dwarfs continued

Question
Hi again, thanks for your quick reply. They seem to be scrapping a bit, for example one was sitting in one of the two wheels and the other jumped in there and bullied the other one out, the one that left the situation was squeeking quite a bit. It's the one with the lame leg that seems to be the aggressor (and is actually the smaller hamster by 5 grams). They also had a bit of a disagreement at the food bowl, so I sprinkled some food around the tank as well. Other times they just sniff each other and keep going!!! I'm so confused :) I checked them over last night and didn't see any bite marks....what is normal scrapping and what is oh my gosh separate them. I assume it's normal for them to argue a bit?? They curl up side by side to sleep, I'm just not used to seeing 2 interact. Thanks again.

Answer
Hi

When to split hamsters is a very difficult decision to make as you can't change your mind. There will always be some squabbling as one will want to dominate and it really depends on how the other one reacts to this.

The key things to look for is constant chasing around the cage. Also, if one sleeps alone a lot.  If one is making the other one's life unbearable you tend to notice that they are very vocal with each other, tend to squabble and fight, one sleeps alone and one will become withdrawn, almost not wanting to walk anywhere near the other one.  The dominant one tends to gain weight as they are relaxed but the other one can become small, afraid to eat as they are constantly picked on.  At this point they very definitely need separating.  

Whilst it is a nice idea to keep them together it is important to gauge their quality of life.  I keep two eyeless white Syrian brothers together which goes against everything everyone says about Syrians.  I think that because they are both blind and deaf that they feel comfortable with the other one there.  Having said that, they squabble - there is a moment of squealing and one flies out of the way of the other, sometimes they sleep alone, but if I get them out together they are fine, and when I feed them they are content sitting with each other eating together.  I think this is the key - if there is the occasional fight that is OK but if you keep hearing them being vocal and squabbling, then that is definitely a sign to separate.

When I keep baby Syrians there is a clear change in their behaviour which turns occasional squabbles to full blown fighting and indicates that they need separating.

It really is a case of monitoring them and checking them daily for any injuries, and any noticeable changes in their behaviour from being confident to being withdrawn.  Once they start biting, they will always bite when they fight and the biting can get very serious.  Sleeping apart is always a sign to keep a close watch on them.  Often dwarf hamsters do move their nests around which is normal but you should see some level of affection between them.

Make sure they both have a wheel if you can as this might help.  Also, make sure there are plenty of places in the cage for them to take refuge - tubes, small houses etc so that if one wants to get away from the other they can without being trapped.  Sprinkling food is a good idea anyway - in the wild they forage for food and in captivity I think that sometimes we make it too easy and a bit boring for them to always put food in a bowl.

I'm not sure if this helps - this can be a tough decision to make I'm afraid.  Hopefully they will settle down and be OK.

Regards
Sheila