Advice on integrating four dwarf hamsters?

December 13, 2009 4:29 PM

I'd like to try to integrate a new Roborovski dwarf hamster with an already bonded trio of Roborovski dwarf hamsters. They are all males. The internet and books mostly give advice on pairing up hamsters, so I'm looking for advice on the strategies I'm employing and accounts of experiences with integrating more than two hamsters.

More information:
1) The single hamster is older, but not by more than a month or two
2) All of them are between four and six months old
3) The trio are bigger than the single (I'd say half an inch larger in all dimensions). He is a little bit of a thing and I am worried they will beat him up and take his lunch money when I am not looking.
4) The cage I would like to house them together in is a 16 gallon plastic aquarium with plenty of ventilation.

Steps I am planning on taking:
1) Get them used to each others' scents by swapping some toys i.e. single hamster's dust bath in the trio's cage, trio's playhouse in the single's cage.
2) A day after step 1, introduce them on neutral ground with some of the single's things scattered about to make him seem more dominant of the area and lots of distracting toys and treats. Separate them immediately if they start fighting, and see if there are bullying behaviors.
3) If all goes well in step 2, put them together in the same cage, making sure that it is clean of both sets of scents and making sure there is a wire barrier between them. If they still seem to be getting along after a few days, take the barrier out and see what happens.

Is this a good strategy? What am I missing? What should I keep in mind? I'd appreciate hearing about any experiences you have with integrating several hamsters.

posted by millions of peaches to Pets & Animals (3 answers total)

I've successfully introduced male/male and male/female and female/female strangers (Campbell's) both pairs and a few times with 2 introduced to 1, so I'm sure this can be done. I've done this with all ages. I've also had it fail a few times, so please be prepared for that. Especially since you are introducing one to 3 others, who might gang up on the new one.

I would suggest: Using a barrier first. Split a cage or use two cages, one inside the other, where they can interact through mesh or wires. Then after 4-5 days, switch them around so they can experience the new scents, etc. Give them another 4-5 days, and then completely clean the cage (keep them in separate temporary spaces while you do this). I suggest using some kind of enzymatic cleaner (like Petastic or Nature's Miracle) that will remove all of their scents completely. If you choose to use bleach, be sure you rinse very thoroughly and then make absolutely sure it is all dry before anything goes in. Then put in all new bedding and stuff as planned. I lost the link I found once that describes all this, but it was from some hamster expert. I tried to find it again but couldn't.

I would make sure there are enough wheels and plenty of food and treats spread around all over so they are distracted by the food a bit. When I put mine in together for the first time, I usually keep a very close eye on them for the first couple of minutes in case someone needs rescuing. Keep a cup or a bowl handy for any rescuing that might need to be done. Usually they are so excited by some special treat (extra sunflower seeds or something) that they are busy eating and do not notice each other at first. In my experience, if they do not notice each other right away, this tends to be a good omen.

One more thing to keep in mind... In my experience they can get along fine in the first few minutes and do fine forever, or they can fight from the first minute and not stop until separated. One more thing that can happen is that they get along fine for the first week and then they start to fight. So just keep an eye on them and see how it goes.

I hope it goes well! They are so much happier when they have buddies, aren't they? :)
posted by AllieTessKipp at 5:00 PM on December 13, 2009

Like ATK, I have done this many times with Campbells, and your plans sound great for Campbells. Perhaps a Rob expert will step in. I have read that Robs can be less social with humans but more social with each other (compared to Campbells), so perhaps that bodes well. (Or perhaps that's total bunk, like so much hamster information out there. Let us know!)

Not to derail, but you mentioned the dust bath. Do you mean the (chinchilla) sand bath? Because chinchilla sand and chinchilla dust are very different things, and the latter can be harmful to hamsters (who can't close off their breathing passages the way chinchillas can). Just checking!

Good luck! A few times I have had to permanently separate some otherwise very sweet Campbells after a year or longer of living together all their lives. Sometimes personalities/needs just seem to change. But, when they do all like each other, it's pretty wonderful. Best wishes!
posted by Liffey at 6:06 PM on December 13, 2009

Response by poster: I ended up using my method plus the timeline laid out by ATK. Thank you both for your advice--things seem to be going smoothly.

Oh, and, yes, I meant a sand bath, not a dust bath.
posted by millions of peaches at 8:18 PM on December 15, 2009