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Old 09-23-2019, 05:05 AM   #1
DeesLittleFurries
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Join Date: Sep 2019
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Default Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

Hi all ,

I would be really grateful for any advice regarding my two hybrid dwarfs, Tom & Jerry, who are brothers and who’ve been living together. I am wondering if they would be happier apart but I am aware that separating them would be final so I want to think it through carefully. I don’t have experience with hamster pairs and was hoping to hear from you who have loads more experience than I do.

Here’s some background: I fostered and then adopted Tom & Jerry from when they were approximately 5-6 months old, they are now around 8-9 months old (these are all guesses, the owners did not provide any information to the rescue). They had a lot of disruption prior to coming to me and I was told that their siblings had been used as live feed (horrible!!). They were not tame when they came to me and particularly Jerry is very timid (he’s also scared of Tom). I am struggling to tame them because any change or disruption to their routine/cage (including cleaning their cage) seems to cause fights (Tom chasing Jerry) and I don’t want to put their lives at risk. I was also trying never to separate them to avoid fall-outs which makes taming harder (for me anyway). They have a large (self-built) cage (120cm-80cm) with 4 wheels, lots of hiding & digging spots & enrichment, 2 water bowls, 2 food bowls (+ scatter food) & I’ve made sure that there are at least 2 exists to everything so that Jerry can’t get trapped by Tom. They have been in the set-up for the past 2 months now. There hasn’t been any drawing of blood and they seem to ignore each another most of the time. Tom is definitely the dominant one, if I clean his sleeping spot he will go an chase Jerry from his. They don’t seem to interact much anymore, they used to sleep together and play when they were in their previous set-up but no longer do (sometimes I wonder if they preferred the smaller set-up?). Jerry seems to seek out Tom’s company but Tom isn’t having any of it and will chase Jerry away. I think Tom would be fine on his own, he seems to prefer his own company but I am worried about Jerry, who is the timid one. He is not getting any positive attention from Tom but seems to be seeking it out regardless. He is also still unsure of humans (…and given his experience, rightly so…). In terms of taming, Tom will come onto my hand if I’m holding treats, Jerry will take treats from my hand if he’s not too ‘on edge’, but it’s not consistent. They are very active, curious hamsters and I would love to be able change their environment more often to keep them entertained and to tame them and allow them to free run in the hamster-proofed room but all my attempts seem to lead to fights and stress which obviously isn’t good.

I would be really grateful for any advice & hope to give them the good life they deserve after all the stress they’ve been through!

Thanks in advance!!!
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Old 09-23-2019, 05:35 AM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

You say that Jerry is scared of Tom.
Shouldn't that be the clue to your question?

I would seperate them NOW.

Chances are that they will both be far happier on their own and taming should be easier too once they trust you and realise that they are safe now and won't get eaten.
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Old 09-23-2019, 05:52 AM   #3
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

I would definitely separate them as soon as physically possible. You're not alone worrying about how separated hamsters may handle the transition to being housed alone, but it is a very unnecessary worry as it is far more natural for hamsters of any species to be housed singly. In the wild, they'd generally only really be with other members of their species for breeding purposes and that would not include interacting socially with others of the same gender.

A lot of people find that the more timid hamsters do far better when they're separated. In Jerry's case, even if he was one of the odd ones to not become more outgoing and just stay on the more timid side, being housed with Tom is very stressful and long term would ultimately lead to worse behavior regardless and could also increase his risk of becoming ill due to a weakened immune system caused by chronic stress.
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Old 09-23-2019, 01:10 PM   #4
PurpleKat
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Default Re: Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

Definitely would separate them ASAP.
When I separated my dwarfs the runt stated gaining weight more steadily and became happier and a more confident ham.
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Old 09-24-2019, 04:11 AM   #5
DeesLittleFurries
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Default Re: Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

Thank you all for your quick replies! I feel reassured that you confirmed my gut feeling and will go ahead and separate them ASAP. Having read your responses I feel quite stupid (and rather guilty) now and would like to justify why I haven't acted sooner; I was told by the rescue that they were 'inseparable' and due to my lack of experience with pairs I found it difficult to judge whether their behaviour was normal. Their behaviour also kept changing; it would get worse and then I'd find them sleeping together and looking like they were benefiting from each others company (this has definitely not been the case these past weeks which is why I decided to post). I just want make sure I do what is best for both Tom and Jerry and I feel more confident to now go ahead and separate them!

Thanks a lot for your advice!!!
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Old 09-24-2019, 05:07 AM   #6
Ria P
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Default Re: Dwarf hamster brothers - taming/potentially separating?

Don't feel guilty or bad because you have been misinformed by a source that should have known better.

I have also been advised to adopt two dwarves because they are brothers and get on etc.

Even pet shops state in their displays that dwarves are sociable and can live in pairs.

No one cares to mention that they may well fall out and end up fighting inflicting serious injury.

I wouldn't have known if i wouldn't have joined this forum and you've done the right thing because you care about your hamsters so you should be proud of yourself.
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