Hamster being bullied

[caroline]

This is a very similar query to the last topic from Justine71 but i'd still like some advice if possible. I lost my Syrian hamster Dolly last week and had some really helpful advice so i'd like some more if possible please.

On Sunday i adopted 4 Winter White Russian Dwarf hamsters from the RSPCA. I'm not sure of the age but i know they were taken there because they were unwanted and had been at the RSPCA for about 2 months. They seemed to settle in well considering all the moving about they must have had in their lives but yesterday i noticed that one hamster in particular seemed to be being picked on. This hamster tends to sleep on it's own most of the time and gets bullied by the other 3 if it goes near them. I'm keeping a close eye on them all but just wondered if i should spilt them up now or wait a few more days. I don't want it to get badly hurt but if i seperate them now they wont be able to live together again so i don't want to rush into it. Do you think i should let them settle in a bit longer and see if it gets better?


Also one of the other hamsters (not the one being bullied) has only got 3 legs! The RSPCA didn't inform me of this so i doubt they had even noticed but i noticed this on Sunday night. I have had to change my Rotastak cage around so most if it is horizontal and not vertical because i don't think it will be able to climb the tubes even with ladders. This hamster seems to be the biggest bully too.

Any help or advice would be great. Thank you all. x

[souffle]

4 winter whites is a lot to have together especially in one cage and especially if that cage is a rotasctac! It is gererally thought that these hamsters tend to make territories in this type of set up and fight over the different pods and tubes. Head on confrontation in a tube is not good which is why it is usually better to keep them in large flat set ups like bins and tank type cages.
Not sure really what to suggest but very few groups like this seem to ever stay together. If they were mine I would try a two and two divide. Take the submissive one and the next most submissive and try them together. Leave the other two together. Give two of everything so they dont fight over wheels/houses etc. Never have a food bowl but scatter feed so everyone can get some without being chased from the food. If one hammy is being badly bullied it should be taken out as it will suffer stress and lose condition often ending in injury. Do you have constant chasing and high pitched screaming with one turning the others over and biting? This is a sign that all is not well and I would split them if this is happening. Another reason for one being alone is that it is a pregnant female. Have they checked the sexes? You should do this and also look for scabs and bites indicating fighting.
Three legs may have lost his leg in a fight or been born this way. You should have been advised of this problem as he will likely be better off not wheel running in case it causes damage. Otherwise he should live a normal life though better all on a flat level with no bars or climbing high toys! As long as the leg is clean and well healed don't worry about it. If he is a bad bully it may be better to remove him to being on his own and see how the others do together. You could then keep him in something like a Rody. It is a dilemma and I think you should observe them, take out food bowls if you have them and decide which way to split after checking them for bites etc. They have been through a lot so may settle but you don't want the little one leading a sad, miserable life being bullied.
I hope you are able to make your decision. It is hard I know. We had to separate our pair but they have been so much happier and content on their own since and we feel better no worrying about a bloodbath again.

[Bunsey]

i agree with Souffle, the rotastak is a very bad idea for dwarfs. I would say that you're going to end up with them in 4 separate cages if you keep them in the rotastak for much longer!

I have 4 winter whites together, although i'm well aware that it may not last much longer! I have them in a gabber rex (large flat plastic cage, bout 75cm long) with four 6.5" silent spinners, 2 corner sandbaths and a massive guinea pig bridge for them to sleep under, although other people recommend not giving any toys at all.

You will need 4 wheels. this is really important or 2 will fight over one wheel. They do all run separately in the 4 wheels.

It's up to you whether you want to buy a rex or zoozone, put 4 wheels in and try to keep them together or whether you want to get 2 smaller tubs or something like a couple of gabber lux and put 2 wheels in each and have 2 pairs. The trouble with that is if the pairs fight, you could end up wth 4 separate cages.

Personally, i would go for the first option and then split into pairs if necessary.

You also need to handle them all together, not pick up one at a time as your scent on this one may cause the others to bully him.

[caroline]

Hi, thank you for your advice. Since my first post i have had to separate the bullied one from the others. She is now living on her own and is so much happier. All three of the others were picking on her so i didn't think it would be right to split them into pairs.

