52 replies to this topic

[Suga]

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Edited by Suga, 26 January 2016 - 11:12 PM.

[Suga]

I agree completely and you are very informative. I am wondering, I recently bought an six inch silent spinner for my Syrian hamster, is this okay? I am using a different wheel right now just to be safe.

Hi there!
A six inch wheel is much too small for a Syrian, it is actually recommended for dwarves to use 6.5 inches and up and I believe for Syrians it is 8.5 inches (for a small Syrian) but most Syrians will prefer a 11 inch or bigger!
If you are getting a silent spinner, your only choice wil have to be the biggest size (I believe it is 12 inches).
The comfort wheel comes in a 8 or 8.5 inch size, which could work, and the flying saucers come in the same sizes as the silent spinners.
I don't recommend the flying saucer as the only source for your hamster's exercise though, you should still have a wheel for them as well!
Some hamsters take a while to learn how to use the flying saucer and some never really learn haha!
I'm not sure what other options you have available where you live, but I've heard pretty good reviews about the wodent wheel as well although I haven't used myself!
Good luck finding a new wheel for your hamster

[Sierras Squeaks]

Thankyou so much for posting! Even though I knew most of this information it was still very informative! =)  

[HamstersAndLife]

I agree completely and you are very informative. I am wondering, I recently bought an six inch silent spinner for my Syrian hamster, is this okay? I am using a different wheel right now just to be safe.

Six inches is far too small for a Syrian, if he/she is a small Syrian,8 inches is good:) most Syrians need 11 or 12 inches when full grown make sure that when the hamster is running, that the back doesn't arch At all, if it does it's too small.

Edited by HamstersAndLife, 08 February 2016 - 09:42 AM.

[Sammy&Delilah]

Six inches is far too small for a Syrian, if he/she is a small Syrian,8 inches is good:) most Syrians need 11 or 12 inches when full grown make sure that when the hamster is running, that the back doesn't arch At all, if it does it's too small.

Thanks, the petstore employee said it was okay, :( waste of money, don't worry though, I have a proper size LOUD wheel. they petstore I bought it didn't have any others so....
But I'm not using it and only used it for one night and realized this is waaaaaaay to small

[Platinum Pets]

I agree completely and you are very informative. I am wondering, I recently bought an six inch silent spinner for my Syrian hamster, is this okay? I am using a different wheel right now just to be safe.

This is really informative, I agree. Tax did a great job. Everyone else already covered it; a 6 inch is too small. But don't throw it away if you plan on having small hamsters like Robos in the future, cause silent spinners are expensive! Also, just don't trust most petstore employees. Usually they're in it just for the money, it's kind of hard to find a pet store employee who actually works there because they love the animals. 

Edited by Platinum Pets, 09 February 2016 - 09:04 AM.

[Sammy&Delilah]

I realize that now.

[HamstersAndLife]

I realize that now.

Yep, can't always trust pet store employees. But strangely in my local pet shops all of the staff in one are up-to date on pet care info, and the other, well the exact opposite.

[Sammy&Delilah]

Well not to say I don't trust them, most of the ones at my local petstore are very nice and informative, yet I guess this was a misunderstanding

[Ratetooie]

Thank you sooo much for this post, I've been trying to figure out what species would be best for me to get. This has been really helpful, thank you!

[Ratetooie]

What hamsters can live together?

 

Species considerations

 

Syrian hamsters - Syrians are solitary, and should never, ever be housed together.  Two Syrians housed together, regardless of cage size or anything else, are almost guaranteed to fight and kill each other. 

 

Chinese dwarf hamsters - The sociability of Chinese dwarf hamsters is not well-understood.  Some have managed to successfully keep pairs, but it very often does not work out and ends in fights and separation.  It is generally recommended to house them alone.

 

Winter white hamsters - These hamsters can sometimes be kept in pairs, although it is common for them to fall out and need to be separated.  Winter White pairs should be kept with extreme caution.

 

Campbell's hamsters - These hamsters can often be kept in pairs.

 

Roborovski's hamsters - These hamsters can often be kept in pairs.

 

Same species only - Hamsters can only live with members of their species.  That is, a Campbell's must live only with another Campbell's, not with a Roborovski’s or Winter White.  Being members of different species, they have a hard time communicating with each other, which leads to disagreements and fights. Mixing different species will almost always end in fights and even death.

