Hamsters (merged)

thesim

^^ agree with above poster, dont use straw. I used to use carefresh, was ace!

nanokitten

I'd be careful about what you use as hammies tend to chew stuff and put it in their pouch etc. and something like paperbased cat litter is unlikley to be de-inked and could be pretty bad for them (the same goes for other cat litters) anything too absorbant is likely to swell when eaten.

x-cupcake-x

I use Beaphor (SP) Cage fresh granules for small animals which you can get in Pets at Home - for guinea pigs though, I would check if it's suitable for hammies.

System

i bought a hamster loo [yes they really do sell them ] the idea is dobby would eventually use it , he does that alright he bloody sleeps in it with his little tail hanging out !!!!

Swans1912

you can but scented woodshavings? one of the boys at work buys lavender ones

Lady_Fluff

Scented shavings are bad for little hammy's respiratory systems, and adding wee to them only makes it stronger to them They're so delicate, that unfortunately only plain unscented is suitable for them

amy104

I ditto the megazorb - it is amazing stuff. Also I clean the tank with white vinegar as it eats away at any old urine stains.

tiff

I clean ours out twice a week, we use sawdust with some paper bedding from PAH. We used to use a rotastak cage that was given to us, and the smell was worse then because of all the plastic tubes.(not to mention a nightmare to clean) Now we have a Savic wire cage with plastic bottom and I think this helps a bit. We use kitchen roll and toilet roll tubes for tunnels and replace every time.

January20

Mid-June my daughter (16) bought 2 roborovski hamsters. 2 males aged 6 weeks at the time.

All went well until yesterday evening, when she found the remains of one of them. I say remains because there was very little left of it. You could hardly tell it had been a hamster. She had cleaned the cage about 2 days ago and both hamsters appeared healthy and well, so....

Is it possible that one could have killed the other?

Is it normal for a healthy hamster to eat a dead one (they had been fed).

Will the remaining hamster be able to survive on his own? they were sold in pairs so am assuming that the reason is they get lonely alone? I checked him this morning and he seems to be fine, had a healthy portion of breakfast!

I have experience of Syrian hamsters but not these little ones so any help, tips, link to reliable websites would be appreciated.

Thanks

Lady_Fluff

Hi January,

Yes, it is possible that one could have killed the other - however, had you noticed any fighting between the two? Although sold as brothers, hammies can have fallings out, and, unfortunately, severe bullying can be part of this, and blood can be drawn. I know many people who have kept robos in pairs successfully, but I know just as many who have had to split them up as well.

It's perfectly normal for one hammy to eat the other. If the one died of natural causes, even. It's down to instinct. If they were in the wild, a dead animal would attract predators and endanger the remaining one. Therefore, the easiest way to dispose of the evidence is to eat the body. It's icky to us, especially when we're the ones who have to clean up the remains, but their need for survival demands they do it.
Your remaining little guy will be fine by himself. He might seem down at first while he misses his brother, but hammies have very short memories - about 3 weeks, I heard once. Within a month, he'll (sadly) have forgotten he ever had someone in there with him and won't be lonely. I know plenty of people with lone robos, and they do just as well by themselves as in pairs.

There's a fab hammy forum at www.madabouthamsters.com with loads of knowledgeable folks on there - hope to see you!