Answer

Hello,

I'm sorry for the loss of your hamsters. While there's no way to know the cause of death for certain without having a vet perform a necropsy, I suspect that the hamsters died of internal injuries from fighting. Both fancy hamsters and teddy bear hamsters are varieties of the Syrian hamster. Syrian hamsters are solitary and do not tolerate the company of others. By the time they are 3 to 4 weeks old, they begin fighting with their litter mates. Fights to the death are very common.

Most of the diseases that kill hamsters cause symptoms. Your hamsters were active and playing, so it doesn't sound like they were ill. If you had seen nasal or eye discharge, swelling of the body, diarrhea, etc., then the hamsters were sick, but it doesn't sound like you saw anything out of the ordinary. I suspect that when you first found the smaller one crying in the house, it was frightened from a fight. Even a small hamster fights viciously when it's being attacked, and both hamsters could easily have received fatal internal injuries in such a fight.

If you decide to get more hamsters, you should choose one of the dwarf varieties, such as Campbells. They're social and seldom get in serious fights. If you prefer the Syrian type, they'll need to have separate cages. If you have more questions, just let me know by clicking on REPLY.

Anna