Not all hamsters need the company of their own kind. In nature, their natural habitat is the desert, in which the chances of survival are much higher for a loner. But in captivity, they are quite capable of creating hamster communities or even families. At the same time, it is very important to properly introduce the animals to each other, so that possible friendship does not develop into ongoing enmity.
Hamsters are better off living apart
A single hamster is the easiest to keep. These animals do not need to communicate with each other and can live their entire short hamster life without suffering a bit from the absence of relatives. If it becomes necessary to bring two representatives of this family together or to plant a new animal in an already settled group, this should be done very carefully, observing the rules necessary in this case.
The most harmonious communities arise when hamsters have known each other from birth.
Preparation for acquaintance
The first thing to know and remember is that hamsters have a very keen sense of smell, which they rely on in everyday life. Therefore, before you begin to introduce animals to each other, you must give them the opportunity to gradually get used to the smell of a new friend. The easiest way is to place each animal in a separate cage, put them in the same room, and change the items used by the hamsters within a week. For example, toys, houses, bowls for food and drink, and so on.
This way, over time, the hamsters will get used to each other's scent, and you can try to bring them together. At the same time, it is best not to put one in a cage to another, but to introduce them to neutral territory, so that both find themselves in the same position in a new environment. If one remains, as they say, at home, and the second comes to visit him, the struggle is inevitable. In principle, everything happens in the same way as in humans. If one of you returns home one fine evening and finds a stranger on the couch who will use your computer, sleep on your bed, go to the toilet and take everything you like from the refrigerator without a twinge of conscience, the reaction to this behavior will be immediate and friendly. is unlikely to be.
Do not bring two puberty males together.
Fighting animals
Even taking all precautions, in the early days, more or less frequent skirmishes between hamsters should be reckoned with. Before 2 individuals begin to get along next to each other, they need to determine their place in the hierarchy in relation to each other, and it is impossible to do this without a struggle. During the showdown, the hamster stands on its hind legs and begins to box. The defeated animal falls on its back, the winner pokes its stomach with its nose, thereby securing its higher position. Such types of collisions are quite normal, moreover, they are even necessary, there is absolutely no need to prevent them.
When acquaintance is impossible
But if the hamsters cannot stop the showdown, they use their teeth and blood begins to pour, this acquaintance should be stopped as soon as possible. All the same, it will not lead to anything good.
