hamsters

[scorpious321]

i just fed and watered my boys hamsters and they are small Russian ones and i have two and i couldnt see the other one and i think the other hamster has eaten him do they do that i do feed them. all i see is skin he was ok on monday im not sure if hes got out

[wildwood]

They don't eat each other as a rule. Have you given the 'skin' you can see a poke? It is probable that they are sleeping together and it only looks like one.

[B00]

possibly- hamsters don't make good companions for each other.

Only one way to find out really!

[yogasun]

I am afraid that can happen (cannibalism) in dwarf hamsters. As BOO said, they don't always get on with each other. :-(

[B00]

Just to further add- how irrisonsible of whoever sold you two to begin with. Was it a petshop? And they didn't advise you of this?

I got mine from a petshop and to their credit they advised me when they misheard me say I wanted one hamster, that two can't be kept together.

[alfieblue]

I agree. The little guys should not have been housed together. The pet shop is at fault here if that's where you got them from. or perhaps they did not realise that they would be housed together - but they should check and have guidelines for potential owners.

Nevertheless, very upsetting. Hope the remaining one is okay. Give the cage a good clean out with pet disinfectant and enjoy the remaining little guy. They are very cute - we have had them in the past. :o)

[rexy0101]

You can keep Russian hamsters in groups.It is Syrian hamsters which must be kept alone

[hippyhoppy]

'he was Ok on Monday' - It'sThursday!! They need exercise every day so why didn't you notice this on Tuesday???

[scorpious321]

im not sure what type of hamster they are but its been eaten by the other one, any one want a hamster i dnt want to touch the little ****** now

[pastafreak]

Oh-please don't tell me this is a wind-up......that is awful!!.....I had no idea hamsters were cannibals.

[alfieblue]

Yes, unfortunately they can be!

We had a dreadful experience a few years back. My daughter bought a baby female Syrian from a reputable pet shop. Back it came, all cosy home alone in lovely housing ...... until lo and behold, she was not home alone any more!! She had 6-8 babies!!!!!

And yes, she killed and ate every one of them. One minute they were there, the next gone but for a few remains!! It truly was a hammy house of horrors!!!

We sought advice and were told that the original hammy was too immature to cope with the babies. guess a cheeky chappy hammy had been sexed wrongly at the pet shop and had made the most!!!

However, on a lighter note, original hammy lived to a ripe old age - on a diet of seeds, nuts and fruit etc. Def no meat on the menu!!!!

[B00]

Don't let it put you off your hamster scorpious, it's what they do. Kinda like a cat playing with its victim before it eats it, it's just their nature.

[Eve]

It's more common in Syrian hamsters then Russian ones who can in certain circumstance be kept in groups.

More common in mothers eating young as well than other hamsters.

Did they have a good supply of food, as most other reasons are connected with new mother hamsters.

[jade300998]

I used to breed russian hamsters and can say for definite that they ca be kept in groups. I had a large enclosure with 28 in once, and they all lived very happily.
Adults don't kill other adults, so if one has been eaten, then it was dead before the other one started eating it.
It may have got out, so try putting some small dishes of their food around and check to see if anything gets eaten. Try adding some treats like cheese, so that they can smell it from a long way off.
The way to identify a russian hamster is they have an even colour of grey all over their back with a black stripe running down the middle. The belly is white all over. I have aso had albion russian hamsters and they are just pure white all over with red eyes.
How long have you had the hamsters, and were they bought at the same time from the same pace? Sometimes if two males that are not from the same litter are put together, they tend to fight.