Hamster Central - View Single Post - Young dwarf hamsters

Horrible Crowes · 04-08-2021, 11:24 AM

Thanks all, we haven't yet separated them and although the submissive dwarf hasn't stopped squeaking whenever it gets pinned by the more dominant one we've seen a lot less chasing and tussling, no blood or injuries either. They've now been together in the cage for 6.5 days and whilst they don't seem entirely at ease with each other (they still seem a little unsure of each other and get a little skittish next to each other), they do sleep together (after a little bit of squeaking) and we have removed their burrow box and house on a platform to try and reduce any dominant behaviours.

We have struggled to observe them at night still and so tough to know how they interact in the evening. We took them out earlier and placed them into a clean/neutral smallish box for 10-15 minutes and they seemed very pleasant with each other, sniffing each other, rubbing up and crawling over each other, huddling up and trying to nest together without any animosity whatsoever and so I'm wondering if there's something about the cage setup that is creating some territorial behaviour.

They're now settled sleeping together in an open nest/under some woodshavings (the odd squeak every couple of hours) and will keep monitoring them as best we can. I'm wondering if one of the duo was more active on night one and has 'claimed' the cage, or areas of it - we've tried to create a more open area with less places to hide/be chased into and we're hoping that as they're absolutely fine in a neutral environment and they're happy when I'm holding them both at the same time that it's just playtime and/or something cage related and that they're not s lost cause. We have got plans to split the cage should it be absolutely necessary.

04-08-2021, 11:24 AM
Horrible Crowes Newborn Pup Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 9	Re: Young dwarf hamsters - fighting or establishing dominance? Thanks all, we haven't yet separated them and although the submissive dwarf hasn't stopped squeaking whenever it gets pinned by the more dominant one we've seen a lot less chasing and tussling, no blood or injuries either. They've now been together in the cage for 6.5 days and whilst they don't seem entirely at ease with each other (they still seem a little unsure of each other and get a little skittish next to each other), they do sleep together (after a little bit of squeaking) and we have removed their burrow box and house on a platform to try and reduce any dominant behaviours. We have struggled to observe them at night still and so tough to know how they interact in the evening. We took them out earlier and placed them into a clean/neutral smallish box for 10-15 minutes and they seemed very pleasant with each other, sniffing each other, rubbing up and crawling over each other, huddling up and trying to nest together without any animosity whatsoever and so I'm wondering if there's something about the cage setup that is creating some territorial behaviour. They're now settled sleeping together in an open nest/under some woodshavings (the odd squeak every couple of hours) and will keep monitoring them as best we can. I'm wondering if one of the duo was more active on night one and has 'claimed' the cage, or areas of it - we've tried to create a more open area with less places to hide/be chased into and we're hoping that as they're absolutely fine in a neutral environment and they're happy when I'm holding them both at the same time that it's just playtime and/or something cage related and that they're not s lost cause. We have got plans to split the cage should it be absolutely necessary.