to relax in the knowledge that they're not going to have any serious fights.

MissyL · 12-01-2016, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fluffagrams

Hello and welcome to Hamster Central.

Hamsters living together will occasionally squabble but if it continues, blood is drawn or one is repeatedly bullying the other then there's more of an issue and you might have to be prepared to split them up.

However there are a couple of things that could help your boys to settle down that you might want to consider. One is the level in the cage, is there any way of removing it? This is because arguments can occur when one hamster claims that level as his territory and the other one wants access.

The other thing that might be worth thinking about is the size of the cage itself. Contrary to the common idea that big is always best, pairs of hamsters don't tend to do well with larger spaces and many experienced keepers have found that they are more likely to squabble in larger spaces - possibly because they have more to fight over, I don't know. Do you have a smaller cage or a storage box that you could make into a cage for them to try?

Obviously there's no guarantees that any of this will work and you may feel that you're more at ease with separating them. They may have difficulty adjusting to start with but they will get over it and you will at least be able to relax in the knowledge that they're not going to have any serious fights.

Hi there,
Thanks for your reply!
I have just moved them into a smaller cage and interestingly (at least for now) the excessive chasing has ended. I've got two wheels and food bowls in the cage so they're both running in one happily atm.

The cage I had them is is this Fun Area Leon Small Pet Home (see zooplus.com).

I previously had a female Chinese hamster and she loved the space to explore, but maybe it's not great for the boys.

The cage they're in now is smaller roughly 2/3rds the size of a single floor of the previous cage.

I feel guilty and uncomfortable about using cages that size. What size would you recommend? Also could a larger tank type cage/single floor be better than having the three floors?

Thanks for the advice, its much appreciated!
I don't want to split the boys before I have no choice.

MissyL

Fluffagrams · 12-01-2016, 04:35 PM

Something like the one you have with just a single tier is probably as big as I personally would go with a pair. If the cage you've just moved them into has helped them though and they have settled down then I'd keep them there but it's still worth keeping an eye on them just in case they do start squabbling again.

From what you've said, the cage you've moved them into is big enough to give them their two wheels and food bowls. You could also try scattering their food as it'll give them something to do as well as discouraging possessiveness over food bowls. It worked well when I had paired Chinese for mating and the subsequent pups enjoyed it too one their mother let them out of the nest!

I know that we see a lot about recommended cage sizes and this can make us feel guilty if we're not providing the largest cages but I think every hamster is going to have different needs and what will be right for one isn't always going to be right for another.

When I had to downgrade one of my Chinese boys, it made me uncomfortable to start with that he wasn't living in a large cage but I only had to look at how much happier and content he was to see that I had made the right decision for him. The main thing is keeping your boys happy and if a smaller cage is what works for them then you should feel pleased that you've done what is best for your hamsters.

MissyL · 12-03-2016, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fluffagrams

Something like the one you have with just a single tier is probably as big as I personally would go with a pair. If the cage you've just moved them into has helped them though and they have settled down then I'd keep them there but it's still worth keeping an eye on them just in case they do start squabbling again.

From what you've said, the cage you've moved them into is big enough to give them their two wheels and food bowls. You could also try scattering their food as it'll give them something to do as well as discouraging possessiveness over food bowls. It worked well when I had paired Chinese for mating and the subsequent pups enjoyed it too one their mother let them out of the nest!

I know that we see a lot about recommended cage sizes and this can make us feel guilty if we're not providing the largest cages but I think every hamster is going to have different needs and what will be right for one isn't always going to be right for another.

When I had to downgrade one of my Chinese boys, it made me uncomfortable to start with that he wasn't living in a large cage but I only had to look at how much happier and content he was to see that I had made the right decision for him. The main thing is keeping your boys happy and if a smaller cage is what works for them then you should feel pleased that you've done what is best for your hamsters.

Thanks for the advice!
They're getting along better now, I'm not seeing any chasing and they're now sleeping together again.
However, I've noticed that their behaviour has changed.
Previously they were very boisterous and excited, running around the cage and wheel for hours. I didn't seem them come out before midnight (when I went to bed) last night, and they haven't shown any signs of movement this evening.
They're just staying in the nest and sleeping, have I stressed them out by moving between two cages in a short period of time? (I've only had them a week as of today). I'm worried they're bored in their new location.
MissyL

cypher · 12-03-2016, 11:45 PM

The move is bound to stress them out a little, it generally takes some time for any ham to adjust to a cage change, that's quite normal so just keep a close eye on them for a couple of days while they settle in, fingers crossed they continue to get on better with the new arrangement.

MissyL · 12-09-2016, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

The move is bound to stress them out a little, it generally takes some time for any ham to adjust to a cage change, that's quite normal so just keep a close eye on them for a couple of days while they settle in, fingers crossed they continue to get on better with the new arrangement.

Hi, sorry to be back again!
I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing before I split...
So basically the boys have been getting along well since we last spoke.
However, last night the squabbling started up again, somewhat worse than before. There was squeaking, one chasing the other, and then they'd end up in a squabbling ball tumbling around all over.
I've checked them again this morning and they are now in separate beds.
Is there any chance this will resolve? Or is it time to split now theyre repeating the same behaviour in a smaller cage.
Thanks!

AmityvilleHams · 12-09-2016, 03:40 AM

Honestly it is better for their sake to be separated.Constant stress isn't good for anyone,nor is it going to help their bond be strong enough to let them live together permanently.There's only so much you can do,but in the end it isn't always possible or ethical to try and force something which isn't exactly natural in the first place

cypher · 12-09-2016, 03:48 AM

I think you've probably done all you can now to give them a good space to get along as a pair & if they've begun to squabble & fight again then I personally do think it is time to split them up, it really is very common for this to happen so don't feel bad about it, they will be very happy living alone & it is more natural for them.
Waiting is probably just going to be stressful for them & you, I would split them up now before fights get any more serious.