Hamsters make great pets and are often seen as a ‘beginner’ or ‘first’ pet. You may have noticed that hamsters only ever seem to be sold as individuals and you never really see two hamsters kept within the same enclosure. So is that cruel? Do hamsters need company?

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The truth is, hamsters do not need friends. As sad as that may seem, quite frankly they are lone wanderers who enjoy their own company. Let’s delve into the wonderful world of hamsters to see why they don’t need to be housed in pairs or groups.

Naturally, they don’t need pals

In the wild, hamsters are naturally singletons. They are naturally found throughout Europe in countries such as Greece, Romania and Syria. The majority of hamsters, especially the Syrian, are naturally solitary animals and can fight if they come into contact with another hamster.

Most hamsters only come together in the wild to mate.

Won’t they get bored?

Hamsters can get bored, but this does not mean that they are lonely. Boredom can actually be rather stressful for hamsters and can be detrimental to their health. Symptoms of boredom in hamsters include:

  • Excessive chewing of toys, hides and cage bars
  • Increased sleeping 
  • Episodes of sporadic hyperactivity
  • Overeating 
  • Lethargy

You can avoid boredom in hamsters in many different ways, but do not be tempted to purchase a friend for them. Ways to combat boredom in hamsters include:

Offering a large enough enclosure

Hamsters need a lot of space to explore. If you think of hamsters in the wild, they are not restricted to one particular area. A general rule of thumb is to offer a hamster as much room as possible. A cage that is 80cm x 40cm is usually recommended for a Syrian hamster and a cage of 70cm x 40cm for Dwarf breed is advised. This is a minimum value and enclosures should never be smaller than these sizes, but bigger is always better.

Providing a hamster wheel

Good old hamster wheels, aye! Nothing beats listening to your squeaky hamster wheel when you’re trying to drop off to sleep at 1am… Being serious, hamsters really enjoy a wheel as it allows them to burn plenty of energy. Never fear, if your hamster cage is in your bedroom, there are plenty of noise free wheels available.

Offer plenty of chewable items

Whilst chewing may be a sign of stress, it’s also important to offer hamsters plenty of things to gnaw on. Not only will it help to cure boredom, but offering chew toys will help to keep their teeth down to a manageable level. There are plenty of boredom breakers and chewable toys available from either online stores or pet stores.

Allow for outside playtime

If your hamster is a tame little creature, then you can give them supervised ‘out of cage’ playtime. Place your hamster on the floor and simply let them explore! They can stretch their little hamster legs as well as being mentally stimulated. Make sure you check for hazards beforehand including holes, escape routes or electrical wires. Also, ensure that other pets, such as cats, cannot catch your precious little hammie!

Get a hamster ball

An easy way to allow your hamster time out of their cage is to put them in a hamster ball. A hamster ball gives you peace of mind that your hamster cannot escape or be chewing on things that they shouldn’t! A word of warning though, make sure that you block off any stairs so that the ball doesn’t take a tumble.

How do they breed?

So, if hamsters are solitary creatures, how do they mate? Hamsters only come together for pretty much one of two reasons. Either to fight, or to mate. Unfortunately, if you put a male and female hamster together, they are unlikely to instantly fall in love. 

Unless a female hamster is in season, she is unlikely to show a male any affection at all. When a female hamster is in heat, she releases a pheromone that attracts a male. They then go their separate ways after mating.

Are there any hamsters that live together?

Some dwarf breeds of hamsters have adapted to living in family groups in the wild. If you are wanting to keep hamsters together, your best bet would be to house dwarf breeds such as Russian Dwarf or Roborovski hamsters together.

However, hamsters do have different temperaments. It can sometimes be luck of the draw as to whether the hamsters will get along or not.

Never house more than one Syrian hamster together. Syrian hamsters are highly territorial of their homes and it is not recommended to keep more than one together. It is likely that hamsters who have to share their space will become aggressive and stressed.

Conclusion

It’s probably best to keep your hamster collection to just the one. If you do want more than one hamster, it would not be advisable to house them together and ensure that their enclosures are not placed next to each other. Hamsters that are housed together are more prone to behaviours such as fighting, stress and increased anxiety.

If you find that your hamster is showing symptoms of boredom, try to enrich their time with interactive toys, playtime and a variety of foods.

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