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Odair
I'got 3 new dwarf hamsters on the same cage, it's been 3 days I still hear them fighting every night. Do I need to separate them or there is still hope they may get along?
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RainbowBrite
Hello and welcome to the forum. Your hamsters will need to be seperated and live apart. Hamsters are solitary animals and do not need company. Please do this right away as they can kill each other.
I am sorry you have found yourself in this situation. Did you get them from a pet shop?
I am sorry you have found yourself in this situation. Did you get them from a pet shop?
M
Member ID2
Hello and welcome to the forum!
You need to separate them immediately before they injure or kill each other.
When you separate them, please check them over in case you have to take them to the vet for treatment.
True, some people do try and keep pairs or groups of dwarf hamsters but they are prepared and have cages on standby because hamsters can fall out and fight at any time.
I don't know where you got your hamsters from but sadly pet shops and some breeders give out incorrect information to make money.
You need to separate them immediately before they injure or kill each other.
When you separate them, please check them over in case you have to take them to the vet for treatment.
True, some people do try and keep pairs or groups of dwarf hamsters but they are prepared and have cages on standby because hamsters can fall out and fight at any time.
I don't know where you got your hamsters from but sadly pet shops and some breeders give out incorrect information to make money.
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M
Member ID2
Apologies if i came across harsh but i get very upset at the thought of stressed or distressed hamsters. It's our responsibility to keep them safe and out of harm.
I'm glad you have found your way here looking for advice and i hope that all your hamsters are unharmed and will get the chance of a happy life in their own habitats.
I'm glad you have found your way here looking for advice and i hope that all your hamsters are unharmed and will get the chance of a happy life in their own habitats.
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elusive
Hello & welcome to the forum.
As the others have said you will need to separate them immediately & then keep them apart for good.
Hamsters are solitary animals, some people do try to keep pairs & pet shops often say they can or should be kept together which means many people are unfortunately badly misinformed.
Three is an extremely difficult number to be together & will almost certainly end in fighting.
Have you got cages to put them in? You will need to act quickly now.
As the others have said you will need to separate them immediately & then keep them apart for good.
Hamsters are solitary animals, some people do try to keep pairs & pet shops often say they can or should be kept together which means many people are unfortunately badly misinformed.
Three is an extremely difficult number to be together & will almost certainly end in fighting.
Have you got cages to put them in? You will need to act quickly now.
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Hello and I am glad you found us. Unfortunately once they start fighting, there is no hope they will get on and as the others say, it is quite an emergency situation. They will, unfortunately, fight to the kill once they start or one of them could get seriously maimed, which can be very distressing.
What you need to do is find a couple of bins for temporary cages. The Ikea Samla 78cm bin is a good option and not expensive, and put some bedding and cardboard tunnels and a house ( a tissue box is fine for a house) and wheel in. You'll need two more wheels and water bottles but you can scatter feed rather than getting new bowls. Then move two of the hamsters out of the cage - one into each bin.
This is how to separate them quickly. If you don't have the space to keep all three then you'll need to advertise to find new homes for the other two.
I am really sorry the pet shop sold you three hamsters without the proper advice. Apart from the injuries and maiming that can be caused when the fighting starts, there is also the psychological stress for the hamster being attacked and bullied.
This happens a lot - they may get on fine initially, but once their hormones kick in when they're a few weeks old, they can fall out. They are naturally territorial and can fight over a wheel, a food dish or a house.
Do keep us posted on how you get on and I hope none of them are injured. You'll be able to give each one a health check once they are separated.
It is a bit of an emergency situation though. I can understand you wondering if it's just because they're new and they might settle down but unfortunately it is far too risky to try that. It will be the new environment and change of cage stress that has set them off probably. If you did get them from a pet shop you might be able to ask them to take two back. But it would be better if you can rehome them in case the pet shop tries to sell them as a pair again.
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RainbowBrite
I hope we did not put you off from posting on here. We just wanted to help you. It would be nice to get an update on the situation. 
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Odair
Hi thank you. I've got two bins for new homes if it must needs be. But they are still together for now they seem to be calm and friendly to one another most of the time, I will be paying close attention and separate them if it seems they don't get along.
M
Member ID2
You can't watch them 24/7 though and the stress of living together can lower their immune system which can lead to illnesses and vet bills for you.
I rescue hamsters and many of my rescue dwarfs were from homes where humans made them live with another.
I have seen the injuries, heard of the deaths.
I know that it's none of my business so ignore my question if you like but
Why do you want them to live together?
If you want to keep more than one rodent in one cage then hamsters are the wrong choice. Gerbils, rats or mice would be a better option providing they get along with each other.
I rescue hamsters and many of my rescue dwarfs were from homes where humans made them live with another.
I have seen the injuries, heard of the deaths.
I know that it's none of my business so ignore my question if you like but
Why do you want them to live together?
If you want to keep more than one rodent in one cage then hamsters are the wrong choice. Gerbils, rats or mice would be a better option providing they get along with each other.
R
RainbowBrite
Where did you get your hamsters from?
