When Hamsters Attack – Understanding Hamster Interaction

Hamsters, as a rule, are very territorial creatures, with some being far more aggressive to other hamsters than others. Syrian hamsters are a good example – never ever put two Syrian hamsters in a cage together unless you want to scoop out a dead hamster the next morning. Dwarf hamsters can be housed together, but it’s a good idea to know how hamsters behave when interacting with each other so you can identify the warning signs of things possibly taking a turn for the worse.

Hamsters rely a great deal on body language to convey information or messages to other hamsters. Just as you or I would read hand wringing as a sign of nervousness or foot tapping as a sign of restlessness, hamsters read subtle body messages as signs of anger, anxiety, or pleasure from the actions of other hamsters.

Hamsters that have never met before can identify each other and their sex by sniffing a scent gland located just behind the ear. Hamsters that are related to each other take far less time to identify each other than they do strange hamsters, thus lending evidence to the theory that each hamster has a unique identifying scent. When two male hamsters meet and sniff, the subordinate hamster will turn and leave, while a female hamster in heat will, upon meeting and sniffing a male, turn and present her rear to the lucky male.

Being fiercely territorial creatures, hamsters spend a lot of time measuring each other up to see which is the dominant animal. They do so by sniffing another scent gland located at their midsection, forming a ‘T’, with each hamster taking turns sniffing. The subordinate hamster sometimes ends up on his rear legs due to aggressive sniffing on the part of the dominant hamster. If this occurs then the dominant hamster may seize the opportunity to do some damage by biting at the exposed stomach of the subordinate hamster. The attacked hamster at this point has two choices – surrender or fight.

If the subordinate hamster doesn’t feel like testing his luck he can indicate his surrender by holding out one of his paws in front of him and avoiding eye contact. If this doesn’t work then the two hamsters will enter the first phase of combat, called rolling fighting. This is basically some intense wrestling with a few bites at the midsection for good measure. A hamster can admit defeat at this point by rolling over on his back. However any fighting that continues past this point becomes very serious.

Any hamsters still fighting at this point are in it to do some serious damage to each other. In the wild a beaten hamster can attempt to flee, but in a confined space such as a cage the hamsters will fight until one has torn the other to shreds. Attempting to pull them apart with your bare hands will get you nothing other than badly bitten fingers – your best bet at this point would be to spray the hamsters with a water bottle and separate them while they’re recovering from the soaking. Wear gloves or else you could still receive a nasty bite.

Choosing The Right Hamster For You And Your Family

Hamsters are loved as pets around the world by young and old alike. Their cute antics and playful nature make them a popular choice for a family pet. The average hamster lives anywhere from one to three years, so when considering a hamster as a pet for a child it is important to keep this in mind. Coping with the loss of a pet hamster can be a sad yet important life lesson for a young child, and in the meantime they can learn responsibility while they care for the daily needs of their pet hamster.

The two most common pet hamsters are the Syrian hamster and the Dwarf hamster. The Syrian hamster has been bred into many different types that go by several different names: Teddy Bear hamster, Golden hamster, and Fancy hamster to name a few. A fully grown Syrian hamster can reach about seven inches in length, with the females being just a touch larger than the males. The most important thing to remember about Syrian hamsters is that they’re extremely territorial, so you must only ever have one Syrian hamster per cage. They will fight to the death if housed with another Syrian hamster!

Dwarf hamsters are smaller, and most importantly, can share a cage with other Dwarf hamsters without fights breaking out. Dwarf hamsters are a popular choice as they tend to be quite tame and friendly as long as you handle them correctly.

When taking your hamster home it’s important to remember that hamsters are extremely susceptible to stress, so you want to make the journey to their new home as pleasant as possible. A pet store will typically give you a small cardboard box to carry your hamster home with, but if possible you should bring a larger container filled with hay and some hamster food.

You should buy and prepare your hamster cage before heading out to get your hamster so that when you return to your house his home is ready and waiting for him. Be sure to get the essentials such as bedding and nesting material, a food dish, a water bottle, and some toys. Having all of this prepared will drastically reduce the stress on your hamster.

If you choose a wire cage for your hamster make sure that the distance between the wires is no more than half a centimeter or else your hamster can squeeze right through!

The location of your hamster cage is just as important as the type of cage you choose. Hamsters are nocturnal creatures and so they sleep during the day. They’ll need some peace and quiet during daylight hours, so don’t put their cage next to a blaring TV set! Hamsters are also very susceptible to temperature changes, so keep them away from direct sunlight or drafts. And even though they’re in a cage, having a cat or dog tormenting them all day long will lead to a very stressed-out hamster. If you already have other pets please keep this in mind when deciding on a location for your hamster cage.

Hamsters are naturally quite clean creatures, but even so you’ll need to clean the cage about once a week. The hamster will need to be removed from the cage while you do this, so it’s a great opportunity for him to get some playtime in a hamster ball. Throw away all the old bedding material and replace it with fresh material. Use a light disinfectant as any strong smells left behind by your cleaning will upset your hamster, and make sure that the cage is completely dry before you put the new bedding material back in the cage.

Types of Hamsters

There are 5 types of hamsters.? These are the Syrian hamster, Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster, Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster, Chinese Hamster and the Roborovski Hamster.

