Chicken Coop light...

[millymollymandy]

Hi don't know if you lot are as good at hamsters as chickens but I have a hamster emergency.

 

I have two male russian dwarf hamsters which we have had with no probs for over a year. OH just looked in the cage and the were viciously tearing each other apart! Both have red raw bellies from scratching at each other and one has a cut on his face.

We have never had any issues before does anyone know what is going on we have seperated them and OH is off to the vets in the morning if they survive.

 

They have never done this before does any one know what could make them tear each other apart?

[Minnie the Moocher]

As far as I know you cannot keep two hamsters together for just this reason. You need two cages as hamsters must be kept as solitary pets.

 

Hope you get things sorted.

[The Dogmother]

I can only echo what Minnie has said - hamsters can't live together; they always fight

[Paola]

Maybe they are now mature and that is why they are fighting. Hormones and all that. I would separate them.

[Snowy]

Hi again Mandy!

Sorry to hear about your hamsters

I always thought russians were OK together, it is syrians that fight

But have a look on this forum http://globalhamsterlo.ipbfree.com/index.php?

When I had problems with my female syrian, they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable

[Cinnamon]

We kept Russians for years, & always had several in a cage with no problems.

In fact Pets At Home sell them to live together in pairs

 

I would give a vet a ring & ask their advice,as as far as I know, Russians can live in a group, but Syrians cannot.

[The Dogmother]

They are fine in cages together until they reach sexual maturity, which is why pet shops have them all living together. But as soon as those hormones kick in, then they start to fight. Some males are late to mature though and it can be a year before their testes descend and they get stroppy.

 

Check with your vet though; I'm only going by what my vet told me years and years ago when we had loads of hammys.

[bronze]

Russians should be kept together. They are known for moping otherwise.

I don't know if you have children but could one of them have handled a friends hamster then come home and transferred the smells?

The only time mine ever fought and I had a lot as I used to breed Campbells was when I once left a female cage too close. They had been siblings but once seperated they can't be put back together.

[millymollymandy]

No kids...only three cats, but the hamsters have never had a problem with them....they even sit by the tank and antagonise the cats!!

 

I really dont want to have to split them, as i am sure they will miss each other....they always sleep wrapped aroung each other and look sooo cute!! but if they are going to hurt each other ill have to!!!!

[Minnie the Moocher]

Hee Hee!

 

When I reread your thread title it reads as though you need pointers to get them started in boxing!

 

So I have some new suggestions:

 

* Make them some teeny tiny boxing gloves

* Put them in a ring

* Whisper to one that the other thinks his mother is ugly

 

That should help I think

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I have kept hamsters for years. Russian hamsters can live apart. I accidently got a male and a female (due to a mix up at the pet shop) and they had to be kept apart. It sounds as though it's a case of hormones kicking in. The only thing to do its to separate them or they will try to kill each other.

[cathybc]

I had two russians that lived together but one suddenly started to be really horrid to the other, so I had to separate them. The picked on one died soon after, I don't think he had been hurt in the fight so I kind of assumed he had been poorly and that is why the other one picked on him. So yes, go to the vets and hopefully get the 'under-hammy' made better. Fingers crossed for you.x

[Omletina Kyckling]

I had two Russians together back in my uni days and they got on fine for so long and then one started to get thinner whilst the other got fatter (suspect with hindsight that one was bullying the other so it didn't get food) and then one day the thin was was killed by the other. It really broke my heart. I'd always been told to keep them together though....hmmmm. Good luck with it!