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The only thing I will add is - they have no need for the company. They are perfectly happy living alone and in fact can have a closer bond with a human when they live alone. The reason so many people are keen for you to separate them is - prevention is better than cure. And as Beryl says, you don't see what happens at night (which is when they are extremely active). In Germany they have a policy that all hamsters should live alone. It's confusing when there has been, historically, a view that some species of hamsters - eg russian dwarfs and roborovskis - can live in pairs or groups. But extensive experience has shown it is very rare for this to be achievable, and takes a very experienced owner. It only takes one hamster to become territorial and it can end in death or mutilation out of the blue. The set up needs to reflect this. Eg they need three of everything - a wheel each, a water bottle each - three houses, all with multiple entrances and exits. No platforms or levels (one can get territorial over a level). Even a tube or tunnel needs to be big enough for all three to comfortably fit in, so one can't block the other one in. If one is taken out of the cage even a minute before the other one, the one left in the cage will become territorial over the cage. Once one or more has a territorial instinct kick in - there is no brotherly or sisterly love and they will just kill the intruder (and sometimes sadly eat the dead hamster afterwards).
I understand you're keeping a close eye on them and they must seem very sweet and cute if all snuggled up together. I can also understand if you think it might settle down and the fighting was caused by the new environment and change. Personally I wouldn't risk it.
Are they all the same size? Often one is bigger and that's because it's taking all the food and the smaller one is effectively being bullied. The problem is the suddenness of these things. One minute they can all seem fine - the next minute, one is dead. It's the mutilations that are the worst things though, often leading to the hamster having to be put to sleep.
Has there been any chasing or biting of the backsides?
They've shown not to get along. Please separate them immediately. Beryl has made a guide on how to mesh bin cages:
www.thehamsterforum.com
I've seen the aftermath of hamsters who weren't separated when they were advised to do so. One killed the other and the other died as a result of its injuries.
How i mesh a bin cage lid
Please note: only use power tools when confident and able to do so. 1. Cut mesh to required size. I use a wire cutter.
www.thehamsterforum.com
I've seen the aftermath of hamsters who weren't separated when they were advised to do so. One killed the other and the other died as a result of its injuries.
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We are thinking about you as well as the hamsters There have been owners really quite traumatised when they found one hamster had eaten the other one - and they couldn't cope with looking at the remaining hamster any more and ended up rehoming it. This is even harder when you get fond of them as individuals. But the main thing to consider is - they are territorial animals - however cute they look. One minute they can look fine - the next minute one is dead or maimed - it can be so sudden.
There have been owners really quite traumatised when they found one hamster had eaten the other one - and they couldn't cope with looking at the remaining hamster any more and ended up rehoming it. This is even harder when you get fond of them as individuals. But the main thing to consider is - they are territorial animals - however cute they look. One minute they can look fine - the next minute one is dead or maimed - it can be so sudden.
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Frida
Hello Odair, I have dwarf russian hamster called Albert. I adopted him from the P@H adoption centre. He had a poor start to life. I couldn't adopted him straight away because he was under the vet for treatment. He had multiple wounds and was bold. For the first few weeks of having him at home with me his actions were very concerning to me. He would snatch food from me very aggressively, he would drink and eat very fast. He wouldn't investigate any dark areas of his cage. On further investigation I believe he was bullied by another hamster. It took quite awhile for Albert to realise that no other hamster was coming to hurt him. I'm just very grateful that who ever owned Albert and the other hamster(s) split them up before it was too late. Albert is a very happy now but he might not have been.
Please do the right thing for your hamsters before it's too late.
Please do the right thing for your hamsters before it's too late.
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M
Member ID2
One of my rescue dwarfs had eaten her sister which put her owners off keeping hamsters.
I found her a lovely forever home with someone who knew about hamsters.
You could take one or two of your hamsters to a rescue for rehoming if you don't have space for three cages.
It must be very unnerving to get up in the morning not knowing what kind of scene you will find in your hamster cage.
I found her a lovely forever home with someone who knew about hamsters.
You could take one or two of your hamsters to a rescue for rehoming if you don't have space for three cages.
It must be very unnerving to get up in the morning not knowing what kind of scene you will find in your hamster cage.
B
Banned Member 1
Hope this doesn't feel like I am contributing to a pile-on but thought it might be helpful to offer a perspective from someone who is more pro-cohabiting than most people here based on the research I have done.
When you say 'most of the time' does this mean they are still fighting occasionally? Tbh if they're fighting even rarely that's still a strong sign that they need separating in my opinion. Minor squabbles aren't a problem but actual fighting or one being persistantly chased is. One or more of them could very well be constantly stressed, not knowing when one of the others is going to turn on them next. If you can identify a clear aggressor or if only one of them is being bullied then you could separate the appropriate one and see if the other pair get on. Its generally accepted among cohabbers that trios are more difficult than pairs as two can bond closely and want rid of the third one. This doesn't always happen, but it can.
If they just went through a rough patch on moving into a new home and new enclosure and everything is now going smoothly thats one thing but if there are still signs of trouble then I'd advise acting sooner rather than later.
B
Banned Member 1
May I ask what species and sex your hamsters are? Also, have you checked their sex yourself because pet stores are often bad at sexing hamsters and the last thing most people want is to end up with unexpected babies!
M
Member ID2
Offering a perspective based on research is one thing but offering a perspective based on dealing with injured dwarfs is quite another.
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