Syrian Hamster

The Syrian Hamster lives alone in the wild and it feels much happier when it?s alone in captivity too.? Syrian Hamsters can be aggressive with each other and can seriously hurt each other.? Never keep Syrian Hamsters in a pair or a group.? Syrian Hamsters are the most commonly found in pet stores.? The Syrian Hamster is sometimes referred to as the ‘Golden Hamster’ due to its original wild golden colouring although today there are many different colour and coat mutations. It is also sometimes referred to as the Standard or Fancy Hamster and Long Haired Syrian hamsters are sometimes referred to as ‘Teddy Bear Hamsters’.? Female Syrian Hamsters are larger than male Syrian Hamsters.

Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster

The Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster is also known as the Djungarian Dwarf Hamster.? It originates from the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan and Siberia.? When kept outdoors it gets a white winter coat.? This is a natural protective colour during a period when its original habitat is covered in snow. Hamsters are most comfortable at temperatures between 65 ? F / 18? C and 80?F / 26?C and should always be housed indoors.? Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters can be housed in a group, preferably of the same gender.? They can only be housed in groups if brought together from a young age.

Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster

Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamsters are closely related to Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters.? Because of its thicker coat, the Campbell?s appears somewhat larger than Dwarf Russian Hamsters, but in fact it?s not. Campbell?s tend to become fatter in captivity than the Russian Hamsters.? The Campbell?s coat is yellow-brownish with a thin, sharply lined dorsal stripe.? Its coat turns slightly greyer in winter.? Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamsters can live in groups of the same gender.

Chinese Hamster

The Chinese Hamster is a long-tailed dwarf hamster and not closely related to the other dwarf hamsters.? Chinese hamsters should also be housed alone; one per cage.? The Chinese Hamster?s coat is not as woolly as that of the other species.? Its fur lies close and dark-brown dorsal stripe on its back is not always clearly visible and its belly is light grey.? The Chinese Hamster has dark ears, lightly edged.? The male has a strikingly large scrotum.

Roborovski Hamster

The Roborovski Hamster is also a short-tailed dwarf hamster, but its yellow-brown colouring and striking whiskers lend it a totally different appearance to the other two short-tailed species of dwarf hamsters.? Roborovski Hamsters are much less well knows and they breed very few young.? The Roborovski Hamster.? Is the smallest dwarf hamster.? Its body measures only seven to nine centimeters in length and its tail is barely visible.? Its back is a brownish-yellow with grey under colouring.? Sometimes the yellow on its back appears somewhat rusty in colour.? Roborovski Hamsters don?t have dorsal stripes.? Roborovski Hamsters can live in groups of the same gender.

Hamster Care and Why Hamsters Make Great Pets

Hamsters are one of the most popular pets in the world, and are definitely the most popular pet from the rodent family. Hamsters make great pets for people of all ages because of their cleanliness and cuteness, and hamsters are also relatively inexpensive and easy to take care of. A hamster usually makes an ideal pet for children and helps teach responsibility. The average lifespan of a hamster is approximately 1-3 years, and for this reason some people claim that caring for a hamster is a good way for a child to eventually learn to cope with loss.

There are many different kinds of hamsters, but the one most commonly kept as a pet is the cute Syrian hamster breed. Syrian hamsters are the largest kind of hamster, and they can be found in a lot of pretty different colors, in long-haired or short-haired variety. The long-haired Syrian hamster is sometimes called a Teddy Bear hamster. A full-grown Syrian hamster usually grows to about four to six inches long. An important thing to know about Syrian hamsters is that you should never keep more than one per cage, because if two Syrian hamsters are forced to share the same space, they will probably fight and can seriously hurt each other. The next most popular hamsters are Dwarf hamsters, which only grow to three to four inches in length, hence the name Dwarf hamsters. These cute little guys can be kept together with other Dwarf hamsters and they will usually get along just fine.

Before you decide to buy a hamster as a pet, you should buy all the supplies you need, such as a hamster cage, water bottle, food, bedding and toys. You can find and buy any of the stuff you need to prepare for a new pet hamster by searching online; I think that is how you’ll find the best deals on pet supplies. Get your hamsters house set up and ready beforehand, so the hamster can relax and immediately begin to make his or herself at home in the new surroundings. There are all kinds of different styles of hamster cages to choose from, you just need to make sure whichever hamster cage you choose has a wheel for the hamster to exercise on. Also, try not to get a wire exercise wheel, because they can injure a hamster if the hamsters leg falls through the wires, so it’s best to find a solid plastic hamster wheel if possible. Try not to place the hamster cage in direct sunlight, and don’t let your hamster get too cold or hot.

After you have everything set up, you are ready to buy a pet hamster from a pet shop or from a hamster breeder. The hamster itself will probably be rather inexpensive, and you already have the hamster cage and other supplies set up and waiting for your hamster, so you shouldn’t have to spend much money at the pet store. Try to make sure that wherever you decide to buy your hamster that the hamsters appear to be clean and well taken care of. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the hamsters. Ask how old the hamsters are and try to get a young one. You probably don’t want to bring home a pregnant hamster either, because then you might end up with more than you bargained for!

Last but certainly not least, although hamsters are good at taking care of grooming themselves, you need to make sure to clean your hamster’s home regularly. This is very important to your hamster’s health. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to do. If you follow these simple hamster care guidelines and do your research online by reading as much information as you can, your hamster will love you for it and you will be a better pet owner to your hamster.