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Original poster

Hamsters together from birth- what happens when 1 dies?

20 replies

MUM23ASD · 17/10/2008 10:38

i know this is a depressing question... but its what my son asked me.

we have 3 roborvoski hamsters in one cage- and 2 russian dwarf hamsters in another.

as a child i only had a syrian- which was on its own - as you cannot keep more than 1 in a cage.

so... when one dies- does the other hamster get stressed/try to 'bury' it? Or does it carry on as normal- no pining away?

this is a 100% serious question- which has arisen because my mother-in-law has terminal cancer...and i 'stupidly' used the hamsters as a way to explain 'life and death' to my son.

he now has stopped asking about his nan- and is asking these questions!

I've now got this horrid fear that if one dies the others will 'eat' it????

Please...someone who has more than one in a cage...please help!

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 17/10/2008 13:12

think they gen pine

sure they wont eat it, but do remove from cage as as oon as you know hammy is dead

not sure if you can then get a new baby hammy and put in cage - check with pet shop

but obv would have to be same breed

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 17/10/2008 23:55

thanks for replying....

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Original poster
MUM23ASD · 01/11/2008 14:04

And today- at 1.30 one did die- whilst i was cuddling her.

so sad.

she was struggling to breath it seemed yesterday- and about 1pm today ds3 brought her to me as he thought she looked worse. She was so thin.

I felt her die.

Now we have to decide what we do with her- The DS's are not sure about burial- do VETS or PETSHOPS have a 'dignified' method where the child can hand over the pet to them and walk away - ds3 (age 9) thinks that would be best.

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Lovesdogsandcats · 01/11/2008 14:55

Oh am sorry to hear about your hamster.

I would bury in the garden, kids are stronger than we give credit for.
Let them buy a little outdoor plant to go in the soil over the burial spot as a rememberance. They can also draw a picture/write a poem and you can put it in a sandwich bag to protect from rain and attach to a stick next to plant.

Which one died, the dwarf or roborvoski? If you have one left alone i would definately go and get another, as it is crue to leave it alone when its cage mate has gone as they sleep together etc.

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 01/11/2008 15:12

it was a dwarf one....and so unusual- cream with ruby red eyes.

would the remaining 1 'accept' another? She is very dominant- and at times bullied the one that died.

they have had 2 houses in their cage for the past 3 months as she would block the enterance and stop the cream one getting in or out-

She is very tame and nosey- ds3 plays with her loads- and she wakes up at the slightest sound of activity in our home- and waits to be cuddled... so IF that is enough for her company wise...she will be fine.... but like you said- even though ours scrapped- they did snuggle up often too....so can WE cuddle her ENOUGH???

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Hulababy · 01/11/2008 15:44

We had two gerbils together from birth. One died after a few months. The other gerbil didn't touch it once dead. It spent a couple of days after the dead one was removed from the cave, doing very little and not eating, but then seemed fine. Several months on the other gerbil is doing fine.

Lovesdogsandcats · 01/11/2008 22:43

Ah well now you have said this about the hamster i feel that she will be ok on her own! She sounds confident and happy. And the bullying of the other is not good, she will probably buly a new one too.
My neighbour had 2 dwarfs and one killed the other!

If she is tame and well handled and has a good bond with your ds, I would not get another.

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 02/11/2008 10:13

(she even comes out when the doorbell goes!)

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Blondeshavemorefun · 02/11/2008 12:30

def have a little buriel and put in your garden - with have little dog tags engraved with their name, birth and death date

i wouldnt get another and put in cage, and likely your old one will bully/kill it

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 02/11/2008 14:40

We burried her in a flower bed this morning- the boys wrote/drew messages/pictures and we placed them inside the box she was placed in .

Then we planted a "Tete A Tete" (miniature daffodil) bulb to mark her grave.

Then due to her name being SANDY we listened to the song from Grease called...yes...you guessed- Sandy.

Then "The Heart will go on" (Celine dion- Titanic)

Then Keane "BedShaped"

I bawled my eyes out at the Keane song- as it is what i'd choose for my own funeral (and cos DH's mum is dying from cancer at the moment it really overwhelmed me!)

Poor little hamster is getting all my emotions that i have been trying to supress...cleaver little things aren't they!

Here is a picture i found on the internet that looks like her!

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Original poster
MUM23ASD · 02/11/2008 18:58

and HERE

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Blondeshavemorefun · 02/11/2008 20:23

awwwwwwww

how cute is she??

sounds a lovely funeral

children do need to grieve and say goodbye and learn about death so you did the right thing

Lovesdogsandcats · 02/11/2008 21:13

Aw, I agree about keane 'Bedshaped'.
Also now where you are coming from about hammy getting all your emotions - I do the same, when down about one thing, the whole lot comes out

How is other dwarf without cage-mate?

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 03/11/2008 20:24

the other dwarf is pottering around, but no longer sleeping with her head poking out the house

So, am not sure at the moment whether she is missing her cagemate- as she always slept with head out... or whether now she does not have to 'block' the entrance...ie to prevent other one from getting in or out- that she now doesn't need to do it.

daft really- its one of her 'cute' moments...as she does look so cuddly when she sleeps like that...but many times i have had to move her when the smaller one was stuck...as even though they had 2 houses...they did sleep together alot.

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Lovesdogsandcats · 05/11/2008 12:00

oh its hard isn't it trying to do the right thing?

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/11/2008 20:09

i wouldnt get another to put in cage as likely to fight

but

why not buy another cage and hammy and put cages side by side (as i have) and hammies can sense/smell each other

sure my 2 tlak to each other,as have my other hammies over the years

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 06/11/2008 10:24

we did put the roborvoski cage next to her- but they went crazy!!!

I came down this morning and she has been busy overnight burrowing in sawdust- in heaps everywhere...which she DID DO BEFORE THE OTHER DIED....and she was sleeping with her nose slightly out- as before....so feel a bit better

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Blondeshavemorefun · 06/11/2008 21:15

ours bury under sawdust

also both have houses with roofs on and this morning i came down to find roof off and stupid hammy had tried to drag his bedding out of roof onto rest of cage and then had collasped in a heap on top of it

glad yours seems happier

Original poster
MUM23ASD · 06/11/2008 21:30

Aw! They do make me laugh! The effort they go to.

My MIL has died tonight, so these little furry creatures are spending the next couple of days in our front room.... as though DH won't admit it...he has found watching them (especially the roborvoskis)...very distracting over the past few weeks.

His dad died less than 10 months ago, and DH just sat staring into nothing - we had no hamsters then.

So hamster therapy is called for.

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Blondeshavemorefun · 06/11/2008 22:43

aww so sorry to hear MIL died ((HUGS))

hamster therapy is good!!

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