Which Hamster Breeds Can Live Together? The Full Guide
Hamsters are quite popular to have as pets. But if you want to pet one yourself, you’ll need to know a lot about their breed, characteristics, diet, and more. There are two main types of hamsters, Syrian or Golden hamsters, and Dwarf hamsters.
But which hamster breeds can live together? Syrian hamsters shouldn’t live together with any other hamster breeds. But most dwarf hamsters can live together in groups if they’re of the same gender. They’ll still need their own separate spots, though.
You should generally look calm and social hamsters who enjoy being held and active during the day. Looking for these characteristics can get you a friendly hamster breed. Hence, we’ll cover all about the characteristics of the different hamster breeds and which hamsters can live together.
Hamster Breeds And Their Special Features at a Glance
![Hamster Breeds And Their Special Features at a Glance](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hamster-Breeds-And-Their-Special-Features-at-a-Glance.jpg)
Before we begin with a detailed explanation, you can take a quick look at the following table to get a general idea of all the hamster breeds. We have included their special features and behaviors, too, so you can understand which one you would want to get —
Breed | Special Features |
Syrian Hamster | They’re larger and friendlier than other breeds and have thick fur. |
Dwarf Campbells Russian Hamster | They’re small and have a shorter, thinner coat of fur, and are friendly. |
Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster | They can change their fur color from brown to white in winter, but can be a little less social than other breeds. |
Dwarf Chinese Hamster | They have a triangular-shaped head and a long tail, and are one of the friendliest breeds. |
Roborovski Hamster | They’re the smallest hamster breed and are incredibly fast, social, and friendly. |
Detailed Guide Of Which Hamster Breeds Can Live Together
Here’s a detailed overview of all the hamster breeds, their characteristics, pros, cons, and whether they can live together with other breeds —
Syrian Hamster
The Syrian hamster is one of the most common hamster breeds. They are also known as Golden hamsters and Teddy Bear hamsters. This is because of their color, which is usually brown or gold.
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Syrian-Hamster.webp)
Syrian hamsters are the largest hamster breed. An adult Syrian hamster can be up to 6 – 8 inches in length. They’re also quite obedient, easy to handle, and very social. Syrian hamsters are considered the most friendly hamster breeds, but some Syrian hamsters might not enjoy as much human interaction as others.
In terms of their physical properties, they have long and thick fur in several colors, most commonly brown, golden, white, black, and more. They’re quite heavy, too, weighing 85 to 140 grams.
However, you shouldn’t ever keep a Syrian hamster with any other hamster breeds. This is because they are solitary animals, meaning they’ll fight other hamsters if kept alone together.
Here are some pros and cons of having Syrian hamsters —
Pros:
- Easy to handle, making them an excellent choice for both children and adults
- Easy to take care of
- Have a relatively long lifespan of 3-4 years
Cons:
- They should be kept away from other hamsters, as they’ll feel threatened
- Since they’re so big, you might need a bigger cage and living space
Dwarf Campbell’s Russian Hamster
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dwarf-Campbells-Russian-Hamster.webp)
Hamsters that are much smaller in size are referred to as dwarf hamsters. There are mainly 4 dwarf hamster breeds, including Campbell’s Russian Hamster. They’re similar to the Winter White Russian hamster, too.
But a lot of the time, people can’t distinguish between the two. So here’s a table of the differences between the two breeds —
Campbell’s Russian Hamster | Winter White Russian Hamster |
Weight of 27 grams | Weight of 30 to 45 grams |
Life expectancy of 1 to 2.5 years | Life expectancy of 1 to 3 years |
Can’t change fur color | Can change fur color |
Can get tired after playing for a while | Doesn’t get tired easily |
One of the most noticeable characteristics of this hamster is its curiosity. They’re very active and curious about everything, making them quite fun to interact with and watch. Along with that, it’s easy to tame, train and tame these hamsters.
Campbell’s Russian dwarf hamsters are also incredibly light, weighing 27 grams. Their life expectancy is around 1 to 2.5 years, which is quite short.
But unlike Syrian hamsters, dwarf hamsters can be kept together in groups of the same gender. You’ll still have to make sure to provide them with private spots for eating, hiding, sleeping, and more.
