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Old 12-11-2018, 09:57 PM   #1
marcusbaer
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Default Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

Hi, I am debating over getting a small group of dwarf hamsters (probably Roborovskis) versus one syrian hamster. The cage I will be getting is the diy Ikea Detolf turned on its side. The are of the cage measures about 1100 square inches, and I was wondering if this was enough room for the four Roborovskis (or winter whites). Thank you!
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Old 12-12-2018, 02:02 AM   #2
AxisOkami
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

As far as I know, you should have 360 sq inches per hamster, so if you have 4 hamsters, you need at least 1440 sq inches of space for them.

I also wouldn't keep Winter Whites together, they tend to get territorial and fight if kept together.
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Old 12-12-2018, 02:17 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

The detolf would be big enough for a group, they generally do better with less space as they have less to become territorial over but do bear in mind that most pairs or groups will fall out when they begin to mature & want their own space so you will have to be prepared with a cage or tank ready for each one (all about that size) as this can happen at any time & escalate quickly.
If you do keep more than one it is very important to have no levels, shelves or anything like that, all hideouts houses etc must have more than one entrance & ideally you need a wheel each even though they will share, scatter feeding is better than bowls with less chance of any of them becoming deprived of food.
Hams really don't need the company of another ham or group & all species are happy living alone with their own territory so unless you are experienced with hams it's generally best to just get one, it's also much easier to tame one & they will probably interact better with you than a group will.
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Old 12-12-2018, 07:03 AM   #4
mangoandmimi
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

I agree, it's very risky keeping a colony. Best stick to social animals like female mice if you're wanting a colony, it's just not worth the risk even with robos. Remember if a colony of 4 fall out, the worst case (& probably most likely) scenario would be that you need 4 individual large cages which is less than ideal.
Winter whites really should be considered solitary animals to be honest, in the wild they are often found alone or in opposite sex couples. They're notoriously difficult to keep together too so I'd definitely be ruling that one out.
One Syrian or one dwarf would be fine in the detolf though. By the way the detolf floor area is about 950 square inches as you measure on the inside.
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Old 12-12-2018, 01:00 PM   #5
Ellacj
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

I’d suggest having a bit more space for 4 robos, be prepared to have a spare cage or enclosure as robos can get territorial and start fighting, in that case you’d have to separate them, I had 2 robos that grew up together but when they hit their adult stage they started fighting and I had to separate them so be cautious that there’s a chance you’d have to do that.
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Old 12-12-2018, 02:53 PM   #6
marcusbaer
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

Thank you all! I think I will go with the one syrian!
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Old 12-13-2018, 04:25 PM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

A detolf should be fine - have linked Oak Farm Roborovski's page on housing below (experienced breeder) - she reckons a four foot tank is fine for a colony. It is something that needs some careful thought and experience though. The web page has a lot of info.

Oak Farm Roborovskis
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Old 01-26-2019, 02:27 PM   #8
FelicityAnn
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Default Re: Roborovskis in 1100 square inch cage?

Hi. Looking at the dates on this thread, you've probably made your mind by now, but in case anyone else is reading this, I thought I'd add my twopenny worth of advice. Last year I got two Robo brothers, cuddled up together in the pet shop, cuddled together on the way home as well.
After 5 minutes in their new home,, they were at each other's throats - literally!
Luckily my set up was easy to divide into two equal parts. They're as happy as Larry on their own. You can never tell with hamsters, can you?
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roborovskis, cage, square, inches, side, wondering, measures, winter, whites, turned, room, small, group, debating, inch, dwarf, hamsters, diy, ikea, hamster, syrian, versus, detolf

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