# So a friend of mine just bought her daughter three hamsters.



## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Originally she was going to get her some rats, because that's what her daughter wanted. But then my friends mother threw a fit about them owning rats (she really, really dislikes them; even tried to make us get rid of ours when I got pregnant because she was convinced they were going to make me and the baby sick). So hamsters it was.

I'm just a smidge concerned though, because she got three male black bear hamsters. Which, if I'm not mistaken, are of the Syrian variety and are therefor very territorial and likely to start attacking each other as they mature, right? That's what I've always heard, anyways. Do you any of you know a little more on the subject? 

I think they're so adorable and I'm sure they'll be incredibly fun for my friends daughter, I just don't want her coming home to a dead hamster because they tried to house them all together and somebody got territorial.


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## Nekopan (Mar 18, 2010)

Yes, "black bear" hamsters are Syrians. They are highly territorial and will kill each other. Dwarf hamsters can sometimes live in groups, but males only if they are born in the same litter and never separated.


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Thank you for verifying. I'm no hamster expert, so I wanted to double check on this before I went and chatted with her about it. For the sake of those little dudes and her daughter.


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## eluin (Jan 25, 2010)

That may be a little traumatizing for the little girl, if she wakes up some morning and has to witness the aftermath of hamster genocide. It might turn her off pets for a while. Can she even return them at this point or is she stuck with them?


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I stated this in another thread and mean no offense with my wording, but I think that people should take 15 minutes of their time to get a book or get on the computer and read about the new pets they are purchasing. The internet is a vast world, where you can find out all kinds of information and I wish people would realize that. Too many times you read about someone bringing home a pet and things like this happening because of lack there of education. 3: And then it is the animals/children that are suffering in the end.


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## PandaBee (May 14, 2010)

All hamsters are territorial creatures, to a degree. The only hamsters I've ever had live successfully together for any length of time once they reached sexual maturity were three chinese dwarves, and they were separated at six months, and two robo dwarves, who were separated at three.

Robos can supposedly stay together for over a year in groups of up to four or five individuals, but only if they have a large enough space, and robos, for being so small, actually need a lot of space, due to their high energy levels. Mine had quite a nice size cage and still fought.

My advice would be to have these animals separated as soon as possible, to avoid any fighting that could cause serious injury or death.


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

Yeah, I was a little frustrated she didn't look into it more before she got them, but I'm trying not to be accusatory and just get it taken care of before it becomes a problem. I just hope she listens. What makes me even angrier is the fellow at the pet store that told her they could all live together. If you know nothing about the darn animal, DON'T GIVE OUT BAD ADVICE. 

I'm going over tomorrow, so I'm going to explain it to her and advise she either return the other two or get some additional cages.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Tell her she should get these larger hamsters with a long tail. People freak out just by the word "rat". 
Maybe we should start calling them "Norwegians" for these purposes.


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

The sad thing is she herself likes rats, and was initially planning on getting rats instead for her daughter. It was her mother that insisted they didn't get them, because she thinks they're disease ridden little vermin. Despite our numerous attempts to clarify otherwise. Like I said, she even tried to tell us we had to get rid of our rats when we told her I was pregnant, because she insisted they were going to somehow harm the baby. Naturally, that wasn't happening.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Have you spoken with her at all yet? I don't want to hear that something bad had happened to them in the meantime. :[


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## VictorianVanity (Mar 18, 2010)

I haven't gotten to speak to her just yet, because she's been very ill so I can't go over there. Last thing I need is the flu right now. I did try and explain it a bit over facebook but I'm gonna sit down with her and elaborate as soon as I can. At the very least the little dudes look like they're still pretty young, so so far they're still living peacefully together. As long as I can get her to split them up before the hormones really start raging, all should be well.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

I do hope so, for all their sakes *noddles*


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