Chin and hamster in same room?

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Chai

New member
Joined
Jun 15, 2018
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1
I hope this is the right place to post this topic, I wasn't quite sure which sub-forum to post it in!

Two days ago, I took in an abandoned female teddy bear hamster (cage and all abandoned on the side of the road, poor thing). She is very sweet and healthy, aside from a couple of little cuts I have been taking care of.

The only issue is, I currently have to keep her in the same room as my (almost) 2 year old female chinchilla, who is used to being the only pet in the home.
So far she seems more curious than anything, staring at the hamster from across the room and watching it run on its wheel, and she's being a little more clingy to me than usual (just climbing and jumping on me more than usual, really). The hamster, on the other hand, I don't think even notices the chinchilla.

My question is; is it okay to keep them in the same room? Ideally I'd like to keep them in separate rooms, but it's not all that possible in my current housing situation. As long as they don't come in direct contact, health-wise, is this okay? I don't want any possible airborne illnesses from each other to affect the other (if that's even possible?).
Territory-wise, will the chinchilla eventually get used to having the hamster in the room, or is the scent and all too much of a stressor for her? I assume this clingyness is just because of the sudden change, but I wasn't sure!


I want my chin to be happy and stress-free, but I also want to give this hamster the good life that it deserves!
 
Absolutely. As long as they don't physically interact, it won't make a difference if they are roomies.
 
I use to have chins and hamsters in my room (along with gerbils, mice, rats, and guinea pigs) and it never caused an issue. The chin being clingy could just be jealousy especially if caring for the new hamster is cutting into her attention time. Just make sure she gets some extra attention and she will realize the hamster is not stealing you.
 
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