Hamstery decisions

[enismirdal]

I have come to the conclusion that I'm going to separate Quinine and Sucrose tonight. Quinine is still beating up Sucrose - although most of it is dominance-assertion, and it isn't particularly aggressive, involving lots of boxing and no real biting, it's making Sucrose a bit upset. Sucrose is quite outgoing and sort of almost semi-tame when Quinine is asleep and she has the cage more or less to herself, but when Quinine is in a Mood, she takes every possible opportunity to terrorise Sucrose, especially when Sucrose wants to play on the wheel, and it's making Sucrose sneak around like a fugitive trying to stay out of her way.

I get the distinct impression they're tolerating each other rather than actually enjoying the company - today Sucrose slept buried in the litter next to the main house rather than sharing with Quinine (they have a second spare house upstairs, which Sucrose also uses when she wants a bit of peace and quiet). So all in all I think they'll both be happier in separate cages.

The internet is rather ambivalent about the whole hamsters-squabbling thing. Some sites say "separate them NOW before someone gets hurt" and others say "if no one is bleeding, it's probably not serious, so leave them together to sort it out". But it's the fact that these two don't really seem that bothered about being fluffy happy friends that's brought me to the conclusion that two cages are better than one.

Of course, this means my bedroom is now looking extremely chaotic!

I guess I should stop writing this post and finish organising this cage before flatmates come home and want the kitchen back... Heh.

Comments

[phyncke.livejournal.com]

Sucha rat race it is. Very dramatic little lives they have. Little critters. He he he.

I hated my hamster as a child. Was too young to deal with the poo, I think. Plus it got out for a number of months and went all wild. Bit like crazy after we put it back in its cage. Harry died one year when we all were at camp.

No love there.

Hope you are well. It has been ions.

[ex-robhu.livejournal.com]

I had two Roborovskis that behaved similarly to how you describe.

I took them to the vet to ask him what to do (Pets @ Home had no idea). He said to leave them together for a bit longer and see what happened.

A few days afterwards hamster B killed hamster A.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a really sad story :( Poor Hamster A. :( At least it kind of reassures me that I've made the right decision. Sucrose seems a bit bemused about her new, clean-smelling cage, and I think she liked the old wheel better, but she's munching all the food and has been exploring. Quinine seemed a bit baffled for a few minutes after Sucrose "vanished" too, but is now back on the wheel and trundling away.

So I think in a day or two they'll be completely settled in their new world order. Their cages are side by side, so they can still see/smell each other if they want, but they aren't sitting in one corner pining and trying to chew through to each other, so I think they're content to be apart.

[lauand.livejournal.com]

Hamsters are territorial animals, not hierarchical ones. I would think to have them apart is the correct decision, but well, I am no expert.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree for Syrians...for the various dwarf species the literature seems rather more confusing! Lots of books and websites insist that Campbell's dwarf hamsters live happily in groups, pairs and colonies, but I've come across so many stories of this not working...and Winter Whites seem even more unpredictable (I'm starting to suspect that my two are at least part Winter White). Some books/sites even claim they prefer to live together, but these two certainly don't seem to be pining.

In any case, Quinine and Sucrose seem to be doing well in their own cages now. (Though they both have mites and are scratching like mad things.)

[lauand.livejournal.com]

Books are great, but I suppose personal experience is better! It happens to me a lot, to read contradictory information about all kind of things. It's rather confusing. I suppose there isn't an Universal Truth for anything.