Robovoski separation

Question
Hi there,
this is pretty urgent,

My to robos where bought together, they've always played and slept together ect.

the past week i heard squeals and my smaller robo had been bitten on his back end leaving him slightly wounded. he also gets bullied over food.

2 days ago i separated them and now they seem really depressed.
there sleeping alot more and don't seem to be as perky or active,
I've bought loads of new toys and tried to give them alot more to do.
yesterday i tried reintroduction but as soon as they went near each other the same thing happened and my smaller robo was being attacked yet at the same time they miss each other.
What should i do.  
Thank you so much if you can help :)

Answer
Hi Kayleigh

Thanks for your question.

Unfortunately this does happen in that two hamsters get along really well and then suddenly they don't. That is why it is important to always be prepared to split dwarf hamsters if necessary.

The fact that one ended up getting bitten means that you were right to split them.  Sometimes they do have tiny squabbles,but when it turns this aggressive it is impossible to reverse the situation.  There is always one that wants to be in charge, and sometimes they are too dominant which causes conflict.

Reintroducing hamsters is almost impossible - if they have fought once, they will again, as you discovered.

I am sure that in time they will settle on their own.  I doubt that they are depressed, it is just that now they can relax without conflict.  You might just have to give them more attention and encouragement by talking to them etc.  You are now their only friend and therefore need to get them used to you.  Whilst at the moment you are probably wondering if you did the right thing in separating them, the fact is that they are better off alone and not being bullied/fighting as their quality of life will improve.  Had you left them together the one being bullied may well have ended up dead.

Give it time and hopefully you'll notice some improvement in the next week or two.

Regarding the bites on one of them - make sure they don't infect.  You can bathe the area with salt water.  You can also buy a natural antiseptic from pet shops called teatree cream - it might be worth applying a tiny amount of this for a few days if the wound is open to try to prevent infection otherwise he might need antibiotics.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Sheila