3 new Robo Hamsters

[The_Fastest_Robo]

I bought 3 new Robo's yesterday and they seem to have settled in fine even though they all keep going on the same flying saucer at the same time. I don't know why they do this?

However 1 is fatter than the others, it looks like it has fat cheeks and it sometimes gets left out by the other 2 as it seems less adventurous.

I only got 3 as I didn't want to leave 1 behind at the pet shop.

What can I do??

Also is a hamster maze a good toy? I'm considering adding 1 tonight.

[The_Fastest_Robo]

Just to add

2 of them are getting along fine but the 3rd keeps running up and down 1 side of the cage constantly, I've read it could be a result of mental illness

What should I do??

[Pompompoms]

Ok, firstly welcome, and welcome to your little ones.

It would have been better and easier for you were you given some more helpful advice in the pet shop, as odd numbers of robos are tricky to keep peacefully, and a rarity. The golden rule with keeping them is to only ever get as many as you are able to keep as singles should it come to that. Pairs will fall out too so again it's how much time and how many cages you have and can afford to kit out that needs to be your chief consideration.

Often when gettign robos from a shop they are between eight and twelve weeks old, and this makes things even more tricky for the new owner as the hamsters are hitting puberty, the ages where fights break out. A lot to handle for a new owner, and often not an easy time for an experienced owner either, I myself have three boys from my latest litter I am monitoring closely as they are at that three month mark, and you never know.

One of your robos is already showing signs of stress, it is less likely that he is fatter than the others, as you say his cheeks look fat, this is a stress response, to fill the cheeks with food and keep it there. Another stress response is the tearing up and down. Having not seen him I couldn't tell you whether there is a neurological issue, but my guess would be not, more that he is stressed.

You also need to be wary of chasing, hissing and pinning. A little pinning at this age is quite usual as they will go on scent so much, but if one is being chased and pinned repeatedly, it will stress him.

What is your set up like? If you want to try to keep them together, keep it very simple for the time being. Start with an open nest, it is important that there is no where one can be cornered. Have a large enough cage for them all, scatter the food as opposed to having a bowl, have a large, or better two good size sand areas, a source of water, and three wheels all next to each other, all exactly the same. You could have something they could run under, hop over ect, but again only if there is no way at all one could be trapped by another in there.

This is the basic set up, your hams are in a tricky scenario as well as having the stress of moving, get as close to this as possible, and see how they get on. You will need to check for cuts, under the fur on the bum is common, as well as the feet, scent glands, genitals and hip joints. Be very vigilant as smaller attacks often precede a larger one.

Be responsible for the safety of your hams, be ready to take the one you feel is being bullied out, and be ready to house him if that's what he needs. You may be able to have a settled trio, but it is more likely you will have a pair and a trio, it is also entirely possible you will have three singles.

Keep asking questions, post pictures of your setups in here if you can, and we will try to help you as much as possible

[Eriklover555]

I second all of the above post

Just remember, regardless of what pet stores try to tell you, dwarf hamsters can do just fine on their own. For example, my hammy Reid was much happier after he and his brother were separated.

[The_Fastest_Robo]

That's for the great info Pompompoms it's really helpful and I will try to get some pictures as soon as possible.

Update - The Hamster stopped pacing before I went to bed last night but now that I've woke up 2 of them are sleeping together in a little house while the 3rd is sleeping separately near where it was pacing, I'm not sure if it was the one pacing but I'm assuming it is.

What does this mean?

[LokiWolf]

Just because one is sleeping alone and away from the other two, doesn't have to mean anything.

I have a trio of boy Robos, they have been an official trio for 3 and a half months with no problems. They were originally a group of four brothers, but the runt passed so they are now a trio. Keep in mind I rescued them at about 6 months so I didn't deal with their teenage stage. Sometimes one will sleep alone and away from the other two, but they still will sleep all together sometimes too. They sometimes just want some alone time or they get into a small disagreement about who knows what (can't exactly ask them and get an answer) and the odd hamster out doesn't get to sleep in the robo pile for at least a night before they decide to let the other guy sleep with them again.

But everyone is right about trios and groups being tricky. You have to watch them often for any chance of bullying or falling outs, also looking them over for any injuries. They will play fight, so you need to learn how to tell the difference between a real fight and a play fight. But having a large cage with no levels and having a wheel for each really cuts down on the higher risks, but it can still happen.

Personalities are really what defines a group. My boys are pretty chill, but will still play fight. But no one is really dominant in their trio, but they will stand up to another if one does something they don't like. Dominance can be good or bad, dominance usually determines who's on top, but they can be too dominant which leads them to not letting the others eat or drink or even beating them up just because they feel it is needed when it is not. Dominance can also be mistaken for bullying and it can be if it's taken too far; so that's something you need to watch out for too. If there's no dominant figure, there is usually no one to put them in line when they cross said line. Though most hamsters will give them a proper telling off if they do something they don't like, but there are some hamsters that are just too submissive and won't stand up for themselves.

So you've got plenty to look out for, but it is something you still have to look out for in pairs too. It's tricky, but it's rewarding to watch multiple Robos co-exist together.

Oh and another thing! Make sure they are all the same gender or you will be getting unexpected litters of pups. Pet shops aren't known to be very good at sexing hamsters, so there's always a possibility you have bought different genders. Uneven genders will effect the group, especially if it is two boys and one girl as the boys will fight over the girl, mainly when the girl is in heat. Two girls and one boy isn't as bad, but the girls may gang up on the boy when it's close to them having pups and you will get twice the number of pups to deal with.

[The_Fastest_Robo]

Thank you Lokiwolf and Eriklover

I'm unsure on the genders yet, I will find out as soon as I can. All 3 have slept together since I last posted but their have been little skirmishes
No bleeding or squeaking but 1 flipping over on its back as another takes control. They're not chasing each other around the cage so I suppose that's a good sign.

They're in the mini duna. 55x39 (I know it's too small we're getting a new cage soon) I've been looking at the Hagen ZooZone1 but I don't know what's recommended.

If anyone could help with a good cage it would be really crucial to me and the hams.

At the minute they've got 2 food bowls and some scattered food. A tunnel. 2 Wheels/Saucers. 2 houses and a water bottle.

Any tips?

[kyrilliondaemon]

For a group I'd go bigger than 70cm by 40cm, maybe 80cm by 50cm or bigger if possible. Unfortunately with young robos you also want 7mm bar spacing which makes it difficult...
The only ones I can think of that meet those are the zoozone 2 (once meshed), the Alexander (without shelves) or the mickey XL (also without the shelf).
I'd also give another wheel and water bottle if you can, plus check the houses have two entrances/exits and the hams can run around every item in the cage. Basically with those parts you want to make absolutely sure theres nowhere a ham can be trapped by a cagemate (or two) and attacked because that could lead to really nasty injuries.

Oh and silly I know but make sure you can tell them apart - it'll help determine if someone is being bullied or not and that you separate the right ham if separation is needed.

[Kissa]

Originally Posted by kyrilliondaemon

The only ones I can think of that meet those are the zoozone 2 (once meshed), the Alexander (without shelves) or the mickey XL (also without the shelf).

The Barney also has 7mm bar spacing, and isn't the Alaska's 8mm?

On the actual hamster front, OP, I don't really have anything extra to add, you have had some good advice

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'd forgotten the Barney! And wasn't sure enough on the alaska and young robos. I reckon adding cage ideas was good though