Can Hamsters Live Together In The Same Cage?

We love hamsters! The more the merrier!

But…

Can hamsters live together?

Your hamster’s breed and age will also affect how well it deals with company. Find out more about your hamster’s temperament and how to house him coming up next in this article.

Can Hamsters Live Together?

They say two’s a crowd and three’s a party!

But, is that the case with hamsters? Do they like sharing a cage with other hamsters?

Many animal lovers want to know whether they can house more than one hamster in a cage. Coming up next, you’ll find out if it’s best to keep your hamsters separate or not and which breeds prefer a little company.

Can Two Hamsters Share a Cage?

So, you’ve just finished pimping out your hamster cage, and it has everything a hamster could need to keep it occupied. It has wheels, tunnels, chew toys, you name it!

The cage is also massive, perfect for two or more hamsters.

Or is it? Can you put two hamsters together?

Some hamster species do well when sharing a cage, but most hamsters will prefer to be on their own. Some breeds will fight when in the company of other hamsters.

So, how can you be sure whether keeping hamsters in the same enclosure is a good idea or not?

It is important to monitor your hamsters when putting two or more in one cage. If you see signs of bullying, separate them.

Whether your hamsters prefer to live together or alone will depend on the following factors.

• The breed of the hamster
• The sex of the hamster
• Whether it has reached sexual maturity or not
• The size of the cage

Let’s take a closer look at these factors and how they can help you determine how to house your hamsters.

What Types of Hamsters Can Live Together?

Some breeds of hamsters are solitary animals and will not like having a cage mate.

Which hamsters can live together?

Dwarf hamsters can live together when the conditions are correct. Syrian hamsters and Chinese hamsters, on the other hand, must not live together.

(We’ll go into detail about how you must house these different species in just a mo.)

Can Same-Sex Pairings Live Together?

If you want to keep two hamsters in the same cage, you might wonder if the sex of the animals might affect how well they get along.

Are same-sex groups better than putting a male and a female together?

Although they are only little animals, hamsters breed in big numbers. Some will have up to 10 pups in a litter.

Keeping two hamsters of the opposite sex together after they reach sexual maturity is not a good idea unless you want to breed the hamsters. It is better for you to keep two female hamsters or two male hamsters together.

A female hamster will often attack a male after mating, so you must separate them once the female becomes pregnant.

Hamsters of the same sex, especially males, fight, so you must keep an eye on the hamsters to ensure they are getting along. If they begin to fight, separate them.

Your pets would do better in each other’s company if they were already together when they were young.

When Do Hamsters Reach Sexual Maturity?

Baby hamsters of the same litter can live together without an issue until they reach sexual maturity. This happens as early as 4 weeks of age.

After 4 weeks, hamster siblings may become territorial and begin to fight and may even kill one another. A mother hamster may kill her young if you handle them too soon because they have a foreign scent on them.

In the case of dwarf hamsters, this may happen even earlier. Pups may begin to fight at just 3 weeks old when they are weaned from the mother hamster.

Because of their tendency to fight, it is best to keep hamsters separate when they reach 4 weeks of age.

How Big Must Their Cage Be?

When housing small groups of hamsters together, you need a big cage so they will stay entertained and have space from one another.

The hamsters will need their own water bottles so they do not fight. You must also put more than one food bowl in the cage.

Make sure their water and food bowls are always topped up. If your hamsters begin nibbling or climbing on the wires of the cage, this could indicate that the cage is too small and that the hamsters are not comfortable.

The minimum size cage for one Syrian hamster is 12x12x12 inches. For each additional hamster, you need to add another 40x15 inches.

Ensure the cage you pick up from the pet store is the right size for multiple hamsters.

Which Hamster Breeds Can Live Together?

How well two hamsters living in the same cage will get on depends on the breed of the hamster. With the proper knowledge of the temperament of your pets, you will be able to house them successfully.

Coming up next, we are going to take a look at different breeds of hamsters and how well they get along with hamsters of the same species.

Winter White Dwarf Hamsters

Pure winter white hamsters are some of the most tamable hamsters. This hamster species can live together in a large cage.

Even still, you must keep an eye on your winter whites in case the hamsters fight and separate them if they do. It is best to keep winter whites in separate sex groups as they mate all year round.

Campbell’s Russian Dwarf Hamsters

The Campbell’s Russian dwarf hamster is another dwarf species that can live with other hamsters. In the wild, these dwarf hamsters live with hamsters of different species!

Campbell’s Russian dwarf hamsters in the wild live with Chinese striped hamsters, Roborovski hamsters, and even gerbils. These animals don’t eat the same food, so they can live together peacefully.

Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters

Roborovski dwarf hamsters can live in the same cage together. This dwarf hamster species can live in pairs when you raise them together from a young age.

Multiple Roborovski dwarf hamsters live together nicely in small same-sex groups when you raise them together. These dwarf hamsters mate all year round, so it is best to keep males and females separate.

Although multiple dwarf hamsters of the Roborovki species do well together, you must monitor them. Separate the two dwarf hamsters if fighting occurs.

Syrian Hamsters

The Syrian hamster (also called the golden hamster) is a solitary animal. It is very territorial and must not share the same cage with another hamster, even of the same litter.

Teddy bear hamsters (long-haired Syrian hamsters) have the same temperament as Syrian hamsters.

A female Syrian hamster will only tolerate the presence of a male hamster when she is in heat. After mating, she may begin to attack the male hamster.

In pet stores, you will see baby Syrian hamsters live together until they are 4 weeks old because they become sexually mature at 4 to 5 weeks. After 4 weeks, they must live separately.

Housing Multiple Hamsters

Hamsters are territorial animals. If you are about to take these pets home for the first time, you may wonder whether they can live together in peace.

This article has helped us see that certain species, like Syrian and Chinese hamsters, cannot live in pairs or groups. Females often attack males, so they must live in their own cage once reaching 4 weeks old.

Groups and pairs of single-sex dwarf hamsters together tend to fair well, but you must keep an eye on them. You must ensure their cage is big enough, as hamsters together in a small cage will fight.

Did you find this article interesting?

At Oddly Cute Pets, we always strive to provide you with the best information about young hamsters and how to house them. To learn more about the Chinese hamster, the wild hamster, and other animals, check out our website.

Thanks for reading!