Not a very Merry Christmas for Muffin and Cupcake

SnuggleHam · 12-26-2006, 07:05 AM

Well, it turned out that my dwarf hamsters had a merry Christmas as far as gifts go! I had asked for a variety of hammy things this year, but it turned out the things I got were only suitable to my robo hams. I did get a gift card though for Petsmart so I will use it to get more fun things for everyone!

I was given more tubes for the hamsters, so I used them to make a fun tank topper explorable area. It didn't take them long before they were crawling around up there! I also got an extra small sized silent spinner and a two story wooden home. Its the one with the red roof in the pictures.

Everything was going great! Cupcake and Muffin had even tested out both wheels!

Unfortunately it all went sour and the cage ended up looking like this

Yes they don't seem to be getting along. I noticed some odd behavior a few days ago. One seemed to be picking on the other. But I didn't notice and wounds after close inspection of both, so I let them back together. Its seemed they were boxing rather then fighting. But then last night One was clearly chasing the other around and flipping her over. The other was doing her best to escape

so I took a piece of card bored and divided the cage. I'm not sure if I should put them back together.

That extra wheel came just on time though!

**pophammy** · 12-26-2006, 08:00 AM

Oh dear Snuggleham. Hopefully things will work out for them and they will get back together!

Our hammies had a great Christmas! The got a nibblestick and sweetcorn each, and a hamster stocking and a big box of yogurt and chocolate drops to share! (The drops are hamster chocolate by the way so they are safe)

souffle · 12-26-2006, 08:03 AM

That is a shame Snuggleham but now they are mature, grown up ladies I am afraid that more than often happens. I guess it is the same with all species as we all have to find our own way and make our own lives as individuals. Now what they want is a little boy

Pichu you have two wives

It could be just the changes you have made though and it is possible they may settle again.

hammiesarelovex3 · 12-26-2006, 10:03 AM

I hope everything works out snugglegham!

SnuggleHam · 12-26-2006, 10:55 AM

Thanks all, I'm not sure what I need to do in order to have them behave. It seems to me that one is after the other. I believe its Muffin chasing Cupcake away. It looked a bit to serious to brush of as a mild argument. I know that some dwarf hams just decide they don't want to live together. I've done all I could this time to encourage them to stay together. I've been sprinkle feeding them pretty much since I got them. Having two wheels was the next step but maybe I was too late, or they need more room then they have. I hoped since I knew they were from the same litter being sisters it would help.

I'm disappointed but not upset. I do have a gift card for Petsmart, I'm sure I could find ways to add on to both sides of the ten gallon to give more room. I have plenty of tubes!

How was everyone else's hams Christmas? Did they enjoy the gifts they got?

hammiesarelovex3 · 12-26-2006, 11:10 AM

Aww that stinks snuggleham.

souffle · 12-26-2006, 02:39 PM

Och don't be sad Snuggleham. They are just themselves. I could never have stayed with my sister forever

We were just tooooooo different. They are just growing up and when you think about it this would never happen naturally in the wild as they would have found mates by now and either set up a colony together or gone it alone with their own family groups.

SnuggleHam · 12-29-2006, 02:54 PM

The gift card to Petsmart came in handy. Since Muffin and Cupcake had to be separated, I knew I had to find more room for them then to just have a ten gallon tank which they were splitting. I am really strapped for room so I was thinking I'd buy some kind of tube system to add on to each robos side of the ten-gallon tank.

Smoo and I went to the pet store today to use my gift card and looked around at different options for a while. We kept looking at this Superpet Crittertrail but it wasn't in very good shape, the wheel didn't appear fit properly and there was a part missing. But I am usually pretty adamant about floor place over level/tube space for rodents. We decided to look the cage over and found that besides the missing part the wheel would work if attached properly. Smoo had the great idea of getting it at a discount due to the missing part.

Since I knew I had a piece that would fit at home we asked about it and I ended up purchasing it at 20% off

Judging by the size of the wheel is comes with id day it was designed for Syrians. I feel this cage is much to small for a Syrian, but its quite large and spacious for a dwarf ham! Lucky for me it fit perfectly on my computer desk were a ten-gallon tank would not.

Cupcake got the new crittertrail, she seemed to like it and explored a bit, but swiftly went back to bed, it was to early for her to wake up hehe.

Muffin gets the ten-gallon to herself, the same as Pichu has. Only I put a nice little tube track for her to explore, she must have run through it a dozen times when I got it set up lol.

So now everyone can life happily ever after in their own private hamster mansions lol. But seriously I don't have any more room for more rodents lol!

hadla · 12-29-2006, 09:47 PM

if you want to keep them in the same cage, i would have suggested switching them for a few days so they can get used to each others scents without seeing each other... or put them both in a supervised neutral space for a half hour or so each day. i know thats what people do for gerbils, dont know if it would be the same for hamsters...

souffle · 12-30-2006, 05:35 AM

That is an ideal cage for Cupcake. We have those in the UK and I agree it would be too small for a Syrian unless you attached several together. Lovely big wheel though in it and now you can watch as you type snuggleham!