Fighting?

Question
We got two Dwarf hamsters about a month ago. I think one is a boy and the other a girl. Not for sure which is which but they look different on the bottom. :) Anyway, the first couple weeks they were great together. They were from the same litter at the pet store something like 6 to 8 weeks old. Now one is jumping on the other and the other is screaming a lot. I want to separate them but I also want to have baby hamsters. What should I do? Thanks!!!!

Answer
Dear Jami,

I have had this problem many times before, and the only solution,unfortunatley, is to seperate them. One (probably the female) is trying to hoard as much food as she can, in case she ever does have babies, which is completly normal behavior.
If there is a noticable weight difference between the two of them, seperate immediatly! This means that one of them is not getting any food. Dont introduce them again with hopes of them getting along, I have tried it and it rarley works.
Males and Females should never be housed together anyway, except for the few hours neccesary for mating. The females will become aggressive, and hostile towards the male, making the cahnces of them mating even less.
The time for mating is at night, when they wake up. every night for four days, introduce the male into the females cage, and after a few hours remove him. one of these four nights, the female will probably become pregnant.
If this does not work, it may be because of their history, and the male is frightened of the female. You may want to try with another pair, who are kept in seperate cages until mating time.
I hope this information will be helpful to you! Please e-mail back if i have failed to answer any part of your question!
Sincerley,
Sarah