Hamsters come in different sizes and colors. They also differ in their personality. Some are timid while others are very playful and energetic. But sometimes, some Hamsters are very naughty and aggressive and might end up hurting other hamsters within the cage they are sharing with. So when is the proper to separate them? It depends on the kind of breed you have.

Do you have Syrian Hamsters and also Dwarf Hamsters? Do you want a lot of baby hamsters? If you don’t want Baby Hamsters then you will need to separate them into different cages according to their gender at 4 weeks of age. Be sure to let the separated hamsters have a partner of the same gender in that cage because hamsters get lonely too and they need social interactions. But if you want to have lots of baby hamsters then you can just leave them in the same cage.

Always keep this in your mind. A hamster is a hamster and it is not like a cat nor a dog. Give your hamster time to settle down in their new home if you just adopted one. Give them a day or two to get used to their new surroundings before try and handle them. Some hamsters doesn’t want to get handled while some are very easy to open up to you. Just take it slow and eventually your shy hamster will open up and be very close to you. If you rush things with your new hamster it will stress them out and will scare your hamster which will make things more difficult for you to be friends with him. Scared hamsters may result in his personality becoming aggressive. If it tries to bite you, it is just being scared and stressed out.

Aggressive Hamsters

If you ever decided that you don’t want to have baby hamsters yet and those hamsters that you have separated have become a bit aggressive to each other. Observe them first, if you think that they are being overly aggressive and really starts to hurt each other then it is time to separate them. Hamsters that fight against each other can cause injuries and become hazardous to their health.

If you caught them fighting against each other, i suggest you put on a pair of garden gloves or any thick gloves before separating them, just to avoid getting bitten or scratched by your aggressive hamsters. Also prepare a small container or a box with some newspaper that has been shredded as the bedding for the separated hamster. Don’t forget to put some holes for the lid of the box to let your hamster breathe (obviously). Also place a separate food and water dish to the separate container of the hamster. This is like a detention cell for the misbehaving hamsters. But if you are planning to keep separate them completely then you better get a new cage as the new home for the other hamster.

Reasons Why Hamsters Fight

So why do they fight against each other? One of the common reason why they fight is because hamsters are territorial creatures. A male hamster will fight against another male hamster for the territory and for the title of the alpha male. If the hamster is threatened by a new hamster inside the cage then it will start to be aggressive to that new hamster. If that behavior continues then it is much better to separate the new hamster rather than see them get injured and even sometimes they will fight to death. So separating them will make both hamsters that fight become happy and also it will be healthy for their health. And so they will live a stress free life.

But not all of them will show signs of aggression against each other and will start to cause a scene and fight. Some other hamsters will lay their ears back against its head and will show off its teeth, and then it will start to glare against the other hamster. This kind of aggression is like a dog growling at something or someone else. It will just need time for the other hamster to open up to his new friend.

If ever you have some baby hamsters, you might observe them at some point and see that they sometimes play and fight against each other. This behavior is common to the young hamsters and there is nothing to worry about them. They will play and fight with each other as soon as they can start to walk and see. You can just leave them with the other baby hamsters and their parent. But keep in mind on what we discussed earlier that at around 4 weeks you should separate them. Hamsters reproduce very quickly as soon as they grow at that age. If you don’t want to get your cage full then separate them at the right time.

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