2 hamsters behaving weirdly

[Freakenfie]

Hello, I'm new here and also new to hamsters.
I have 2 winter white dwarfs

My problem is that before they knew who was the "leader Alfa", but now they switched. The "before Leader" dosent really come out of its house anymore, in the daytime (i dont know about at Night) and when it goes out, it gets into fights. They each have a house, so they can seperate from each other. I don't know if it's just intil they find out who is the leader again. I know I might have to separate them, and put them into separate cages. But honestly I really hope I don't have ti, because they are siblings and have always gone together.
Also they keep scratching them self, like cats or dogs, when they have flees.
Please help, I'm really worried.

[AmityvilleHams]

Separating them is perfectly fine and definitely encouraged.It is actually very beneficial for many reasons,including that hamsters do not naturally stay in same sex groups(so this can be extremely stressful,especially once hormones kick in)and that you can offer far more enrichment and much more space with a single hamster than pairs or groups.

I know that it can seem like it would be mean to separate animals,but in the case of hamsters they don't really have a requirement for same species companionship like with rats and guinea pigs for example They do wonderfully on their own,and can truly thrive that way whereas keeping multiple hamsters together is very limiting and stressful.In fact,some places in the world have hamster forums which essentially ban even discussing keeping multiple hamsters due to how dangerous and unnatural it is!

As for the scratching,what substrate are they on?Wood can cause allergic reactions which are surprisingly common,and hemp can be an allergy causing material as well although much less common than wood(but still a possible cause of allergic reactions,which would include itchiness as a symptom).Paper type substrate is a complicated issue,but if it is Carefresh that is known to be a very problematic and poor quality substrate

[cypher]

Hi Freakenfie, welcome to HC.

How long have you had your hams now?
If it's been a while & they aren't settling together it may be time to separate them, some pairs do live happily together but many do fall out & fights can escalate very quickly, it sounds as though the submissive one is having a hard time of it so they would probably be better off in separate cages now, they do live very happily alone so don't worry about that.
It can take them a little while even up to a couple of weeks to settle into their new cages when separated but they do adjust well given time, some will settle very quickly.

The scratching could possibly be an allergy to wood shavings if you use that although it's not that common really, it could be due to dusty substrate or it could possibly be mites but only a vet can confirm that for you.
Do they have sand? A sand bath is very important for Russian hams to keep their skin & coats in good condition so if they don't I would get some chinchilla sand (not dust) & find a container big enough for them to dig & roll in to make a sand bath.

What mix are you feeding? If they aren't getting all the nutrients they need from a good quality mix that could also be a possible cause of itching.

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi and Welcome to the forum.
It sounds like your pair would benefit from being separated.