Roborovski Hamsters - infighting

Question
Hi Tammy,

Several months ago I acquired 3 Roborovskis; they had been living together since birth (all females). A couple of months ago, they began fighting quite seriously and I thought about separating them, but then the fighting stopped as soon as it had begun so I thought no more about it. I then left the hamsters with a friend whilst I went on holiday, and when I came back she said that they had been fine until the day I got back, but when she got in from work that day one of them had been huddled in a corner, dripping wet with what I can only assume was sweat. I have separated her from the other two now, and this is not a problem: however, I understand that Roborovskis prefer to live in a group.

This being the case, should I buy another Roborovski to live with the hitherto bullied hamster, or is she better off alone? If another hamster were added to her cage, would she begin to bully it?

I hope you can help! Many thanks in advance for your time.

Answer
Hi Nick,

Roboroskis are the most social species of hamster but this does not mean that all Roborovskis are social!

As with all dwarf hamsters, some of them are just solitary, preferring to live alone and fighting with any other hamster they come in contact with.

because you have taken out the one which was being bullied it is difficult to tell if she would take to another hamster.

It is difficult to tell which hamsters is the bully in any group bigger than two, but as long as the other two are getting along then those two should be fine.

As for the one which is on her own, she will be absolutley fine on her own as long as she has plenty of toys to play with and a wheel and as long as you spend as much time with her as possible.

Roborovskis are one of the most difficult hamster species to tame and this is usually because they live in pairs or groups and bond more easily to the other hamsters instead of humans, so you will probably find that the hamster who is on her own will become quite tame and get used to more than the other two will.

Also, make sure she has plenty of bedding because she has been used to the warmth of the other two while sleeping and may find it hard to keep warm when sleeping.

Hope this all makes sense and please let me know if you need any more info.

Kind Regards,

Tammy