Russian Dwarf & Roborovski..Can they live together?

[racinghamster]

Someone on another forum has recently paired a russian dwarf with a male mouse for company and questioning this (because mice don`t need the high protein that hamsters do) they said, yes, it was fine and worked well. I would`nt do it myself.

However, it got me thinking whether russian dwarf hamsters (Campbells or Winter Whites) can be paired with a roborovski happily? I have grave doubts myself, but thought I would ask others opinions on this?

I`ve recently had to split both my male roborovski boys and they are happy enough, but wondered if one would be able to live with Scooby, my winter white. Again, this is something I don`t care to even attempt, but merely wanted to ask if anyone had ever heard of this pairing working or whether it`s a complete nonsence? :roll:

[SnuggleHam]

The general consensus I've seen among hamster enthusiasts is that its best to keep hamster species to their own kind. I don't think its recommended by many to allow different kinds of dwarfs to be housed together. I would stay away from that personally. Plus if you sex them wrong you could end up with some hybrids, and thats definitely something we want to avoid. I just figure.. if it doesn't occur in nature, it should occur in captivity.

[racinghamster]

I agree with you Snuggleham. I think some people pair different species together because they feel it`s the moral thing to do if you have two single animals, but I believe we should`nt let human emotions cloud our judgement. If a hamster or a male mouse for example starts to fight with it`s cagemate, it`s possible that the animal causing the fight WANTS to be alone?

I know all about the argument that winter whites and campbells should never be put together and bred from for obvious reasons and Syrians are solitary hamsters anyway, but when I read that some people pair off a mouse with a hamster...it just does`nt seem right? They will argue that it`s better to have this type of pairing than having the animals live alone, but do they consider that it might be best to pair them with their own kind and if not, why bother?

I`m not disagreeing with the fact that some pairings of this kind have worked for some people, but it`s not something I would ever do just because I thought a hamster was on it`s own. I could`nt live with myself if something went wrong and one was to attack the other when I was`nt there. It`s just not worth the risk.

[SnuggleHam]

Some people may have paired mice with dwarf hamsters and so on... but I still wouldn't recommend it. My mind frame is the same as yours. If the rodents are fighting then the best bet is to separate them, they have chosen to not want a companion.

There are other methods for reintroducing the same pair again, so one could try a few techniques. But rodents aren't dogs or cats. You cant simply change their behavior in the same way. One other thing is that hamsters don't really "need" us. So long as they have food shelter water and some form of stimulation they are content to be alone. They are short lived creatures which I find are fairly wired to do certain things. A dog or cat is different, they need more companionship.

I dont think its something that should be practice and I certainly hope people that have paired mice with dwarfs or other dwarfs of a different species together don't recommend it to other people.

[racinghamster]

Exactly! When I think back to my teenage years, I nearly always had a single pet, be it a hamster, a gerbil or a guinea pig. Nowadays, it`s seen as morally wrong to keep an animal on it`s own over any cost. We all know animals prefer their own species as company, but I think it`s going too far puting a mouse with a hamster when their diets are not the same. Okay, maybe mice can eat hamster food, but they really should`nt because it`s fattier and higher in protein.

It`s a bit confusing when you have three or four male mice for example and they all have to be split up for territorial fighting and then when you are faced with then having three single mice living alone, you wonder whether you done the right thing by seperating them.

But pairing up rodents from different species to me, is`nt right. They might look to be happier, but are they? :?:

[SnuggleHam]

I feel that, if your buying a rodent that is communal, be it dwarf hamsters, mice, rats, rabbits, gerbils whatever.. you should always take that into consideration and be willing to buy a pair if possible and give them the chance to live with others of their /same/ species together. But that person would also be aware that they may not get along for some reason and need to be separated. Thus also be ready for that out come have the room for a spare cage.

If fighting does occur then the owner needs to be responsible enough to provide the single pets with plenty of stimulation to live on their own if you cant find them another suitable companion.

*shrugs* I had a community of male gerbils that fought, I ended up separating them into their own bin cages, with plenty of room to run, things to choose and explore, each and their own wheel, and they appear quite content to me.

[babyboos]

It is probably not an ideal situation.
I have heard of such pairings (Russian and Roborovski together) and thankfully as both have different genetic makeup including a different number of chromosomes each hybridisation is not an issue.
Ultimately they would never meet in the wild and certainly never cohabitate therefore I would not see much point in forcing them to in captivity, and I am sure one would probably be veryn scared of the other - both are quite territorial species who rely heavily on scent marking, especially the males of the species'.
I wouldn't put any money on the Russian surviving as Roborovski can be pretty violent, despite their diminutive size.