My two winter dwarf hamsters keep on fighting anyone have advise?

Question

i have another cage but my other dwarf hamster is in it. im notsure if they are a boy or a girl but i can use a lotttt of advise from an expert or anyone more experienced than me thanx

Answer 1

Firstly check to make doubly sure if you do not have a mixed s*x pair in the cage. Sometimes pet shops not well trained in hamsters make mistakes and wrongly s*x the hamsters. Check out the following tutorial on sexing hamsters to confirm -

http://www.hamster-heaven.com/sexing.htm...

Normally dwarfs from same litter can coexist peacefully, however if they are from different litters, there is a possibility for them to fight.

There are two types of fighting that dwarfs do -

1. Play-fighting often occurs when they are establishing an order of dominance, they may squeak a lot but there is little physical contact. This need not be taken seriously as they can sort out their differences on their own in a few days and live happily together. Give the hamsters a lot of distractions by giving them ample space, plenty of hiding places and toys. Also keep two exercise wheels, food trays and hamster water bottles in the cage so that they do not fight when both want to do the same things at the same time.This will reduce the stress created by having to live with one another in an enclosed space.

2. Serious fighting is very physical and prolonged then it may be that they don't get along and need to be separated. Tell-tale signs of serious fighting are heavy squeaking and violent fighting. Hamsters also usually get bitten in the tail region or their feet and if you see bleeding or even older scars, you might want to consider separating the pair.

Serious fighting can happen between dwarfs of the same litter if one decided to "dominate" the other completely. In such cases, they are better homed alone in a cage rather than with other dwarfs.

One more thing -

If you have kept dwarf hamster individuals separate for even a day, they might forget their group scent (which tells them that they are friends) and when they meet again, they will react violently.Do not keep dwarf hamsters apart for too long. They forget how their friend smells.