 

Littermates only - For two hamsters to have a chance at getting along, they must be littermates who have lived together their whole lives.  Hamsters are not nearly as sociable as rats or guinea pigs.  Pairing two random, unrelated hamsters does not generally work and is not recommended.  Once a hamster has lived on its own for any period of time, it will often react poorly to a new cagemate.  Because of this, you should not attempt to “introduce” a new hamster to your current one.

 

Same sex only - Two hamsters housed together must be of the same sex.  Males and females cannot be housed together.  They will breed constantly (yes, even if they are siblings, parent/child, etc.), which will result in potentially dozens of pups and extreme stress on the mother.  Housing a pair together and allowing them to breed is cruel.

 

What do I need to know?

 

Fighting is always a possibility - Many people seem to think that there is some secret trick to making sure a pair of hamsters never fights.  Unfortunately, there isn't.  There are ways to reduce the risk of fighting, but even if you do everything right, fights can still happen.

 

Be prepared to separate at any moment - Because of the above, it is critical that you are prepared to separate the hamsters at a moment's notice.  Serious fights can happen any time--in the middle of the night, on a holiday, during a weather event where you can't leave the house, and so on.  There have been many sad stories like the following:

 

"Help me, please!  My two Robos are fighting really badly and one is bleeding.  The other one keeps attacking him.  I can't separate them because I don't have another cage and it's late and all the stores are closed for the night!"

 

Don't let this happen to you!  Have supplies on hand so that you can separate your hamsters at any moment.  This includes an extra cage, water bottle, wheel, food bowl, and bedding.

 

Make sure you have a vet and a vet fund!  If fights do happen, vet care can be the difference between life and death.  Vet care is required for all hamsters, but is doubly important for pairs.

 

What is proper housing for a pair?

 

Cage size - A pair of hamsters obviously needs a much larger cage than a single one.  The recommended cage size for a pair is 650 square inches (a 40-gallon breeder) or larger.  As you'll see below, keeping a pair requires multiples of different equipment.  It can become very difficult to fit these things in a smaller cage.  On the other side, though, it's thought that having a too-large cage can result in de-clanning.

 

Single space - A pair's cage should be a single, open cage with one level.  Having multiple cages connected does not work well for pairs.  Nor does having a cage with multiple closed-off levels.  Small passages between areas (like tubes) can lead to squabbles about who goes first.  In some cases, one hamster might "claim" one of the cages / levels and not allow the other one into the area.

 

Hideouts - It's recommended to have several hideouts in the cage, so that the hamsters can either sleep together or separately if they prefer.  Hideouts should ideally have multiple entrances or a large entrance.

 

Wheels - Multiple wheels are important for the same reason as multiple hideouts.  Some pairs like running together, but some prefer to run separately.  Having two wheels prevents fights if both want to run separately at the same time.  It’s also best if the wheels are larger (8” – 12”) so that both hamsters can run on a single wheel comfortably.

 

Food - Feeding a pair requires making sure that both hamsters have access to food at all times.  This can mean multiple food bowls.  Or it can mean one large food bowl that both can eat at comfortably.  Scatter-feeding can also be a good option for a pair.

 

Water bottles – Having multiple water bottles prevents scuffles about drinking.

I went to Petsmart the other day, and I was looking at the hamsters they called "Russian dwarves". The scientific name underneath said phodopus campbelli, so I think they were Campbells. But the sign said to house them alone, could this be an exception to what you said above? Thanks

[Strong Brew Hamstery]

I went to Petsmart the other day, and I was looking at the hamsters they called "Russian dwarves". The scientific name underneath said phodopus campbelli, so I think they were Campbells. But the sign said to house them alone, could this be an exception to what you said above? Thanks

They're probably RCD hybrids, and likely it's just another case of misinformation from the pet shop. Hybrids are kind of hit and miss for housing together, but they can be.

[Ratetooie]

They're probably RCD hybrids, and likely it's just another case of misinformation from the pet shop. Hybrids are kind of hit and miss for housing together, but they can be.

So in this case, does the fact that they put the scientific name for campbell's on not really mean anything?

[Strong Brew Hamstery]

So in this case, does the fact that they put the scientific name for campbell's on not really mean anything?

Probably not much. They'll all be hybrids up here sadly. I don't know any purebred breeders (there are a few that claim it but don't have any papers to prove it).

[Muggleborn13]

It's so cute to see them cuddled, sleeping together 😍