How do I stop dwarf hamsters from fighting? - Page 3

horseyhammygirl · 04-13-2015, 04:04 AM

I will be seeing her tomorrow so I will have a chat with her and tell her about all the dangers and that she MUST move them. I will do my very best to persuade her and tell her I will help her no matter what to move one. Which one should she move? Doughnut (the bully) or Olaf (the victim)? Does it make a difference? Once they have been moved, can they never see each other again? When she wants to play with them do they have to be separate, even for 5 minutes?

horseyhammygirl · 04-13-2015, 04:09 AM

What if they miss each other? They can get along sometimes too though! What if they start feeling really lonely?

Shannonmcn · 04-13-2015, 04:36 AM

Hamsters don't get lonely tbh, a lot of people think that because they CAN (sometimes) be kept together that they need to be but it's not really true. They'll adjust to a single life and be perfectly happy. Some rodents like rats and mice do need to have company so it's a common thing to assume but once they're separated they won't miss each other after a few days and their lives will be much less stressful without the bullying, even the dominant one will probably appreciate not having to engage in the power struggle. A lot of people find their little personalities become much more pronounced once they don't have to worry about eachother anymore

and yeah once they're separated they'll forget they know eachother at all and they can't meet again or it will be a definite fight. They'll need separate balls if she uses them but I think a lot of people here use the same play area or playpen and that's fine, just mention that she should wash her hands in between handling them if she doesn't want to risk a bite.

You're doing such a good thing advising your friend, I know how hard it can be to give someone you care about the news that they're not doing something right. I was babysitting a little ham myself and just ended up giving him a spare wheel of mine rather than telling his mum how much he really needed a better one! I'm clearly a chicken

Just giving her the link to the thread might be enough, considering its a thread all about her little hams she should want to read it! And then she gets to see how much you care all by herself (and she'll become a member, fingers crossed!)

cypher · 04-13-2015, 04:37 AM

They don't get lonely in the way we do, they really are quite happy to live alone & while they might take a little while to adjust (just as any ham might when moved to a new cage) they'll soon settle & be a lot better of, happier & safer.

horseyhammygirl · 04-13-2015, 04:59 AM

Thanks guys!!! I'm sure she'll take it well and move one (which one, does it matter?) and she will probably become a member!!!

Thank you so much for your help, neither of us would have realised without it!

racinghamster · 04-13-2015, 05:07 AM

It doesn`t really matter which one is removed, but I would be inclined to remove the one that is being bullied. It will mean leaving the bully in the current cage and removing the other one to a fresh cage where he won`t smell his perpetrator, so his stress levels will be reduced.

I don`t know if that`s what anyone else would do but I feel it makes more sense to give the hamster being bullied a fresh start with his own wheel, water bottle, food dish and some simple basic accessories. They don`t ask for much! x

Thin Lizzy · 04-13-2015, 05:08 AM

They're more than capable of living alone.
I'm getting peeved off hearing your friends stupid excuses, she has a choice between separating them or giving them to someone who has common sense.
Stop making excuses for your friend, she obviously doesn't want to listen, get her to read this thread. I'm angry like some others as we're hammie lovers. It's unfair on the hamsters.
Why did she get them in the first place? She needs to put herself in their position, how would she feel being bullied and not being able to escape?

horseyhammygirl · 04-13-2015, 05:28 AM

It really wasn't her fault. She was so excited about getting hamsters and lots of her friends who like to think they know a lot about hamsters but really don't, and of course pet shops all mislead her to thinking that them fighting was normal and she believed them. She really has tried her best for them but they are her first hamsters and everyone makes mistakes. I know she will move them once she realises how important it is.

Thin Lizzy · 04-13-2015, 05:41 AM

Let's hope it isn't too late.

racinghamster · 04-13-2015, 06:03 AM

Your friend has found herself listening (and acting on) advice that many new owners do. Buy a pair, they will be fine together. Give them a cage with lots of levels, separate them and then let them play together.....

None of which is correct! Now she`s going to listen to the people who gave her this advice rather than members who have vast experience of pairs and how volatile they can be. Bad advice tends to stick. She won`t be the last, believe me.

How did you come to have the hamsters and discover they were not getting along? Were you watching them for her while she was on holiday or something? I`m wondering if they are moved about often or handled too much and this has unsettled them? If that`s not the case, then it`s possible that their hormones have just kicked in. x