I'm a new hamster owner. Just 3 days now. I'm so worried and nervous about doing something wrong. I purchased 2 robo's on day one. They were from the same litter. I bought a pretty big home because i wanted to be able to add many things for the hamsters to be able to play with and enjoy. They sleep together almost all the time. As a matter of fact they sleep all the time. It was my understanding that they slept mostly during the day and played at night. So far, mostly sleeping.
Day 1 - 1 hamster slept all day while the other stayed up all day, and I do mean all day running in the wheel.
Day 2 - Same thing, one sleeps, comes out to eat, runs in wheel for about 10 minutes back to sleep all day and night nearly while the other hardly ever sleeps.
Day 3 - Decided I have so much room in the cage why not get another. Went back to petsmart talked with the lady there, got one from the same cage that the other two had come from. made sure they were from the same litter. She said they were the same because no new litters had come in yet.
Brought it home - The other two kept fighting with it. I got worried as usual. Took the hamster back so it wouldn't get killed. Lady said it was normal during the first meeting. She said even after only one day they forget the scent on other hamsters that were in their litter. She convinced me that the fighting would most likely pass and I should try again.
Came back home, things were a little more calm. A little scuffle here and there, almost always one of the originals against the new guy. (All males, just a few months old) Even so, every now and then the two that were brought home on day one would fight a little. Scrap it out for a second or two and then seperate. I left them all in the same housing all night. However, original two still sleeping together. Poor new guy, sleeps alone Petsmart said it takes time. So, it has only been one day.
Will they every accept him? What should I do? How can I tell when their fighting or playing. At first one will nip the backend of the other, and then sometimes they will be face to face and kinda slap at one another with their hands, then scuffle around rolling and I assume fighting for about maybe 2-5 seconds and then seperate. It's not constant, but again only one day so far.
As of now their all sleeping, 2 originals together and new guy all alone. I haven't seen them all 3 together at all today. Maybe one will come out and eat, go back to bed, then another will do the same.
Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. I mean anything. I had that post prepared earlier waiting on an invitation to get in here and get some help. So since the writing of this post above here is what has happened.
After the post the two originals woke up (the two that slept together) I'm assuming they are the originals anyway, so hard to tell. They wake up today and as their eating, their fighting. Packing their pouches, get a little food, one kind of walks around and if they meet face to face, scrapt it out for a few seconds.
After their pouches were full one goes and digs a deep hole in the bedding and hides all his food. The other has his pouches still full. He decides of all places to hide his food in the same place. The other goes checking around his hiding place and notices the other there. As the other turns around their face to face again, scrap it out for a few seconds, and seperate. No squeaking, just in my opinion a little squabble.
I decide to wake what "I THINK" is the new guy. He gets woke up and then when either of the other two run into him, quick scuffle then seperate. It doesn't seem like anything really major, but I don't know anything as to how they should behave. Maybe these little squabbles are normal.
Anyway, I decided to remove what I believe to be the new guy to a new home. He seemed happier only about 5-10 minutes after being inside. Got his on bed, own water and food, wheel as well. Want he get lonely?
I just wish i had never got myself into this. I worry so much about everything as it is. I find myself constantly worrying what the hamsters might be doing. I'm also concerned that as they get older it will be a disaster and have to seperate anyway. I just wish I had never gotten the third one in a way. The other two seemed fine for 3 days until I brought the new one in, but now they fight over food I believe, but sleep together at night.
Maybe that would have happened anyway and after 3 days they were a little more comfortable and finally establishing thier territory instead of sleeping. I just have it in my head that they were not fighting and were not gonna fight, until new guy came home and joined them it seems that started it.
I just need any and all advice that I can get. By the way we have not been able to pick one up yet. They are so fast we are scared they will get loose from us if we try
I feel like my wife and I are such terrible owners