Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Behaviour

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-07-2019, 03:28 AM   #1
sandstone
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 7
Default My hamster is suddenly very aggressive

I had two russian hamster for 2 years already in the same cage. None of them used to ever bite. After a year, one of them started to bite sometimes... But it wasnt an aggressive biting, he was calm. I mean, he wasnt obviously trying to escape from me (to pick them I put my hand in the cage and they both just always go on it).

Since the start, one of them always did "something" to the other. I dont know if it was biting, I saw it a lot of times but I couldnt tell if it was biting, but the other hamster always squeaked while going belly up. Sometimes the other just approached to him and he went belly up directly without the other doing nothing. It was always the same hamster the one who squeaked and was belly up. Now, for several days, the hamster has been very aggressive doing this almost at all times and this time he has made several injuries to the other... I was wondering, why this change? I have read about cage rage, but the examples of good cages they put are the same size as mine.

I bout the "Little Friends Grosvenor" cage and the current cage is 10 cm smaller by each side than that, without having a second floor. Cant post links, sorry.

I have them currently separated. What hamster should I put in the new cage? If its cage rage, then I think the aggressive hamster should go in the big cage so he can be better, but Id want both living together after some time and I fear that he makes the big cage his territory and attacks the other hamster the day I put him in. If I put the one hurt one in the big cage, the cage will smell like him and the other hamster (I think) will feel stranger in that cage so he wont be that aggressive. But ultimately I dont know what to do or what is happening, thats why I ask.

Thanks you very much
sandstone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2019, 05:39 AM   #2
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: My hamster is suddenly very aggressive

It’s very common for them to start fighting for one reason or another, they are territorial animals and living as a pair isn’t natural. If one has been aggressive to the other, so when you saw the squeaking, rolling on back, biting etc then it would’ve been best to separate them at that point. Now that they are separated you cannot introduce them back together, they will get used to life alone if they haven’t already and a reintroduction would be very stressful for them not to mention dangerous.

So keep them separated, which one you put in which sized cage should depend on their personality really. The current cage sounds quite small especially for a pair, I really wouldn’t go smaller than the grosvenor even for one dwarf.
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2019, 05:46 AM   #3
sandstone
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 7
Default Re: My hamster is suddenly very aggressive

I didnt know that one was attacking the other until I saw the wounds. You know, when dogs play, sometimes they seem like they are fighting to death, but they arent hurting each other at all. And I saw the other hamster squeak sometimes even tho the other did literally nothing but to sit right next to him. So I thought that maybe they were playing... And that just one hamster was very noisy.

I saw an article saying that if its cage rage, putting the hamster in an adequate cage can make him improve a lot, so I was thinking in testing that in a week... And if they fight again, then separate them forever.
sandstone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2019, 05:56 AM   #4
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: My hamster is suddenly very aggressive

The chance of them falling out in this new cage with 1) having already fought in the past and 2) a new hamster being introduced into a hamster’s already own territory, is very high and would put them both at a huge risk. You would be putting them both at danger and a reintroduction is not in either of their best interests so it’s much better just to keep them alone. It’s not nice for the one that has been bullied, those signs are not playfighting but instead prevent the hamster from living a happy and relaxed life. The injuries too are concerning and you wouldn’t want to put the hamster through that again.

I don’t know about cage rage and pairs to be honest, I’ve heard about it with one hamster in a smaller cage. But you said they’d been together for 2 years and it doesn’t sound likely that their usual sized cage would make them fall out. It just sounds like one has had enough of the other and as a result the attacks got more severe.
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2019, 05:58 AM   #5
cypher
Dwarf whisperer
 
cypher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: My hamster is suddenly very aggressive

Please don't put them back together again, as mangoandmimi said this is normal behaviour for mature hamsters & being kept together once they have fallen out if very stressful for both the dominant & the submissive hamster, separating them is the only option, they will live happily alone & if you do try to reintroduce them they will fight again resulting in serious injury if not worse so just keep them apart for good now.

Cage rage is just another term for being territorial & can apply to one hamster in a small cage biting or showing other territorial behaviour with a pair it just means they want their own territory & need a cage of their own to live alone.
__________________
Slave to Zak.
Always loved, never forgotten, forever in my heart
T'ycor, Ziggy, Zephyr, Flynt, Mickle, Little Whisp, Zen, Zeki, Tinwë, Zylvan, Míriel, Calyanwë, Gusto & Meri
❤️
cypher is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cage, hamster, aggressive, put, belly, biting, big, squeaked, times, time, rage, bite, floor, happening, links, post, smaller, grosvenor, current, side, makes, territory, attacks, living, fear

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:07 AM.