Hamsters (merged)

alyssa_liss

DONT!!! add another hamster .

they can live as pairs sometimes when they are bought from the same litter but even then they most likly fight and have to get split up

i had to do this with mine

shes prob bored , how big is her cage , toys etc...

Paradigm

chocdonuty wrote: »

I have heard that dwarf hamsters can live in pairs.

Not just pairs, as I found to my cost They are very difficult to sex when young & I ended up with one of each flavour.... you can guess the rest

Mum, Dad & babies lived perfectly happily but it was a race against time to get rid before we had an explosion of Hamsters!

Paradigm

alyssa_liss wrote: »

DONT!!! add another hamster .

Agreed, don't buy another & just throw it in But they can be introduced quite easily.

alyssa_liss wrote: »

they can live as pairs sometimes when they are bought from the same litter but even then they most likly fight and have to get split up

I introduced a newbie to the one I already had because of similar problems to the OP & never had any fighting problems (did have sudden baby problems though). They are naturally sociable but they need space, too cramped & things can get a little stressed.

alyssa_liss wrote: »

shes prob bored , how big is her cage , toys etc...

Definately bored!

kindofagilr

I wouldnt get another one, I wouldnnt even have two in the same cage from the same litter, far too many stories of one atttacking and killing the other one.

How big is the cage, is there plenty to do in there for it?

Does he ever get out in a a ball or a playpen?

Is your daughter making sure she has washed her hands before picking him up (I never thought of this but when we first got Wispa he would bite my fingers till someone told me to make sure I wash my handsbefore reaching in cage cos he will smell food on there from ages ago and want a nibble)

~Chameleon~

Which breed of hamster is it?

I think people are confusing Syrian hamsters which must live alone otherwise they'd fight to death, with the smaller dwarf varieties which fare much better in pairs or even small groups.

Depending on the age of this hamster will determine how quickly and easily to will accept a new mate and as Paradigm mentioned, they will need introducing to each other in a neutral area.

As for the problems you're seeing it's almost certainly down to boredom, as others have said. These little fellas can be quite active and need lots of toys and activities to occupy them.

Stephb1986_2

I use to keep russian dwarf hamsters when I was younger I don't really recomend them living in pairs as I had 3 different pairs at different times and one always killed the other.

I bought 3 at the same time out of the same litter 2 was fighting so I split them up and left 2 together they mated and you can guess the rest.

That was my last lot of hamsters.

My first hamster hami was cracking did bite sometimes but I soon got use to it. Buy some hamster chocolate drops put them on your hand and let him crawl onto your hand he shouldn't bite he should eat the chocolate drop instead. Also buy some coloured tubes you get from a pet shop cut holes in the side of the cage and make a circuit for him to run around. Have you got a cleaning ball so he can run around on the floor while you clean him out? If not get one then a hour every night put him in it and let him run around make sure you keep an eye on him though.

Has he got a wheel in his cage? Thats another thing he could do

HTH

Steph xx

Fire_Fox

Stephb1986 wrote: »

I use to keep russian dwarf hamsters when I was younger I don't really recomend them living in pairs as I had 3 different pairs at different times and one always killed the other.

I bought 3 at the same time out of the same litter 2 was fighting so I split them up and left 2 together they mated and you can guess the rest.

Many creatures if you have two boys and a girl together un-neutered there will be fighting.

samboette

Hi there

Firstly whatever you do, don't introduce another hamster. This could cause more harm than good!! Your hamster is fine on his/her own!!

Your hamster could be bored or maybe just developing a personality, it also depends how old he/she is. They reach maturity after only a few months and this can also result in a change of temperament. Also some dwarf breeds are nippier than others!!

We have 8 hamsters and they are all different, some chew and climb bars, some don't. Some come out at night early, some stay in bed for as long as possible.

What toys do you have in your cage? A good wheel is paramount, as is hidey holes, tubes, sandbaths. You can also buy sweetcorn which can be hung on the bars of the cage which may distract from bar chewing! If the bar chewing continues, you might want to consider replacing it's cage with a tank style one, we did this with our Syrians who decided it was fun to bar chew!!

As for the biting, make sure your daughter washes her hands before handling, they will nip if they can smell any food. We have/had a nippy Robrovski Dwarf and we resulted in rubbing our hands in antibacterial gel (like the stuff they use in hospitals) before handling him, that way when he did bite, he got a horrible taste in his mouth, he no longer bites. Don't discourage handling, the more you handle him/her the more tame they will become, if your daughter is too worried, wear a pair of gloves until it's no longer an issue!!

Maybe pop along to www.hamstercentral.com/forum I know I keep recommending this site to people with hamster issues but it really helped us many moons ago when we decided on keeping hamsters!!

kindofagilr

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Which breed of hamster is it?

I think people are confusing Syrian hamsters which must live alone otherwise they'd fight to death, with the smaller dwarf varieties which fare much better in pairs or even small groups.

My friend had Russian Dwarf Hamsters and Chinese Dwarf Hamsters and both times she bought two at a tim from the same litter and they fought really bad

alyssa_liss

i had 2 russians they fought and and to be separated , i also had to robovinski(sP) hamsters and they had to be separated