It’s always best to provide your pets with all they need and a happy environment, even with others. Mice and hamsters are around the same size with similar habits, so you may wonder if they can live together. However, they are entirely different when it comes to overall lifestyle.
Mice and hamsters should not live together because they have different behavior and lifestyle requirements. Mice are very social creatures, whereas hamsters enjoy solitude. Hamsters are also territorial, so tension and aggression will be high, resulting in unhappy and stressed rodents.
Mice and hamsters are great pets because they’re both low-maintenance and pretty entertaining, but they just don’t do well together. This article will explain why mice and hamsters shouldn’t live together and which critters live well together.
Why Mice and Hamsters Cannot Live Together
Contrary to some say on the internet, experts do not advise housing mice and hamsters together. Since they are both territorial and different rodent species, mixing them in the same habitat will create tension, aggression, and stress.
Mice and hamsters have different needs and temperaments. Mice are social but with their kind, and hamsters are generally solitary animals that prefer their personal space. They also have different requirements for housing, mental stimulation, and food.
Unfavorable living conditions can also cause depression in your rodents, showing little interest in being active, feeding, and drinking. Or, you may walk in and find the hamster has eliminated its competition for food, water, and space.
Mice should live with other mice, and hamsters should be alone, except dwarf, Robo, and Chinese hamsters.
What Animals Can Mice Live With?
Mice can live with other mice if there aren’t two males in the same cage. Even though they’re social animals, other rodent species aren’t compatible roommates for mice. Ensure you have enough toys and a large cage to house more than one mouse to prevent tension and aggression.
Mice are very social animals with other mice they grew up with, and it is recommended to have at least two together. The exception is having multiple males in the same cage, as they will fight to be dominant over territory and females, if around.
However, even though they’re social animals, they won’t get along with all rodent species.
Other rodents like hamsters, rats, and gerbils are similar to mice but have different lifestyle needs and social preferences. Mixing rodent species is not ideal because it can create a hostile and unhappy environment for all in the cage.
How To Introduce Mice to Other Mice
Littermates are more familiar with each other’s scent and behavior, knowing them from birth, so it’s easier to have two mice that grew up together. However, it’s possible to introduce mice from other litters at a young age.
To have better success with introducing mice who aren’t littermates, follow these tips:
- Use neutral ground for the introduction process. Mice may be more social than hamsters, but they can still be territorial. Neutral ground (new boxes and toys) is full of unfamiliar scents and a territory they have yet to claim.
- Utilize their bedtime routine for the introduction. Daytime is when most mice sleep, and it’s the best time to try introduction because mice typically like the warmth of other mice when they sleep. They’ll bond by cuddling up together in the same nesting box.
- Watch their behavior during the introduction. You may hear them making noises as they establish rank. But if they become too aggressive (typically, this happens with two males), immediately separate them.
- It can take a few days until they bond. But once you notice them getting along, they can stay together. You should still keep watch for negative behavior.
What Can Live With a Hamster?
Hamsters prefer solitude and don’t typically like living with their species or any other animal. However, dwarf, Chinese, and Robo hamsters are said to be more successful with multiple cagemates. It’s always best to keep littermates together if you want more than one since they grew up together.
Adding other rodent species or even another hamster (except for dwarf, Robo, or Chinese hamsters) can create a very unhealthy environment for all involved. And some hamsters may appear to get along but become aggressive and fight.
Hamsters become stressed and agitated with other creatures in their space and don’t like sharing their food. They’ll become aggressive if another is eating from the same bowl, so always have more than one feeding bowl with multiple hamsters.
Introducing New Hammies to the Family
The dwarf hamster is known for its friendliness and higher tolerance of other dwarfs, but Robo and Chinese hamsters are also more tolerant of cagemates. And unless they’re littermates that grew up together, you must properly introduce them.
To introduce hamsters, they should be about the same age, and it’s always advised for them to be at a very young age for them to bond.
The following are tips for introducing your cute critters to each other:
- Each hamster should always feel safe. Keep one hamster in a large cage and put another small cage with the other hamster inside the large cage. Each of them should have a hiding house to retreat to for privacy and security.
- They should be able to touch noses to familiarize themselves with the other’s scent. Swap them each day for four days so they get comfortable with each other’s scent. Then let them interact in the same cage.
- You should continuously monitor their behavior. Ensure there are two feeding bowls to prevent fighting over food. At this point, they should be comfortable with each other but separate them if they become aggressive and try the process again.
Conclusion
You cannot house mice and hamsters together because they will not get along with their territorial behavior and different needs. Forcing these rodents to live in the same space together will result in aggression, fighting, and even death or injuries.
Mice can live with other mice but not other rodent species. Hamsters are typically solitary, but there are some types, like dwarf, Robo, and Chinese hamsters, that can live together. However, you should always correctly introduce animals to each other before housing them together.