Will Hamsters Kill Each Other: How To Introduce Hamsters
Hamsters are a popular pet, and because they’re always kept alone people keep asking will hamsters kill each other!!!
In this article, you will find out the answer to your question will hamsters kill each other, which is why you should keep only one hamster per cage.
Hamsters are one of the most popular pets to ever exist, with over 5 million sold each year.
They make a great first pet for children as they are low-maintenance and very cuddly.
However, there may be a surprising consequence of having a hamster as a pet—they might kill each other!
Will Hamsters Kill Each Other
Yes, hamsters will kill each other because hamsters are solitary and territorial creatures who cannot be kept in the same cage once they reach the age of ten weeks because they would fight to the death and kill each other.
Individual exceptions exist: some dwarf hamsters reared together from infancy may coexist peacefully without harming each other, but this is rare.
When Syrian hamsters leave the nest, they are completely solitary creatures. Syrian hamsters must be housed separately since they will fight to the death and kill each other if not.
Hamsters, like all rodents, are social creatures and enjoy having company. They thrive when they live in groups and can’t be happy living alone.
However, there is a question of how many hamsters should be housed together.
While some people have found success with housing two or three hamsters together, others have noted that too many hamsters living in the same cage lead to aggression among the animals.
For the best possible situation for your pet, here are some important factors to consider before introducing more than one into the same cage.
- The type of hamster.
- The space in your house.
- Type of cages available to you.
- Hamster history.
- Contacting other hamster owners.
- Providing more bedding and hideouts.
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What to do if you must keep two hamsters
If you have a lot of space and want to keep more than one hamster, or if you want to breed them and then keep the babies together.
You’ll need to make sure they have enough room to hide from each other if they’re not getting along.
Hamsters can also bite each other’s tails or ears during fights, so it’s important that you have plenty of hiding spaces for them.
If you must keep more than one hamster in a cage, you must provide a lot of hiding space, food and properly introduce them.
If your hamsters are starting to fight, it may be time for new homes!
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How to properly introduce your hamsters and avoid any fighting
Hamsters are born as alone animals. They need to be introduced to other hamsters early on in order to make friends and keep themselves calm.
If you don’t introduce your hamsters right away, they may fight each other, and it can become a vicious cycle.
However, not all hamsters will kill each other, and if they do fight, it’s usually because of the wrong introduction process.
If you must introduce a hamster to another hamster, make sure they form the same litter or the opposite sex!!!!
Here is how to properly introduce your hamsters and avoid any fighting:
Get the appropriate cage size
To keep two hamsters from the same litter, you’ll need a cage that is at least 24 by 24 by 12 inches or more
This will give your hamsters plenty of area to run around and play while also allowing them to get away from each other if required.
Both a wire cage and a glass tank can be used. To prevent your hamsters from escaping, make sure the enclosure has a tight-fitting lid.
Because no air can get through the edges of a glass aquarium, cover it with a mesh lid to let air flow through.
Get young hamsters of the same litter
Select hamsters under the age of two months from the same litter or cage.
Younger hamsters are more likely to get along, so if feasible, get two baby hamsters together.
This will assist to guarantee that they are not strangers, increasing the likelihood of them getting along.
It’s not a good idea to mix a young and an adult hamster. The older hamster will defend its home, and the hamsters will most likely fight.
Provide a temporarily housing for both hamsters
While you prepare their communal cage, move the hamsters to temporary lodging.
Take one of the hamsters out of the cage and place it in a temporary cage if you wish to keep both hamsters in the same cage.
If you don’t have two spare cages, each hamster should be temporarily housed in a shoebox or hamster ball.
Keep them in these makeshift cages for no longer than an hour.
Properly do a scent swapping between both hamsters
Before introducing the hamsters, let them become acclimated to each other’s scent.
Swap some bedding between the hamsters’ cages.
Then, before putting them in the same cage, let each hamster have a couple of days to examine the other hamster’s fragrance.
Also, bear in mind that if you hold one hamster and then place it in a cage with another hamster that you haven’t held, the second hamster may reject that hamster due to the unusual fragrance.
