Seperation

Ginger hamster · 10-06-2015, 03:38 AM

Hi, I am new here . I have just become mum to 2 Russian hamsters, Hannibal and Murdock

. I have never had dwarfs before, thought it would be nice to see them together in their home. I wonder if someone could give me advice on the separation of my boys. I bought them from P@H (I don't usually promote this company!) and they were boxed separately for at least 15 mins. Would this be long enough for them to forget who each other is? I have read that it doesn't take long for them to forget and once they had run around their new home they started to fight badly and that same day I had to desperately find another cage. They had only been together for an hour before they started fighting and yet in the shop they were cuddled up. So much for letting them 'settle' for 24 hours, I really don't like P@H.
I would be grateful for any ideas.

cypher · 10-06-2015, 03:55 AM

Hi & welcome to the forum
You're not the first person this has happened to but I doubt it's just the fact that they were apart for 15mins although that won't help & ideally they should have been in the same carrier, the whole adjustment to a new home & being separated from the other siblings if there were any is very stressful for them, even if they get on well to begin with it often doesn't last so you may well have ended up in the same situation just later rather than sooner.

As long as they are separated now they should both live quite happily alone, it's a shame it's not what you were expecting but having them live separately will probably make it easier for you to interact with them once they've settled so you may even enjoy them more.

Ginger hamster · 10-06-2015, 04:25 AM

Hi, thanks for your reply. My boys are quite happy now with a big cage each, and they are always making me laugh.

I understand that there is a lot of stress when changing home, its just the fighting was scary, I'm only used to Syrians. I have been doing plenty of research though and now ready to enjoy the company of my new friends one of which thinks i'm a chew toy!

.

Thank you for your reassurance its nice to know there is always someone out there that can help.

cypher · 10-06-2015, 04:33 AM

You're welcome.
Look forward to seeing more of your little guys

Thin Lizzy · 10-07-2015, 08:38 AM

P@H really are stupid for separating them, but, thankfully you got another cage and they've got their own home of their own and you'll see their characters and personalities grow each day.
Great names - Hannibal and Murdoch. Looking forward to meeting them once they've settled.

**DrKMcK** · 10-07-2015, 09:58 AM

Hello Ginger Hamster, and welcome to Hamster Central. What an intro to your new hammies! You did the right things for these two. Unfortunately, lots of pairs end up separated. Truthfully, even if they had been in the same carrier, they still may have fallen out. We've seen pairs that were together for a year and then fell out. So there is no guarantee that a pair will be together always. I find it's just better to have them as singles myself. The stress on me of constantly watching for trouble just wasn't worth it. And the hammies really don't mind living alone. I hope to see your little fluffs.