A few hamster questions. (wet belly, fighting, scratches)?

Question

I have two hamsters, male and female. One is a sapphire hamster and the other is a winter white. When I bought them, they were about 2 months old.(Living in the same cage) On the first day, they were ok.

Q.1. They started fighting, and the female has a scratch on her ear. Its not bleeding and its only red but I'm pretty afraid of infection.

Q.2. The male started making a move on her and when he nears her, she sort of freezes and squeaks. Then she runs away like crazy fast and sits down. Im assuming theyre just mating.

Q.3. The male has a wet belly/underside (not tail or bottom). I have not tried wiping it or touching it because I'm down with the flu. Its p**p is fine and hes eating pretty well. On the wheel all night long as well. Whats wrong? I dont have a water bowl so he couldn't have gotten wet with that...

Answer 1

Separate them before one gets hurt or the female gets pregnant. Otherwise, you are going to be finding homes for babies. There is no reason for you to be breeding hamsters, especially as you are very inexperienced in their care.

Answer 2

this happend to my mouse he was alone though he died sorry i hope yours doest he got scratches and a wet belly (ur hampster might be peeing on his self in his sleep and his claws mightt be to long so when he scratches it cuts his skin im only 12 ok

Answer 3

Are you sure you want to keep the male and female in the same cage? Unless you are a professional breeder, it is not advisable since taking care of pregnant mother and the litter that follows requires lots of experience and any errors can result in the mother killing the litter.

Winterwhite hamsters (sapphire or pearl) can live together if they are from the same litter or same age group but among all dwarf hamsters, I have found them to be the most solitary - meaning most times when they become adults, they tend to show territorial behavior unless they are both males or both females.

As hamsters grow older, they turn more territorial. That is why hamsters that have lived together very happily when young can fight viciously in a few months. Playfighting is normal but if the fights are going to result in injury to the hamsters, it is better to separate them.

Q.1 - Is the ear swollen? If the swelling does not reduce in two days, then you might have to take her to a vet for antibiotics since it may be an infection.

Q.2 - Yes, they are mating and please separate them, you are not doing the right thing if you are not an experienced breeder.

Q.3 - A wet underside could also mean greasy fur which is normal in some hamsters. However keep a sharp lookout for any other signs of sickness.

I would strongly advise you to separate them into different cages, firstly to prevent pregnancy of the female hamster and secondly to protect their lives, since if they fight viciously, they could also kill each other.

Answer 4

Hi!

I have the same hamsters as you do. The male is sapphire and the female is normal dwarf Winter White Russian. But mines are 3 months old. They get along very well. They look like 2 lovers: they always sleep together, play together and if one tries to escape the other one helps him by sitting under it (usually the female sits on the Male's head when they try to jump over the edges of their playground).

Q.1. I advice you to go to the vet for a check up and probably he will recommend you to use some antibiotic. Don't treat it at home because the hamster could l**k the treatment cream and things will be even worse.

Q.2. Do you give them enough food and water?If he feels that  what you give them isn't enough for them both to survive he will probably get more aggressive with the female. If this isn't the case, then it probably be their mating behavior.

If you intend to be a daddy, then I recommend you to read more on their breeding behaving and how to make sure that everything is OK.

Q.3. I had the same problem but I was sure it wasn't due to the water because mine drank their water from a special bottle. The belly is wet because above his p***s it's the scent gland, located near the navel. It looks wet and it's yellowish. The male uses it to mark his territory by rubbing it on everything he seems to be untouched:).

A second cause for his wet belly is that he is overreacting with his hygiene. Sometimes my Snooky does the same and when I get him in my hand he is all wet on his belly.

If you need to find out more about hamsters you can find it at http://www.HamsterBungalow.com, a brand new site dedicated to all hamster lovers. If you don't find what you are looking for on my site, be patient. I'm just starting to roll the wheel - just like my hamsters :)! Come back weekly as I will post fresh information that I hope will be of help to you!

Good luck!

P.S:I hope your hammies will be OK. If you need more help you can contact my and and I will answer your question and if I don't know the answer I will search it for you!

Answer 5

Might just be urine on his tummy.

Answer 6

hamsters arnt usually meant to be kept together as they fight alot, usually after mateing (this happend to myn and my sisters) the guy one will mate wth the female and then the female killed my male one :(

try separating them in diffrent cages. as for the wet bellyprobably where hes trying to mate with ehr shes moving as a result hes... i think u get it

Answer 7

seperate them immediatly