Should I buy TWO hamsters? *UPDATE 1st post*

[Tinijocaro]

DD (9) is getting a hamster for Christmas and I'm debating between getting one or two hamsters. Will they fight if I get two? I just don't want it to be lonely.

UPDATE-Well, i went out last night and got dd the cutest little hamster. He's really sweet and I can't wait for her to see him tomorrow. She's been very responsible with taking care of our 2 year old dog- feeds him and changes his water daily without being asked. She's the type of kid that NEEDS creatures to nurture- I was the same way. She'll do great caring for our newest pet. Thanks for all the help!

 

[LisaNJ25]

not unless you want 28 babies a few weeks later. oh.... and dont believe the pet store when they tale you its a male hamster... on fathers day a few years ago I woke up to around 15 pink moving things in the cage.

 

[ammo]

DD (9) is getting a hamster for Christmas and I'm debating between getting one or two hamsters. Will they fight if I get two? I just don't want it to be lonely.

It's not the fighting you have to worry about.

 

[perdidobay]

It's not the fighting you have to worry about.

One hamster's motto is make love not war... two hamster's motto is "Let's get it on"

 

[Pop Daddy]

when i was a kid, i had one, got anther a few weeks later, and one killed the other and stuffed it with hamster litter

 

[LisaNJ25]

when i was a kid, i had one, got anther a few weeks later, and one killed the other and stuffed it with hamster litter

ewwwee

 

[Pop Daddy]

ewwwee

I know, I was just like 10 and it still grosses me out

 

[paigevz]

Hamsters live in social groups. They need another one. I'd say if they aren't fighting in the petstore cage, they probably won't in their own either. Gerbils prefer to live alone however.

Something else to think about, hamsters are nocturnal and gerbils are not. A squeaking hamster wheel all night is not a fun thing. The gerbil will sleep most of the night.

 

[ckret01]

not unless you want 28 babies a few weeks later.

You aren't kidding. !!! When I was younger my sister and I got 2 hamsters and kept them in the same cage. A few months later I came home from school and went to their cage to pick one up to pet it and something very tiny and pink fell from it, when I looked down I realized it was a baby , then I looked more into the cage and found about 8 of them. I thought my mother would kill me when I realized it had babies. We wound up keeping them all and I made a big mistake and took two fish tanks, took the side glass out of each tank and pushed them together and taped the sides so the place they were in was big enough for all the hamsters. Well one by one the ate through the tape, pushed apart the tanks and got out. Apparently they got lost and got lost in the walls of our house. you would hear them scratch on the inside of the walls. Needless to say I wasn;t allowed any pets after that

 

[marlynnp]

Hamsters live in social groups. They need another one. I'd say if they aren't fighting in the petstore cage, they probably won't in their own either. Gerbils prefer to live alone however.

Sorry, but you've got this backwards.

Hamsters are better alone... some of the dwarf hamsters seem to do akay together but for the most part if you buy more than one be prepared with another cage if they start to fight. They are so young at the pet stores that they have not yet become territorial and that's why they are fine together there.

Gerbils do fine together if they came from the same cage to begin with.

 

[love2disney]

My sons school has 4 hamsters two to a cage. I know for a fact that out of those two of them cant be in the same cage or the start a fight. The even hiss/squea at each other when they are in each others line of sight!

 

[HeatherSue]

I used to raise hamsters when I was a teenager and they will DEFINITELY fight if you keep more than one of the same sex in the cage. If you keep a male/female pair, they'll fight after they "do their business". Do not get 2 hamsters and keep them together if you want them both to live. My SIL didn't believe me and got 2 hamsters. They seemed to get along fine- until one of them decided the other really only needed 1 eye.

 

[Shannone1]

Don't get two unless they are going to be in different habitats. BTDT and it wasn't pretty !! We had to find one a new home because we were afraid they would kill each other. I don't understand it really...they were in the same cage at the pet store.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

We had 2 hamsters.

I came home one day to one of them eating the other one. Guts and intestines all hanging out.

Not Pretty.

Get one hamster.

 

[Barb D]

Go with guinea pigs. They're big enough to cuddle, they don't try to skitter away from you, they don't chew their way out of cages, and they don't eat each other when they die. The only downside is that since they're bigger they need bigger cages/habitats.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Hamsters are better alone...

This pretty much is your answer. Two hamsters are a no-no.

 

[goofyernmost]

I guess that depends on how hungry you are!

I know sick, sick, sick but would the world be fun if all of us were "normal"?

 

[paigevz]

Sorry, but you've got this backwards.

Hamsters are better alone... some of the dwarf hamsters seem to do akay together but for the most part if you buy more than one be prepared with another cage if they start to fight. They are so young at the pet stores that they have not yet become territorial and that's why they are fine together there.

Gerbils do fine together if they came from the same cage to begin with.

Oops! I was thinking of that was why we got the gerbil because they told us that, but no we had had a gerbil and he died and we went to get a hamster and they told us that.

Sorry for the misinfo OP.

 

[Kath2003]

Hamsters do not live in social groups. They generally dislike other creatures.

Guinea pigs and gerbils thrive in the company of others. It is cruel to keep them alone.

Go with guinea pigs. They're big enough to cuddle, they don't try to skitter away from you, they don't chew their way out of cages, and they don't eat each other when they die. The only downside is that since they're bigger they need bigger cages/habitats.

Firstly, this is the best advice ever, especially if you have young children. Guinea pigs are pretty hardy and much less skittish. Hamsters are fast, wriggly and much less child-proof!

If you get a Syrian (golden -the large, regular ones) hamster only get one. They will fight, eat each other or multiply. You don't want any of those things.

If you get Russian/Chinese dwarf hamsters, they are okay in pairs of the same gender if they are from the same litter.

Your breeder should be able to advise you. My advice is to get two guinea pigs, or one Syrian hamster.

 

[connorlevismom]

DD (9) is getting a hamster for Christmas and I'm debating between getting one or two hamsters. Will they fight if I get two? I just don't want it to be lonely.

I had two when I was a kids. Either they both chewed each others feet off, or it was a murder suicude because when I got home they were both dead and neither of them had any feet.

Kristine