Why is my male hamster constantly following and trying to mate with another?

Thanks for reaching out. Both photos appear to be males. Aggression can appears as breeding. Males often do not get along, so should be separated to prevent fightings and wounds. Hamsters are predominately solitary animals and can be very territoriality. Good luck.

It is, unfortunately, very common for male rats to begin fighting as they get closer to sexual maturity. Your rats are getting to be that age, so that may be contributing to the scuffling that you are seeing. There are a few things that you can try - one is to completely separate them from one another. This can be complicated as you will need to have three separate enclosures. Sometimes there is only one aggressor - if you know that one of the rats is the bully (usually the one that has no injuries), you can also try to separate that one and leave the other two together. Unfortunately, sometimes this can then lead to the other two fighting (so it doesn't always work). Another alternative is to get them castrated. I am not sure what the comfort level of the veterinarians in your area is with rats, but this would remove the hormone component of things. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If your hamsters initially did not get along I probably would not try to put them back together again. Also, if you cage an male and female together they will mate and you may have many liters of babies to take care of. You may be able to get them together on ‘neutral ground’, somewhere outside of either of their cages so they won’t feel territorial of the space. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

There is a good chance that 2 adult male hamsters will fight and induce significant injuries. If you would like to try to introduce them to each other regardless, I would start with a completely clean cage with fresh bedding and keep them on either side of a mesh divider so that they can see and smell each other without being able to fight. I do not recommend putting one into the other’s cage as the original hamster will likely become extremely territorial. For 2 weeks or so, you can remove the mesh divider for short periods of time while you are carefully monitoring them and offering plenty of enrichment in the form of shelters, toys, food treats to keep them occupied. If you notice any aggression, I would give up and keep them separate from then on. If after several supervised periods alone (about 30 min each time) over 2 week you do not notice any signs of aggression, you may remove the mesh divider but examine them carefully each day for scabs/wounds especially on the rumps, genital area, hind legs. Good luck! They are very cute!

Hello! I would recommend having all male pet rats neutered. The surgery for neutering male rats is easier and less invasive than in female rats. Intact male rats will likely fight with other male rats and mate with any females (which leads to a LOT of babies) and neither behavior is ideal for companion pets! I would suggest having Ted neutered then introducing him to a friend a couple of weeks after he has recovered from the procedure. I often urge people to try fostering when they are adding pets. This allows you to introduce the two animals and ensure they get along well before you commit to adoption. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Unfortunately yes, it can be very common for hamsters that are housed together to start fighting. This can occur even if the hamsters have always been together. I would recommend keeping them separated for a couple days and then trying to re-introduce them again like you did last night. Hopefully they will be able to get along with each other in the long run. If not, to keep them safe, you'll have to keep them separated. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

This most likely is a behavioral characteristic. I would recommend separating the hamsters and seeing if this stops or changes the behavior. I would also make sure that all the hamsters are getting along and the one making the noise is not getting picked on. IF it continues a vet visit is best to make sure there is no underlying disease or pain causing the noise. hope that helps and thanks for using pet coach