Should I separate?

[Leon]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice about my two robo boys, Barnum and Bailey. They are about six months old and have lived together since birth (they were part of an accidental litter I had). They have always squabbled a little, but yesterday I noticed a little scab on Bailey's rump. He is always the submissive one in fights, his smaller brother seems to initiate them. Other than the little scab (which is almost gone today) and a little fur loss around it, he seems fine, is running around quite happily and the two of them are curled up together as normal right now - they also are sleeping together still. I am obviously keeping a very close eye on them, but I am reluctant to separate them if I can avoid it, as a) I had a robo in the past who lived alone for a while and he really seemed lonely (eating less, less active) and b) I've just bought them a nice big 20 gallon tank and I don't have space for another the same, so one would have to have a smaller cage. On the other hand, of course I would rather separate them than risk serious injury.

So what do people think? Are there any other solutions that might work? (I scatter their food and they had 2 water bottles until one started to leak a few days ago - I need to replace it, but I doubt that is the immediate problem - they also have two wheels and plenty of space to hide).

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Tammy22]

Hi Leon,

Roborovskis are one of the most social species of hamster (in my oppinion) - they love company and prefer to be in pairs or small groups.

It is very common for them to have squables now and then, even when they do shed blood, they will still sleep together in the same place and cuddle up - they seem to crave company!

Roborovskis reach maturity at around 3 to 6 months old, and at this time they will be trying to establich some sort of hierachy and sort out who is most dominant. They are at that age now so that is probably why they are squabbling at the moment.

If they havent drawn blood then they should be fine - Roborovskis are very vocal and will squeek even if they are not hurt - it can be just a way to try and scare the other away, or tryin to show that they surrender - some will squeel if you pick them up by the skin behind their neck, even though it definately doesnt hurt them!

You must keep a close on them and make sure they dont fetch blood from each other - once blood has been shed then you must separate them as it will only get worse from then on, and they can hurt each other enough to cause death - you will then wake up one morning to find one half eaten!! which is not nice to see, especially as you have children, but it is completely normal behaviour for them to dispose of the body in that way!!

I often have people contacting me about similar problems and most of them want the hamsters to have the best chances of staying together. I usually recommend putting them in a completely clean tank with no toys or wheels, just scattered food and two water bottles, and some bedding - it usually bonds them again as they hve nothing to fight over and the you can gradually start intoduces toys and wheels two at a time.

Good Luck

Kind Regards,

Tammy x

[Leon]

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for your response. I guess there must have been some blood, for there to be a scab at all, although it was dried by the time I saw it. Perhaps it would be better for me to separate them.

When they squabble, they don't usually appear to be fighting over anything in particular. They will get close to one another, just walking around, and then the small one will start to chase the larger one, usually ending up with him on his back and squeaking.

Do you think it would be worth trying cleaning out the tank completely, then adding toys and wheels gradually as you suggest?

Thank you!
Jenny

[Tammy22]

Hi Jenny,

it cant hurt to give them a chance to be together, as long as you keep a close eye on them.

Make sure the tank is completely clean, best to use a safe pet disenfectant and then put in a thick layer of shavings and some bedding. Scatter plenty of food and put in two water bottles, then put in the two hamsters together.

Make sure you keep a very close eye on them - if there is any sign of blood separate them immediately, if not then you can introduce the toys and wheels gradually two at a time. but make sure all of the toys and wheels are cleaned properly too.

If at any time they start fighting seriously then you can always start again from the very beginning if you like.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt, you will just have to try it. Some Roborovskis do just prefer to live alone though1

Kind Regards,

Tammy x

[PinkEmily]

I have two robo girls, not so long ago i had the same issue. Blood was shed but i kept them together. I have since moved them into a Rotastak Creepy castle with 3 separate sections and the squabbling has stopped. they were in a savic rody cage before that and i guess they got frustrated being in each others faces all the time, where as now they have different 'rooms' to go play in, the smaller bits being a bedroom and a food room/flying saucer room and the larger one having the wheels/water/playhouse.

What cage do you have them in at the moment?

I wouldnt give up on them yet, just keep your eye on them.


EDIT: ive just seen you have a 20 gallon tank I suppose you could always make rooms out of cardboard???? That could be interesting. I think they just need their own space sometimes, the main reason Belle bit Minni was because she annoyed her, Minni is quite hyper.

[Leon]

Hi PinkEmily, thanks for your response too. I read your thread when I was looking for tips - that's an interesting idea, especially since the general wisdom is "no modular cages for dwarfies". Just out of interest, do you have a picture of your rotastak cage? I'm in the US and pretty much the only modular cages we have access to are Crittertail.

I have plenty of toys in my tank that the little guys can hide in, but the rooms out of cardboard is an interesting idea - I might give that a go (good project for a rainy Sunday, after all). I'm also going to try Tammy's idea of cleaning out the cage and building things up gradually.

Thanks for both of your help!

[PinkEmily]

heres a few pictures, they arent the best quality as they are from my mobile. They are due a clean this week


They also climb up a ladder to the green things at the top.



Its supposed to look like this but i thought a ground level cage would be better

[Leon]

Thanks for posting those, it looks great! Must be a nightmare to clean though

My little guys have been fine today when they've been up and around - I've hardly left the room as I'm keeping a close eye on them!

[PinkEmily]

Its not too bad tbh, it used to be when i had it like the bottom pic though, pulling the top part to pieces to clean it out was annoying, the sawdust ended up everywhere!

[Leon]

Right, here's an update. I left everything as it was yesterday while the little guys slept, as there seemed to be no point disturbing them while they were peacefully together. I was planning to do the cleaning out thing that Tammy suggested when they woke up. However, when they woke up I got Bailey out to check on him and discovered that he now has a much larger patch on his rump with little bite marks, missing fur and dried blood. So they must have been up and fighting while I was out of the room

Anyway now I think I just need to separate them. This patch on Bailey's rear gave me a bit of a scare. I've cleaned it as best I can with a damp cotton bud and right now he's in a smaller travel cage for observation though he really seems fine. My question now is shall I flat out separate them for good, or should I maybe try dividing their 20-gallon tank so that they can see and smell each other? If they go in separate tanks, shall I swap them over every now and again so they remember each other's scent, then try to reintroduce them later?

Sorry for all the drama, but I really appreciate your help!