Sick hamster?

Question
Hello :)
My brothers friend had a hamster who is now about a year old. I dont know if it was his friends friend or his or what but someone had it and it was given to me with knowledge i love and care for my animals :) I now have had this hamster for over a week and a half, maybe even over two. When i got it all it had in it's food bowl was sunflower seeds and there wasn't water ( they said that lost it just that day).
This poor dwarf hamster is very thin, it can barley open its eyes, its private part is very dark pink/ redish in color, and it cannot walk. My mom said give it greens everyday a lot with a good diet hamster food and make sure it has fresh water every 6-10 hours (it try's to walk but just kicks bedding in it. I give it a lot of lettuce and a few times a week, something to fattten it up (graham crackers and sugar free cereals a long with rice are main ones). Before i got it i couldn't tell if it was male or female, now you can but it doesn't seem to be getting much better and I'd hate to put it down (and can't without money so it would have to even wait until december for my birthday money) but if its not better iv'e decided thats the road I'll take. Is there anything else i can do? I have bathed it once in a small dish and i couldn't move it because it's really stong and holds on the the dish and won't let go.. i had to spill water to dry the hammy. it doesn't like being held upside down and it nips.. if its a diaese... i dont want it. I have a dog, 4 birds, and a bunch of mice and it is housed in my room. I try and change its litter every week but... I'm getting low on supplies along with money for a while so i can't do it that offen... will it effect it? thanks a lot :) I'll be waiting :)

Answer
Hi Marissa

thanks for your question.  Your hamster sounds very poorly - thank goodness you are now looking after him.

It is hard to know if this is illness or not.

If you aren't completely sure about his age, then this could be age related.  Hamsters can lose weight as they get older, and they are very prone to getting tumors and these can use all the spare energy.  However, these tend to appear around 18 months-2 years.

He could just be malnourished and dehyrated.  Assuming it is this, then if you can, buy a packet of rehydration powders.  Mix a sachet according to the instructions and put this in a water bottle for him.  As you have discovered, if you put water in a dish it is spoilt immediately, so you definitely need to get a bottle.  You might need to tape it to the inside of his cage if it is a tank rather than wire cage.  if you can't get hold of these powders, then you could add a few drops of blackcurrant juice to the water as this sometimes encourages a hamster to drink as they like the sweetness.

I suggest you buy a packet of powdered baby food.  This is the most economical way rather than buying the jars or tins of baby food.  Mix a teaspoonful with water and give this daily on a low dish or jamjar lid.  This contains lots of nutrients.  Also give a little scrambled egg, cheese, nuts, seeds and standard dry hamster mix.  I would avoid giving lettuce - this can cause diarrhoea and is difficult to digest. Also it contains no nutrients hence the reason why he isn't putting on weight.  You can give sweetcorn, peas, cabbage, brocolli, apple, etc.  I suggest giving only a small piece daily.

With regard to cleaning him out - are you putting woodchip down?  If not it would be worth getting a bag of this (make sure it is safe for small animals and does not contain pine, cedar or cypress as they contain a volatile oil that can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation).  If he pees in one corner, you could just remove this daily/weekly and do a complete change of everything every 2-3 weeks.  However, if he pees all over the place then he will need cleaning out weekly.  If you can't get paper bedding for his nest, you can always shred/tear some kitchen paper towels or toilet paper.  

As you have other animals, in particular mice, I would be careful for the next week or two with handling him.  I know that he nips, but after you have been near his cage to clean him/feed him wash your hands thoroughly. This is to prevent any cross contamination in case he has got an illness.

If he is aggressive this could be because he has been neglected and may never have been handled, or it could be that he is ill and in pain.  If his condition is down to malnourishment then if you can get fluids into him and some food you should notice some improvement in a week or so.  if there is something more sinister going on then he is likely to stay the same or deteriorate.

I suggest you speak to him a lot so that he recognises your voice. Perhaps drop a treat in for him when you see him out of his nest.  This way he will start to trust you.  I wouldn't stress him with trying to handle him right now - he clearly doesn't want to be, but if he starts recovering he may well become friendlier.

I hope this helps you and you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila