Why do hamsters eat each other

I had 3 male dwarf hamsters and today I found one of them dead and the ohter two eating it. I wondered why this had happened they had a big 3 tier cage lots of food and water and I cleaned the cage at least once a week to make sure they were clean. Why would they then eat one ???

Answer #1

Hamsters should NOT be housed together under any circumstances. They are very territorial creatures. They are sold and housed together in many petstores because they are young. As they reach adolescence they will fight to the death for territory. They each need their own cage.

Here’s a picture of my hamster, Zippy. I had him for 3 years before he died last year.

Answer #2

It’s normal. Male hamsters are territorial and, once they get old enough, fight each other to see who will win the territory. You really need to keep them in separate cages from now on! Eating the dead one is just a tidy way of keeping their nest clean. Mothers do it to their dead babies too. It would be yucky for humans but it’s what makes sense in the hamster world.

Answer #3

Well, from now on you should keep them serparated because when your hamsters get older they will fight for there territory. I hope you can get another Hamster to replace the one that had died :(

Answer #4

I think hamster eat each other because you don’t give them food or water and because they might looove eating meat…

BY:TAYLOR JACKSON

I HADE 15 HAMSTER AND 10 DEAD THAT HOW I NOE AND I GIVE THEM FOOD AND WATER

Answer #5

I had two hamsters, I don’t actually know what gender they were, but I picked one up and it had no head, so I predict that the other one ate it’s head, and I still don’t know why :/

Answer #6

well editor your freakingly wrong. not all hamsters are territorial.

dwarf hamsters are social hamsters, but there are exceptions. actually for dwarf hamsters of the phodopus genus (campbells and winterwhites);there are two kinds of fighting one is just PLAY fight and the other is TERRITORIAL/serious fight.

if you hear some squeaking sound then normally that is just PLAY fight but if you see two hamsters fighting forming into a ball like shape (much likely wrestle) then it is a TERRITORIAL fight(fight to the death) usually characterized by making no sound at all, and this would mean that this fight would not stop if one is dead.

if you see some serious fighting then it would be best to separate both of them especially when they are both males fighting.

it would be advisable to have one male then a lot of females.

if you have two males in the same social group it would be best to separate the other male.

for more suggestions you can personally email me @ demonyo@lycos.com

Answer #7

it is called “cane and able” syndrome. the hammies get territorial and the weaker one(s) get killed and sometimes eaten. this is why most pet owners sugest to keep only two hamsters in one cage. even if the cage is quite large. sorry about the poor eaten hammies.

Answer #8

I don’t know but that’s really gross. Seriously. Google it.

Answer #9

EEEWWW!!!

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