It is a natural thing to want to keep more than one hamster since they are so adorable. You might be worried a single hamster would be lonely and bored, or you might have a vision of social little creatures, cuddling and sleeping together, and If you have your heart set on having multiple hamsters, you may be wondering if they can live together in the same cage.
There has been quite a lot of research on the subject, and experience has proven that the answers are very clear and very simple:
Table of Contents
Can you put 2 Syrian Hamsters – or Teddy Bear Hamsters – in the Same Cage?
The answer is a categorical NO, Syrian hamsters must never be put in the same enclosure.
Sadly a lot of owners see Syrians together in the pet shop, and try to make them cohabitate to replicate their community life, thinking they are being kind to them.
All hamsters in the wild are naturally independent and territorial. They explore large territories, travel up to 5 miles a night, and are free to decide how close they get to another hamster.
Hamsters in captivity are already in a stressful environment for them. Housing 2 hamsters together will bring their territorial instinct, and you risk to quickly see a fight to the death.
It does not matter if you try to house 2 male or 2 female Syrians together. The male might be a bit more chilled and the females faster to attack each other, but in the end the risk is the same: find a very injured hamster in the morning, or a dead one.
If you want to adopt 2 (or more) hamsters at the same time, you must respect their need for independence and house them in separate habitats. Free roaming must be done separately, never together. Being in the same room will be enough for hamsters to smell each other, and they can already show signs of agitation but should settle down after a few days.
Hamsters are not social animals and do not get any benefit from being forced to share an enclosure.
Can you put 2 Dwarf Hamsters in the Same Cage?
It is possible for Winter White and Campbell Dwarf hamsters to live together, but owners are very strongly advised to house them independently, especially first time owners.
Only experienced keepers who have learned to read their body language and to follow escalation pattern might attempt to keep 2 animals together.
The hamsters have to be from the same litter, and never been apart. Unfortunately, some shops will lie and pretend the hamsters are siblings from the same litter, when it's only babies they have plonked together.
When Dwarf hamsters are living together, they must have a lot of room, and each hamster must have one of everything: so their habitat must have 2 food bowls, at least 2 water sources, 2 wheels.. and a multiple of hides with multiple entrances (to ensure one hamster cannot trap the other) and little habitats as well as very deep bedding. Avoid platforms and levels, and no scattering their food to stop territorial behaviour.
Owners need to keep a very close eye on them. They might look like they get along for the first 6 months, sometimes for months, but at the fist sign of fight, you must separate them immediately. Adult hamsters are never "play fighting", they are fighting for dominance which will result in serious injury or death.
The signs of fighting to watch for tend to be: loss of fur, squeaking, chasing the other, bullying behaviour from one (stopping them from eating, fighting) and the other becoming very timid and trying to hide a lot, injuries.
Always keep an emergency enclosure in case you need to re-home one of the hamsters immediately.
SO while you might have been told that some cohabitation is possible, it's not recommended and owners are strongly encouraged not to try. Hamsters are solitary animals, first time owners shouldn't try to keep them together.
Do Hamsters Like being in the Same Enclosure?
No, hamsters do not like being in the same enclosure. In fact, hamsters are solitary animals and prefer to live alone. Trying to put two hamsters in the same cage will likely result in fighting, which can lead to serious injury or even death.
Even if you try to give them a lot more than the minimum recommended space for one hamster – which is overall 1 square meter of unbroken floor space, 100cm x100cm or 200cm x 50cm recommended in some countries, there's absolutely not guarantee Dwarf hamsters will tolerate each other. It's an absolute no no for Syrian hamsters.
Unfortunately some new owners are still given completely inaccurate and dangerous advice from some shops. It's not true that hamsters are sociable, it is not true that they should be kept as a pair, it's not true that they need a friend.
At what Age do you need to Separate Baby Hamsters?
First remember that a stressed or disturbed hamster will likely cull their young. Never interfere in any way with a newborn baby hamster.
Weaning starts around 3 weeks. If you see the mother pushing away her pups, it's absolutely normal, she is telling them to go away and she is not going to nurse any longer. Pups will be play-fighting a lot, which again is normal at this age.
Wait until they are 4 weeks old to separate them, not any earlier.
At 28 days, it's time to move the babies – or the mother – to a separate habitat. It's also time to separate the males and females.
After 8 weeks, all hamsters are solitary animals and need to live independently. You must never try to force Syrian or Chinese hamsters to cohabitate, and it's very risky and difficult with Dwarves.
Can Hamsters Live Together with other Pets in your House?
The most important thing to remember is that hamsters are prey animals. This means that in the wild, their main predators are larger animals that would love to make a meal out of them. As a result, hamsters have evolved to be very wary of potential predators, going as far as hiding illnesses, injuries and any sign of weakness that would likely mean death in the wild.
Hamsters cannot see cats or dogs as anything but predators, and will go into full-on survival mode when around them. This means that they will be very stressed, which can lead to health problems down the line. In some cases, hamsters have even died of fright when around larger animals.
As a result, it is absolutely not a good idea to put your hamster anywhere near another pet. Even a cat looking through the glass wall of a tank will frighten and stress your hamster out.
You might have seen people putting a hamster stuck in a hamster ball near a cat or a dog. It is unbelievably cruel. Hamster balls are unsafe and very stressful for hamsters anyway, but the smell and the proximity of a predator is just too much for them. Never do this to your hamster.
Conclusion
Hamsters are often seen as cute, cuddly little creatures, but they can be quite the opposite. They are solitary by nature and prefer to live alone in their own habitat. Putting two hamsters together in one cage will likely result in a fight to the death, so it is best not to try and house them together.
Hamsters also have a strong prey instinct, which means that they see cats and dogs as predators and will become very stressed around them. As a result, it is not a good idea to put your hamster near any other pets in your home.