Rosewood Abode or Ferplast Favola for my Dwarfs?

[Queen Of The High Teas]

I don't want to frighten you, but I would NEVER house dwarf hamsters in pairs/ groups again. I had 3 russians who I thought,like you, theyd be ok together cos their brothers. And they were, no nipping, fighting, not as much as a squeak, until I came home one awful day and found that 1 of them had attacked and killed the other, then ate him. It was horrendous, upset me so much and I felt so guilty thinking if only he had lived alone he'd have been ok. Never again will I keep dwarf hamsters together. IMO hamsters are solitary and that's how they'll stay with me.

As regards to a Winter White or a Russian, try a small independant pet store rather than p@h who don't sell WW's. My WW came from a pet store where they breed their own animals so it is possible to get a pure one from a store. Also I personally think the WW's have a placider nature and are more laid back and docile than Russians, and their not as nippy either.

[Kissa]

A number of people on the forum have successfully kept pairs, and at least one member has a group of four I'm not saying it's easy, but it's possible. One person's bad experience should not put you off keeping a pair if you have the time, money and effort to put in to it, and are aware that even if you do everything right they may still fall out. Learn from everyone's experiences

[racinghamster]

I am also a `lone` hamster person now. It`s not so much because I also had two male robos who ended up needing seperated, but because you hear all too often of this happening and it can be a sad affair (as in colliewobbles case) if it does end in tragedy. You really do need to have the right set up for a pair or a group and eyes in the back of your head because even though there are some good stories about hamsters co-habiting well, there ten stories of grief for every one story of success. So given those odds, it`s worth noting.

[Mona's Humans]

I think if possible a pair should be tried, my guinea pigs fell out, and caused one injuries, doesn't mean pairs/colonies shouldn't be tried. Yes it may go wrong, but its unlikely to end in death without warning signs first, and i think if its a sociable species, then it should be a last resort being alone (i.e an adoption, or really no space, time etc) not a first decision.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Ditto.

We're the ones keeping a four and while its risky (especially given that they're hybrids) they're genuinely happy together. We're keeping a close eye on them and yes it can be hard work, but they'd be miserable if we separated them just because it'd be easier for us. Instead we keep spare cages ready, are prepared to separate if needed and in the meantime are enjoying every minute they have together. Its great waking up to see four of them curled in a heap together or running in wheels in pairs, or even just wandering around to sniff each other. We see them interact with each other in good ways on a daily basis, plus we know they rarely sleep alone.
We're prepared to separate but they're happy together and deserve to be left together since we can let them.

Our robos on the other hand live alone, in Skip's case he always has, Whizz was miserable alone and meeting Muffin genuinely changed her. Now Whizz and Muffin have made it clear they don't want to live together, but despite that Whizz is a changed ham from before she met Muffin. They all cope alone, but I'm much happier knowing that two of them chose that.

Didn't mean to write so much, but yeah. I'm all for giving hams a chance in pairs first

[FlyLikeAValkyrie]

Ok, one thing I want to say about the abode to anyone wanting to buy it...I bought one when I first bought one for my syrian, I had no idea it was too small..however it's quite deep so it's not as small as you'd think. But on the first evening of the cage I found the top did not fit the top. It was too small and not secure AT ALL. My hamster was actually able to push the top off!! I had to keep the top secure by putting a pair of shoes on top of it! It was appalling! I took the cage back the next day and got a full refund. So therefore, I warn everyone before buying this cage, it is not secure at all.
But I do agree with everyone else, both these cages are too small for 2 dwarf hamsters.