Hold both hamsters together before introducing them so that your fragrance is on both of them.
Provide extra toys and hiding spaces
Provide more toys, chewing material, and hiding places for the hamsters.
Purchase more toys, such as PVC pipes, hamster wheels, and plastic igloos, and place them in the cage before introducing the two hamsters.
This will keep your hamsters occupied while also providing them with lots of exercises. Hardwood and twigs are popular chewing materials for hamsters.
Hamsters enjoy running on wheel a lot so, et two hamster wheels if feasible so that each of your hamsters may run anytime they choose.
Provide a divider in the cage
To keep the hamsters from fighting when they first meet, a divider would be a good idea.
To keep the hamsters from seeing and smelling one other, use mesh or chicken wire.
Place the divider in the cage’s center, and ensure sure food and water bowls are on both sides of the partition.
A specific divider component for the hamster cage may also be available at your local pet store.
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Introduce the two hamsters
First, place the new hamster in the clean cage. This will lessen the likelihood of the old hamster becoming territorial.
After a minute, place the old hamster in the cage with the new hamster. Make sure they’re on opposite sides of the divider.
You may also make the introduction with a plastic container or a shoebox.
Place the divider in the center of the bin and fill each side with enough bedding, food, and water.
If both hamsters are brand new, put one into the cage first, then the other a minute later.
Keep track of the progress
If the hamsters are getting along, remove the partition after a few days.
Leave the divider in the cage for the first few days to give the hamsters a chance to become acquainted with one other.
Then, after they appear to be getting along, remove the partition and keep a careful eye on them.
If the hamsters aren’t getting along, keep the divider in the partition in place.
Remove the partition only if the hamsters appear to get along.
Return them to their respective cages and try again the next day to introduce them via the barrier.
If the hamsters continue to behave aggressively, you may need to separate them.
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Which breed of hamsters will kill each other?
Syrian hamsters may be violent toward other hamsters, killing and eating the other hamster in the cage in some circumstances.
Syrian and dwarf hamsters have been seen to eat other hamsters in their environment.
While dwarf hamsters can get along with their cage mates at times, they can also be hostile.
Roborovski hamsters flourish in colonies, but they need adequate room to avoid becoming cannibalistic as a result of overcrowding.
In this situation, Roborovski will kill the young in order to save the colony’s senior members from famine. This also applies to dwarf hamsters.
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Which breed of hamsters are best kept together
Because they love the companionship of other Roborovski, Roborovski hamsters are the safest to house together.
You must, however, supply enough room and food to prevent the colony from fighting.
For a pair of Roborovski, a large space should be given to avoid unnecessary clusters in their cage.
Roborovski tends to get along well and will eat together, play together, and sleep together than other breeds of hamsters.
Always keep a close eye on the pairs, if the pair appears to be averse to each other, you should separate them.
Purchasing a pair jointly will assist to alleviate any tension between them, or better still purchasing littermates.
Why hamsters will kill each other
Here are some common reasons why hamsters kill each other:
- Cage rage or sizes
- Natural territorial attitude or instincts
- Low and insufficient resources
- Poor socialization
- Poor diet
- Too much stress
- Threat from other hamsters
- Constant changes in scent
- Depression
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Wrapping up on your question will hamsters kill each other
Hamsters are small mammals that can be found all around the world.
They make great pets because they’re very clean and quiet, but can you keep more than one hamster?
Yes! But it should be on different cages in the same building, providing their individual needs.
Will they kill each other if they share a cage? It turns out that hamsters will only kill each other (sometimes) if there is no room in the cage and if their fighting instincts kick in.
So, you might want to consider getting 2 cages before adding any hamsters to your family.
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Takeaways from this post
No matter what breed you choose or how big the habitat is, you should never keep more than one hamster in the same cage.
When housing Roborovski together, for example, don’t put more than three pairs in the same cage.
Providing multiple toys, burrows, feeding dishes, and water bottles can also help to protect the pairs.
Finally, during the first few weeks, keep an eye on your hamsters to make sure they’re getting along.
If any of the hamsters appear to be alone, they may not be a good fit for the colony and will need to be relocated.
