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Pebbles82 · 01-19-2022, 04:40 PM

Hello. It’s been a long standing thing that people say dwarf hamsters can live in pairs and pet shops don’t keep up with current pet welfare usually. It’s a topic that has varying views but most people on here know that it is very very hard to keep a pair without fighting or bullying starting. Occasionally you will hear of a pair who have lived together for life but it’s rare. They may do fine for a few months but issues can start when their hormones kick in. Some people say you should never keep pairs (and the German hamster community believe this). But there are Roborovski breeders who say, of all the species, robos benefit from being in pairs or groups. But then they are very experienced hamster owners.

It is such a tricky thing to achieve as hamsters are Territorial. Hence the cage set up has to be just right. Not too big, not too small - two (or even three) of everything - two houses, wheels, food bowls, water bottles etc. Houses with multiple entrances (so one can’t get territorial and block the other in), no platforms or levels (one can claim the territory of the platform). Even tubes and tunnels need to be big enough that they can both easily fit in.

And even if you get all that right there are still things that can turn one off them territorial - which can lead to the fighting or bullying. Such as taking one of them out of the cage even for 15 minutes or so - both need to be taken out together and put back together.

So yes you need a spare cage - or at least a decent sized bin to make a temporary cage - in case you need to separate them.

And keep an eye on things. Squabbling can quickly turn to fighting and one of them kill or seriously maim the other. But I have always wanted to try and keep a pair of robos abd there are people who have done so successfully- but their welfare comes first.

Warning signs - apart from squabbling or one chasing the other a lot - are one being much bigger than the other - means they are hogging the food and the other is being bullied away from food.

Two or three wheels is good. With one of the wheels being a larger, Syrian sized one - easier for them both to run together in the same wheel. They will often share everything - sleep in the same house, run in the same wheel - but it’s still important to have two of everything so one can retreat to their own house or wheel if they want. Shoeboxes make good houses as you can cut multiple entrances - 3 or 4 doorways- one front, back, top and side eg.

Scatter feeding is probably best rather than using bowls. Or you could have two largeish bowls (big enough they can both sit in a bowl ) and do a bit of scatter feed as well.

You’ll need to play it by ear. If they’re just settling in then it might be better to leave them to settle for now and get into a routine. If they’re very young they might be fine. But do keep an eye out for any squabbling.

Even a change of environment (such as moving to their new home) can cause territorial behaviour.

Hope things go well!

01-19-2022, 04:40 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Help, please!! Hello. It’s been a long standing thing that people say dwarf hamsters can live in pairs and pet shops don’t keep up with current pet welfare usually. It’s a topic that has varying views but most people on here know that it is very very hard to keep a pair without fighting or bullying starting. Occasionally you will hear of a pair who have lived together for life but it’s rare. They may do fine for a few months but issues can start when their hormones kick in. Some people say you should never keep pairs (and the German hamster community believe this). But there are Roborovski breeders who say, of all the species, robos benefit from being in pairs or groups. But then they are very experienced hamster owners. It is such a tricky thing to achieve as hamsters are Territorial. Hence the cage set up has to be just right. Not too big, not too small - two (or even three) of everything - two houses, wheels, food bowls, water bottles etc. Houses with multiple entrances (so one can’t get territorial and block the other in), no platforms or levels (one can claim the territory of the platform). Even tubes and tunnels need to be big enough that they can both easily fit in. And even if you get all that right there are still things that can turn one off them territorial - which can lead to the fighting or bullying. Such as taking one of them out of the cage even for 15 minutes or so - both need to be taken out together and put back together. So yes you need a spare cage - or at least a decent sized bin to make a temporary cage - in case you need to separate them. And keep an eye on things. Squabbling can quickly turn to fighting and one of them kill or seriously maim the other. But I have always wanted to try and keep a pair of robos abd there are people who have done so successfully- but their welfare comes first. Warning signs - apart from squabbling or one chasing the other a lot - are one being much bigger than the other - means they are hogging the food and the other is being bullied away from food. Two or three wheels is good. With one of the wheels being a larger, Syrian sized one - easier for them both to run together in the same wheel. They will often share everything - sleep in the same house, run in the same wheel - but it’s still important to have two of everything so one can retreat to their own house or wheel if they want. Shoeboxes make good houses as you can cut multiple entrances - 3 or 4 doorways- one front, back, top and side eg. Scatter feeding is probably best rather than using bowls. Or you could have two largeish bowls (big enough they can both sit in a bowl ) and do a bit of scatter feed as well. You’ll need to play it by ear. If they’re just settling in then it might be better to leave them to settle for now and get into a routine. If they’re very young they might be fine. But do keep an eye out for any squabbling. Even a change of environment (such as moving to their new home) can cause territorial behaviour. Hope things go well!