Roborovski hamsters are the smallest species of hamster and are sometimes called the Russian hamster, owing to them hailing from the biggest country in the world. However, just because they are little that doesn’t mean that they are not feisty and sometimes, they may fight when kept together. So should you separate your Robo hamsters or is there a way that they can live in harmony?
In the wild, hamsters tend to be rather solitary creatures, and while you may notice that they are housed together in the pet store, it is unlikely that they will get along living together permanently but this will depend on certain things such as the . If you own more than one Robo hamster, it can be a good idea to put them in separate enclosures, to prevent fighting.
With this in mind, we must understand when Robo hamsters should have their own space and how we can do this.
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Can Robo Hamsters Live Together?
Any animal can get territorial, even humans. Imagine if you were forced to live with a stranger and expected to get along; it most likely wouldn’t happen.
Your Robo hamster may feel just as unenthused about the idea and each hamster might begin to fight for dominance.
On the other hand, many Robo hamsters will live with others without any problems; it largely depends on the individual and is something that you will have to monitor and make a decision on.
The main problem lies in keeping males and females together. If you get your hamsters at a young age and they are of the same sex, it may be possible to keep two or even three Robos together without any problems.
However, you must keep your eye on the animals and separate them the moment that you notice any fighting, even if it is mild aggression.
Conversely, a male and a female should never be kept in the same enclosure. Female Robo hamsters can be surprisingly aggressive to their male counterparts and you may find that she chases him and attempts to become dominant.
In some cases, a female Robo will kill her male housemate and while this isn’t common, it is certainly possible.
This behavior may be completely normal for the species and of course, in the wild, hamsters will have altercations. The key difference in captivity is that, unlike the limitless space in the wild, submissive hamsters have nowhere to run.
If the attacked hamster is continually frightened, this can cause serious problems. There is the issue of becoming injured which in itself can be devastating.
But there is also the problem of the hamster becoming stressed and this can bring on a whole host of problems that could result in the death of the animal.
When hamsters are stressed, they can begin to show quite obvious signs. This might be things like becoming extremely hyperactive and wearing themselves down due to fatigue.
They may also take on odd behaviors such as biting the cage, scratching excessively, or losing their appetite.
But one of the most problematic issues with stress, particularly in younger hamsters is that they may develop wet tail. This disease can kill a hamster in days so if you do notice it, you should have the pet seen by an exotics vet immediately who can prescribe a course of antibiotics to treat the illness.
The good news is that Robo hamsters are much less susceptible to wet tail than some other hamster species.
What About Mating?
If you are going to be breeding Robo hamsters, you will, of course, need to put the male and female together but this does not mean that they should become flatmates.
Robo hamsters should be mated around the age of four months even though they will be sexually mature much younger than this.
Females come into heat around every four days so this is the ideal time to put your female with your male and let nature take its course.
You will need to supervise the interaction and ensure that the pair are separated if either of them seems unwilling to mate.
Another reason not to keep males and females together is that hamsters are incredibly fertile a lot of the time and unless you want a huge family of hamsters, it is best to keep them separate.
What is The Best Cage For A Robo Hamster?
Before you bring your pet home, whether you have one, two, or a thousand Robo hamsters, you will need to make sure that you have the correct type of enclosure.
For these tiny animals, which can measure around 2 – 3 inches, having a barred cage might not be the best idea.
Believe it or not, the Robo hamster can squeeze itself through the tightest gap and would make light work of a cage designed with a Syrian in mind.
But just because they are small, that is not to say that a Robo hamster doesn’t need a sufficient amount of space. Make sure to get a cage that measures at least 450 square inches; larger if they will be sharing.
Another crucial consideration is that these hamsters are not great climbers so you don’t want to install too many high platforms, the hamster may struggle to reach them and could fall, becoming injured.
Related Questions
Do Robo hamsters get lonely?
While some Robo hamsters will live happily in a pair or a small group, if they need to live alone, they won’t become lonely and are often known as “look but don’t touch” pets because they are extremely fast and aren’t recommended for smaller children.
Do Robo hamsters kill each other?
Some Robo hamsters will fight, however, while there may be one aggressor, it is not common for these animals to kill one another, but it can happen and you should always be on guard for any squabbling.