Dwarf hamsters fighting or playing?

Question

I know you guys are probably sick of this question haha,

but I have two male dwarf hamsters. I'm pretty sure they're litter mates because I bought them together.. and lately they've been fighting

I don't know if it's play fighting or real fighting, though

Whenever they're even NEAR each other, they get tensed up and start rolling around, turning into a wiggling mass of hamster, and they start squeaking. I picked them both up separately to check if there's any cuts or bleeding, and I haven't found any, but it still doesn't look very friendly.

The cage is kind of small, so could it be a territorial thing?

there might not be any cuts or scratches because they're still pretty young (maybe a month or two at most), so if I wanted them to fight less what other options do I have besides separate cages?

Answer 1

Yes, they are fighting. I have had dwarf hamsters and like you did, I got a pair that were from the same litter, and it seemed like they were doing just fine. But when I got them home, they started getting really close to each other, and roll all around the cage and squeaking like mad. I tried to seperate them and found a really small cut on one of the hamsters(he was weaker than the other one) They are both male. Later i searched all over google and found these information that i thought was very useful and solved the problem:

(an answer to a person's question exactly like yours)

Hi,

although it is often said that dwarf hamsters can be kept together, this is only true for some of them. Most dwarf hamsters will fight each other. Sometimes a huge cage helps (like a 50 gallon tank), but most times they must be seperated. Some bickering might be okay, but you must watch them very closely: does Cosmo eat enough, does he loose weight or fur, does Ralph always chase him... I'd seperate them, just to be sure. Stress can be very harmful for small animals such as dwarf hamsters and they even can die from it. With seperate cages, you can be sure that both eat enough and have no stress. If you want to keep them together, provide them with many hiding places so that they don't have to see each other all the time and give them two food bowls. Get them a bigger cage, if possible (at least 40 inches long and 15 inches high and wide).

As for the biting, I often hear that and I have experienced it myself. My last Dsungarian dwarf would jump through his cage to bite my hand. In your case I'm not sure what makes them bite. Maybe they panick when you take them out. I had one dwarf that always sat in his food bowl and waited to be taken out with the bowl, otherwise he would bite. Maybe you can use a similar trick to take them out (if they are willing to sit in a bowl). Do you take them out on the flat hand or do you grasp them? If you do the latter, it could be an explanation: they think you're a predator (especially if you reach into the cage from above). Wait until they come on your flat hand and then take them out. If you are afraid of them jumping or falling, you can put your other hand on top of them and form a cave with your hands, most dwarf hamsters are comfortable with that.

I hope this was of some help to you

Jennifer

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Dwarfs when kept in groups will sometimes play fight, you can sometimes hear them squeek as they do this. They do this to find out who is the most dominant of the group. This is usually nothing to worry about but sometimes fighting can become severe. If you see any blood then they must be seperated immediately and live in seperate cages so they don't become injured.

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And about your questions:

Yes, it could be a territorial thing because dwarf hamsters are more independent than other hamsters BUT they are very SOCIAL is they are cared well

It is good that they are still young because then you have the opportunity to make them well socialized before they start marking their own territory and become dominant.

Here is a good site that tells you how to socialize the two hamsters:

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

(this is not only for russian dwarf hamsters, it is for dwarfs in general)

http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/h...

good luck with your hamsters!! :)

xoxoox

Answer 2

dwarf hamsters are quite teritoral, so seperate cages may be your only option. You could also try getting a bigger cage, that way they have more space. I'm surprised that they are possibly fighting, aslong as they litter mates, that shouldn't happen. Most likely they are just playing, but if you ever see one hoging the food water wheel or any blood or cuts, they were probly fighting. The one who might hog would be the one who won the fight, they may be fighting to see who will be boss of the cage. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Hi,

Buy a larger cage.

Make sure they don't scratch each other.

Separate them at night.

Make sure they have plenty of entertainment.

Dwarf hamsters are supposed to be very social especially when they are young.

love,

animal helper