Re-introducing a dwarf hamster to his old cagemates?

Question

I have three male dwarf hamsters, Presho, Timothy, and Zim. For a few weeks Presho was living with my friend (long story). I thought I could just put him back in their cage and they would remember him but, Timothy, my more aggressive hamster, started fighting with Presho right away. They always used to fight a little before but things seemed to be going a little too far so I separated them and kept Presho in a carrying cage for the night. Now I've taken Timothy out the mix. Presho and Zim aren't fighting, really but it doesn't look like they are getting along either. Will they ever be able to be cage mates again? I need advice.

Answer 1

with my hamsters every time i took one away a next one became the most aggressive and started to bite the other ones. the story ended with 4 hamsters in 4 separate cages.

Answer 2

well if i was you i would keep presho in a seperate cage to zim and timothy the reason why they will not get along as they have been seperated for so long they dont remember each other but i would hurry up and put timothy and zim back together if not you will have to seperate them too!!!!!!!!take my advise and seperate presho from zim and timothy unless you want dead hamsters as they will fight to the death unfortunatly hope this helped and good luck =)

Answer 3

If you want to introduce any hamster to another, you're going to need a way for them to see each other with a little bit of protection.  If you cannot arrange for two wire cages to sit next to each other (so they can smell each other and get used to being around each other again) then you're going to have to introduce them on neutral grounds.

Make sure the covers are all flat, then place the three of them on your bed with some toys to distract them a little.  Let them play around for ten or so minutes at first.  If this works well, do this as many times as you can during the day with ten to thirty minute break in between the introductions.  Because they are on neutral grounds, no one has claim over the territory making them a little less prone to fighting.

If things go well with that, try placing the hamster in with the other two during the DAY.  They are sleepiest during the day and less prone to fighting if they get alone.  Let Presho sleep in the carrier for a couple nights and in their cage during the day once you can manage it.  Then you can put him in there over night if you feel like they are ready for it.

They may or may not ever be cage mates again.  Since it has been so long, I think the chances are slim, but it is possible since they were living together before and, I assume, brothers.  With any amount of patience, this could work, but it will take time.

Until then, I suggest going to google and typing in "introducing hamsters" and researching articles to find the best tips and tricks to get them to get along better.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 4

sorry. it isnt going to work. they have forgottem him and by the time they remember, he'll be bitten and sore.

Answer 5

Once you separate dwarf cage mates for more than a week, it is difficult to put them back again. Hamsters have very short memories and dwarfs can stay together only when they have been together as the same litter from the young without any separation even for a few days. Once you separate them, they forget each other's scent and then they are as good as strangers.

You can try the split cage method where you put a screen in a big cage and put Presho on one side and Timothy and Zim on the other side until they get used to his scent but the success rate is very low for winterwhite dwarfs and just a little bit better for campbell dwarfs.

Another reintroducing method -

When introducing two hamsters, the best way to do it is in a completely clean, fresh cage.  Clean the cage thoroughly to kill any residual traces of the smell of either hamster, and put in fresh, clean bedding. Then put in both hamsters at the same time, and sprinkle mixed seeds into the bedding.  Searching for the treats will distract them from each other, and it does not take long for them to forget that the other hamster is a stranger.  If they fight anyway, take out the dominant hamster and leave the one who is getting picked on in there for a day, then re-introduce them. Generally, that aggressiveness will be lessened by the fact that the stranger's smell is all around the cage.

Put Timothy and Zim together immediately since they are current cagemates and separating them would create a similar situation between Timothy and Zim too.

I think it is best if Presho is separated permanently if the split cage method does not work out since is would be two against one and the odds of a vicious fight are very high in the case Timothy and Zim decide to fight with Presho.