Introducing hamsters

Kyrislian · 08-27-2009, 03:17 AM

It's strange, but I've practically posted this three times but it never shows up. Hopefully it'll work now.

Hi everyone. First post here, and new hamster owner *waves shyly*

I bought a beautiful russian white about a month ago, and I've noticed she's been gnawing at the cage wire a lot. After some observations, she appears to only do it when I'm at the computer table where her cage is.

So I went out and bought a lovely albino girl to keep my Baileys company. As I've read up, I've watched their behaviour carefully. I also had bought a large cage extension (that you can attach to a cage through tubes) a day before.

In the first meeting, Baileys ended up bloodying Creme with a bite to the ear. I immediately separated them and placed Creme into the cage extension, which wasn't connected to the cage yet. The next day I took them both out and swapped their cages to hopefully have them get used to each other's scent. Then I introduced Baileys into Creme's cage, and after a few squabbles they settled down. Baileys was digging and burrowing while Creme was busy grooming herself. So I took that to be good signs, and then attached the two cages together. The only strange thing I noticed was that Creme continually climbed over Baileys over and over again.

Anyway, once I put them both together, the moment Baileys was back in her cage, she started attacking and bullying Creme to the point where Creme was confined in the tube between the two cages. The strange thing then was that Baileys took no notice of her at all, and actually ended up cuddling with her in said tube.

I'm confounded at what's happened, and what I should do next. Advice please? For a hamster newbie?

Bunsey · 08-27-2009, 01:50 PM

oh deary... aw i'm sorry, but you did the wrong thing i'm afraid... the worst thing you can do is attach two cages together via tubes. the hamsters view each cage as their own territory and will fight to defend it. It's not recommended even for established pairs/siblings...

Now, i actually wouldn't have recommended introducing a friend at all, but the best method would be to use a big tub and put a fence down the middle, like a grid or chicken wire or something and then do what you were doing (swapping them over etc).

Did you buy them from the same shop? The first thing i'm wondering is if they are even the same species. There are 2 species of "russian dwarf", which pet shops don't seem to be aware of. These species often get bred together to create hybrids. Some hybrids are more one species and some are more the other... this can cause problems when housing them together.

with it having gone wrong, i would leave them apart for now and maye try to split tub cage in a few weeks when they've forgotten each other. To be honest, i'd be surprised if it worked.

The reason Creme was climbing all over Baileys was to dominate her... if Baileys was allowing her to do it then that's actually a good thing. If one submits then there's less chance of fights.

Kyrislian · 08-28-2009, 10:50 PM

Thank you very much for your advice! I think I must've dodged a bullet, Creme and Baileys aren't fighting as much now? They're burrowing and grooming themselves, and the only time they tussle is when they're in a confined space (wheel and sandbox). When I play with them, they don't bite me nor each other. They also have no problems sharing food and water.

Should I take this to be a good sign?

souffle · 08-29-2009, 11:31 AM

Yes it is good that they seem to be settling. Personally I would take out anything they fight over for now. You need to make sure that when they are stable together you should have two of everything and identical. It is best to have no houses or tubes they can corner each other in. Never use a food bowl but scatter feed them and hide food in the bedding so they are kept bust foraging.
PS Your first 4 posts do not appear until a moderator has approved them. This is to stop some awaful spamming we have had lately. After 4 it will start to appear straight away :0