Attached is the RSPCA's summary of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which sets out the Five Welfare needs for pet owners. All pet owners are responsible for meeting these welfare needs under this act.
The Five Welfare Needs are:
1) The need for a suitable environment.
2) The need for a suitable diet.
3) The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.
4) The need to be able to housed with, or apart from, other animals.
5) The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
In terms of number 4 - hamsters, Syrian hamsters must be housed alone - this is a welfare issue. The only exception to this is when a Syrian hamster gives birth to a litter of pups and the pups can stay housed with the Mother until about 3 to 4 weeks old. At this time, they can be sexed and separated from the Mother with boys kept separate from girls (to avoid mating which can happen from 4 weeks). Although the girls can stay with the Mother until about 6 weeks. By 6 weeks old they are ready to be rehoused alone.
Russian dwarf hamsters and Roborovski hamsters "can" be kept in sibling or parent/child pairs or groups, from birth, but it is usually not advisable unless you're a very experienced owner or breeder. Even then it is very common for them to start fighting and need separating. Any signs of squabbling, or bullying or one hamster failing to thrive (being much smaller than the other) and they should be separated. They can fight to death in an instant or one hamster can be seriously maimed which can be distressing - particularly for the maimed hamster. This is a natural territorial instinct. They are perfectly fine living alone.
Roborovski Hamsters are supposed to be the easiest to keep in a group or pair, and, according to a Roborovski breeder, are the species most likely to benefit from a pairing or grouping. However - the vast majority of owners still find they can fight and need separating, once they are a few months old and their hormones kick in.
Chinese hamsters are best living alone.
If you are sold a pair of hamsters or decide to keep a pair or group of hamsters - please check for the specific requirements for setting up a cage for a pair, to have the best chance of avoiding fights caused by territorial behaviour. But it may be best just to separate them anyway. It is also very common for people to be sold a pair of same sex roborovski hamsters, only to find one is male and one is female and they have a litter on their hands - they are very hard to sex, being so tiny - and then the siblings mate. Roborovski's can produce at a rate of knots and people can become overwhelmed with multiple litters and need the help of a hamster rescue.
There are some people who have a pair happily live together for life - but this is quite rare and usually an experienced owner who has fully catered for all the housing needs to avoid territorial behaviours (this can include never taking the hamsters out of the cage other than at the same time, as leaving one in the cage alone for even 10 minutes or so could lead to territorial behaviour and the other not being accepted).
Hamsters are not like guinea pigs who have a need to be kept in groups. Neither do hamsters need hay like guinea pigs do. Some people do add a bit of hay to a hamster's cage for a natural environment or for nesting, but if you do, it's a good idea to freeze it first in case it contains mites or other bugs.
Some people think hamsters must be lonely living alone - this is not the case. However, they are pets and they do need human interaction and to bond with their human carer. This can be a very special bond and one of the particular benefits to having a species that needs to live alone. It can be a visual bond or a physical bond.
You may find different views on whether or not russian dwarfs and roborovski hamsters should be kept in pairs, but please heed the issues above.
To open the RSPCA page, please click on the "Go to download" button, top right.
The Five Welfare Needs are:
1) The need for a suitable environment.
2) The need for a suitable diet.
3) The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.
4) The need to be able to housed with, or apart from, other animals.
5) The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
In terms of number 4 - hamsters, Syrian hamsters must be housed alone - this is a welfare issue. The only exception to this is when a Syrian hamster gives birth to a litter of pups and the pups can stay housed with the Mother until about 3 to 4 weeks old. At this time, they can be sexed and separated from the Mother with boys kept separate from girls (to avoid mating which can happen from 4 weeks). Although the girls can stay with the Mother until about 6 weeks. By 6 weeks old they are ready to be rehoused alone.
Russian dwarf hamsters and Roborovski hamsters "can" be kept in sibling or parent/child pairs or groups, from birth, but it is usually not advisable unless you're a very experienced owner or breeder. Even then it is very common for them to start fighting and need separating. Any signs of squabbling, or bullying or one hamster failing to thrive (being much smaller than the other) and they should be separated. They can fight to death in an instant or one hamster can be seriously maimed which can be distressing - particularly for the maimed hamster. This is a natural territorial instinct. They are perfectly fine living alone.
Roborovski Hamsters are supposed to be the easiest to keep in a group or pair, and, according to a Roborovski breeder, are the species most likely to benefit from a pairing or grouping. However - the vast majority of owners still find they can fight and need separating, once they are a few months old and their hormones kick in.
Chinese hamsters are best living alone.
If you are sold a pair of hamsters or decide to keep a pair or group of hamsters - please check for the specific requirements for setting up a cage for a pair, to have the best chance of avoiding fights caused by territorial behaviour. But it may be best just to separate them anyway. It is also very common for people to be sold a pair of same sex roborovski hamsters, only to find one is male and one is female and they have a litter on their hands - they are very hard to sex, being so tiny - and then the siblings mate. Roborovski's can produce at a rate of knots and people can become overwhelmed with multiple litters and need the help of a hamster rescue.
There are some people who have a pair happily live together for life - but this is quite rare and usually an experienced owner who has fully catered for all the housing needs to avoid territorial behaviours (this can include never taking the hamsters out of the cage other than at the same time, as leaving one in the cage alone for even 10 minutes or so could lead to territorial behaviour and the other not being accepted).
Hamsters are not like guinea pigs who have a need to be kept in groups. Neither do hamsters need hay like guinea pigs do. Some people do add a bit of hay to a hamster's cage for a natural environment or for nesting, but if you do, it's a good idea to freeze it first in case it contains mites or other bugs.
Some people think hamsters must be lonely living alone - this is not the case. However, they are pets and they do need human interaction and to bond with their human carer. This can be a very special bond and one of the particular benefits to having a species that needs to live alone. It can be a visual bond or a physical bond.
You may find different views on whether or not russian dwarfs and roborovski hamsters should be kept in pairs, but please heed the issues above.
To open the RSPCA page, please click on the "Go to download" button, top right.