Pros:
- Fun to watch and interact with
- Able to be kept in groups
- Easy to take care of
Cons:
- Their life expectancy isn’t as much
Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dwarf-Winter-White-Russian-Hamster.webp)
One of the four breeds of dwarf hamster breeds is the Winter White Russian hamster, which is one of the most unique hamsters breeds out there. This is because they can actually change their fur color during winter, turning white. This is why they’re called the Winter White hamster, too.
In terms of size, they’re around 4 inches, just like a Campbell’s Russian dwarf hamster. They’re also very easy to tame and train and are quite social. Even if you play with them for a long time, they won’t get tired so quickly. They are mostly found in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Northern China.
Along with that, they can also be placed in same-sex groups if introduced at a young age. But adult hamsters might be a bit aggressive on meeting new roommates, as they have a tendency to mark their territory.
These hamsters are very light, going from 19 grams to 45 grams most of the time. Their life expectancy is unfortunately quite low, though, being 1.5 to 2 years.
Pros:
- Active for long amounts of time
- Suitable to be kept in groups if given individual private spaces
- Easier to train than many other breeds.
Cons:
- They might become very aggressive if another hamster enters their private space
Dwarf Chinese Hamster
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dwarf-Chinese-Hamster.webp)
The Chinese dwarf hamster is one of the most common breeds of a dwarf hamster. They’re similar to both Campbell’s and Winter White dwarf hamsters in terms of appearance, being 4 inches in length.
It’s easy to distinguish them from other dwarf hamsters, though, as they have a unique triangular-shaped head with a longer tail than other hamsters. Their fur is also quite short and dense, unlike most other breeds. They weigh around 30-45 grams, which is about average.
Most dwarf hamsters, including the Chinese dwarf hamster, are very curious, active, social, and easy to train. It’s considered the second friendliest hamster breed, after the Syrian hamster. They’re also suitable to have in groups as long as they’re the same gender. This is the case for most dwarf hamsters; the only exception is the Syrian hamster.
Keep in mind you’ll still need to provide them with their own specific spots, and if any of the other hamsters interfere with another hamster’s private resting spots, then they might become aggressive. Especially female Chinese dwarf hamsters are more aggressive than male ones.
Pros:
- Longer tail than other breeds
- Longer life expectancy than most other dwarf hamsters
- Distinguishable triangular head
Cons:
- Might be mistaken for mice due to their looks
Dwarf Roborovski Hamster
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dwarf-Roborovski-Hamster.webp)
The Dwarf Roborovski Hamster is the smallest breed of a dwarf hamster, and they can be as small as 2.5 centimeters. They’re usually around 1-3 inches in size and weigh 20 to 25 grams.
However, they’re incredibly fast, social, and curious despite their size. This can make them difficult to catch, though. They might also be harder to tame and train compared to dwarf hamsters.
But just like other dwarf hamster breeds, they can also be kept in groups as long as they’re the same gender. This breed of dwarf hamster isn’t too common, either. Besides, they are a part of the Phodopus genus.
Pros:
- Social and curious
- Can be kept in groups
- The highest dwarf hamster life expectancy is around 3 years.
Cons:
- Rarer than a lot of other breeds.
Here are some frequently asked questions we get —
Can you keep hamsters of different genders together?
Keeping hamsters of opposite genders together is not recommended, as they might reproduce a lot. This will lead you to have many more baby hamsters than you can handle, as each of them will need separate living spaces.
Is it safe to keep adult hamsters together?
No, it’s not. Adult hamsters will instinctively try to mark their territory. So if you keep two adult hamsters together, they might become aggressive and try to assert their dominance and territory over one another.
In the End
Hamsters instinctively, just like a lot of other animals, try to keep their territory to themselves. Because of this, a lot of them can’t live together, even if you give each of them their own separate spots.
But for which hamster breeds can live together, most dwarf hamster breeds fit the answer. The breed you pick is completely up to personal preference, but White Winter and Chinese breeds are the most common for their behaviors.
If you want to keep them together, you should introduce them to each other at a young age, or else they might become aggressive. Make sure to put them in groups of the same gender as well, since otherwise, they might reproduce too much, and you’ll have too many baby hamsters.