Hamster suddenly acting odd

Question
Hi, im a bit worried about my male syrian hamster whose nearly 2yrs old. I recently got back from holiday after leaving him with my parents for two weeks who are previous hamster owners so know how to look after them. Before i went away he was very tame and friendly, always eager to come out on my hand for cuddles. With my parents he refused to come out for cuddles, only came out when going directly into the ball and was just uninterested really. Since ive had him back hes been really off with me too and tonight was having a proper mental moment with his sleeping bag which i hide treats in. Also when i gave him his favourite treat of broccoli tonight he ate a bit and then left it when normally he would take it up to his food stash. Everything else seems normally though eating and drinking and pooping wise. Is he just having a funny few days or is it something more?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.

Answer
Hi Claire

Thanks for your question.  This is really strange. The only thing I can think of is that he is in pain. Hamsters of this age are prone to getting tumours and often you are unaware of them until they start to cause problems.

I suggest you just monitor him - if something has spooked him he should settle down after a few days. If this is illness related then other symptoms will appear. You could try giving him a little baby food in addition to his usual mix. I give mine the creamy porridge oat variety that you mix with water now and again as a treat. As it is for babies it is easy to digest and full of nutrients.  They seem to enjoy this.

I hope he is ok and you figure out why the sudden change in behaviour.

Regards
Sheila