The other three are still together in the Rotastak and are getting on fine. (at least at the moment!) The rotasack i have is the pink palace which has a large base and i've added on two other rooms and 2 smaller rooms. The 2 smaller rooms are designed to be used as bedrooms but in those i have just put in food and toys. The large base is mainly the sleeping quarters but has toys and the 2 other rooms have toys and food. At the moment i only have one wheel for them but they do seem to be ok with it. One of the hamsters has only got 3 legs so she tends to avoid it anyway. Although due to your advice i will buy at least one more wheel and will make sure that the food is scattered around.

I must admit though that i didn't think i would have as many problems with them. I have kept 3 Russian Dwarfs before and they were absolutely fine together. They were in a tank though so of course i understand now that that might have meant something. I went the RSPCA because i thought it would be nice to do my bit and adopt an unwanted pet. The only hamsters they had were these 4 so i decided to take them. I felt sorry for them and thought i could give them a better life. I now wish i'd done more research and if i'd known i would have stuck to a Syrian! However i am going to look after them the best i can and hopefully i'll have no more problems. Fingers crossed!

Thanks again x

[souffle]

Of course you are giving them a better life Caroline! You did a great thing in adopting these little ones and I am sure they appreciate the love and care you are giving them. The single one will be fine on her own and seems to be settling already. She will likely grow big and plush now!
Good luck with the others and hope they will all get along fine now. :D

[moletteuk]

Just a note about the hamster with only three legs - she may have problems emptying her pouch if the leg missing is a front leg, it's something to keep an eye on, anyway.

Hope you can have less stress and more fun with your new hammies soon :)

[caroline]

Hello again!

Unfortunately i had to remove another hamster at the weekend. It was being picked on quite badly. Both of the other hamsters esp the one with 3 legs (which i've called Stumpy!) were being really nasty to her. Stumpy was even grinding and chattering her teeth at her which was just horrible. She had quite a bad sore on her tummy too so i had to take her out.

So i've now got 2 hammys on their own and 2 together. Again the 2 together seem to be getting on fine and i don't hear a peep from them, no slight squabbling or anything. Hopefully (and i know i've said this before!) they will be fine now.

The one i first seperated really is flurishing now. She looks really big and healthy. The one i seperated at the weekend is fine too. Her tummy is better and i'm hoping within a week she too will look as good as the other one. I had to buy a new cage though so it's proving to be quite expensive at the moment!

The one with 3 legs (Stumpy!) seems to be aware of her disabilty and actually only uses the opposite sided pouch to store food - clever hamster! I do keep a close eye on her but she seems to be just as able and active as any other. She can even climb ladders with ease which i never thought she'd be able to do. There's no scaring on her at all and because of the way she acts i think she was born that way. She's a very nice hamster - apart from that teeth chattering which was awful!

Thanks again for your kind words Souffle. There was a time when i thought i'd made a mistake in getting these hamsters but i feel a lot better now there's no fighting and bullying between them. I'm hoping i can just enjoy them now without having to worry about the bullying and concerns on housing. x

[souffle]

Fingers crossed the two will stay together now. We really did find it quite a releif to have ours on their own with no fighting worries and they are so friendly now and obviously content. I'm not sure pet shops should sell dwarf hamsters in pairs and groups as it so frequently end in tears. :(

[internet_nobody]

I don't mean to state the obvious, but have you sexed the hamsters yourself? Aggression could be a pregnancy thing, and sometimes the RSPCA get thing wrong (I sort of think the small animals don't get quite as much attention). The sore on the tummy just made me think "scent gland" which should only be obvious on a male.

[caroline]

To be honest i haven't sexed them myself i have just trusted the RSPCA by telling me they are all female. Saying that though i probably shouldn't as they didn't seem to notice that one only had 3 legs! I agree that they don't seem to give the little animals as much attention as they should. I guess they think that they are ok in a cage and left to it. My hamsters had been at the RSPCA for a few months so i would have thought by now they would have had babies if they were going to. I think! I hope!

The sore on the tummy is getting better now though and i'm pretty sure it isn't the scent gland. The sore is further down and more to the left of the tummy. Thanks though as it's something i never even thought about. x

I also agree with souffle that dwarf hamsters shouldn't really be sold in pairs or groups without proper advice and without the pet owner being told first about possible fighting and bullying. Some owners especially if the hamsters are going to be a childs pet might not be able to cope with it. It's distressing and can be costly if you have to end up buying new cages to house them seperately like i have had to. Every book and article you read tends to say that dwarf hamsters like living in pairs or groups and as we know it rarely happens. x