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Syrian Hamsters

Syrian Hamsters are solitary and although they live together as babies as they mature their solitary instinct develops and they will not usually tolerate another hamster once they reach about 8-10 weeks. Therefore they should be housed separately. If Syrian Hamsters are not housed separately serious fighting, injury and even death can occur.

Dwarf Hamsters

Dwarf Hamsters are sociable and will live happily in pairs or groups of mixed or single sexes. Different species should not be housed together as this would be highly stressful to them as they would not normally meet in the wild and each species has a very different character. Dwarf Hamsters are best introduced at a young age. When buying two or more Dwarf Hamsters to live together it is not necessary to get hamsters from the same litter but they should be roughly the same age and size (and sex if you do not want to breed them). They might squabble a little when first introduced but the loud noise might frighten you but they will not injure each other at all. Often there will be much squealing but very little physical contact. 

Plastic/Wire Cages

There are a variety of hamster cages available from pet shops. The most common type of hamster cage has a plastic base and a rigid wire top. The wire top can be unclipped from the base making it easy to get the hamster out of the cage or to clean the cage. These plastic base, rigid wire top cages are lightweight, durable and relatively cheap. However, you should check the security of any doors on such a cage as one that is opened too easily may be pushed open by the hamster. A cage with a shallow base will allow wood shavings to be kicked out of the cage and so it is best to find a cage with a deep base.

For housing dwarf hamsters the bars should not be spaced more than 0.5 cm apart to prevent the hamster from escaping by squeezing through the bars.

Enclosed Plastic Cages with Tubes

There are also various makes of cages which consist of solid compartments and tunnels. These cages are often quite expensive and can be difficult to take apart and clean. Also larger Syrian hamsters may find the tunnels a bit of a squeeze, and for this reason they are not suitable for pregnant or very large Syrian hamsters.

As these cages have solid compartments they do offer protection from draughts. As a minimum any such cage must have at least one large compartment which allows the hamster plenty of room in which to explore and exercise and a compartment for nesting. The advantage of this type of cage is that more compartments can be added over time.

Aquariums

Aquariums can also be used to house hamsters. These are quite cheap but glass aquariums can be awkward to clean because of their heavy weight. Plastic aquariums however are much easier to clean being lighter but the sides tend to become scratched after time. Aquariums make ideal cages for pregnant hamsters, nursing mothers and baby hamsters. A water bottle can be fixed to the side of an aquarium by using adhesive Velcro pads or some water bottles are designed to be hung and these can be hung from the top of the aquarium. If the aquarium is shallow water bottles can be fixed horizontally from the lid but it should remembered that these will want refilling regularly as they will not dispense water when half empty. It is always best to ensure a lid is fixed to an aquarium - this will ensure nothing is accidentally dropped on the hamster, and will also help in preventing the hamster to escape - given plenty of wood shavings they can pile them up in one corner and reach the top.

Metal Cages

Cages made totally from metal are rarely seen these days and have a tendency to rust.