hamster acting strangley

Question
Hello,

My hamster has gained a lot of weight since I brought her home and lately she has been doing some strange things. She is a teddy bear hamster. She will be running around her cage like a normal hamster and all of a sudden, she will just stop and lie there where she is. She normally sleeps in her bed. But after a few minutes she will get up again and move to a different spot, then stop again. I think she may have had a stroke or something that affected her memory. Normally, when I put her in her ball, she runs back and forth in front of the door. Now she will go to the opposite side of the room and sit in a corner instead of running around. I know that when rodents are introduced to a new open space, they will sit still for a while before venturing out into the open space and exploring. But this isn't a new space for her.

Is there anything I can do? I've had hamsters for many years, but this is the first one that I've had in a few years, but I don't remember any of my other hamsters acting like this.

Thanks.

Answer
Hi Kelsey

Thanks for your question.

You haven't said how old she is or how long you have had her. Also, when you say she is acting strangely since you brought her home - where has she been?

If she is new and relatively young, then weight gain can be down to pregnancy in which case the gestation period for a Syrian is 18 days, so if this is the case you know pretty quickly.  Pregnancy can cause a hamster to act strangely - keep moving their nest, and change their habits as they get close to producing the litter.

If this isn't the case, then weight gain can be down to illness.  Is she drinking a lot of water?  If so, does her pee smell sweet?  Hamsters can get diabetes, and this can cause quite dramatic fluctuations in weight.  The water consumption is always high and very obvious, as is the smell of their cage.  If you think this might be the problem, then it is very important that you immediately eliminate any sugars from her diet - this includes any dried fruit in her dry mix, fresh fruit and any treats that contain sugar, or honey (a lot of hamster treats are stuck together with honey).  You can get hold of a diastix from a vet, or chemist - you place the hamster in a clean plastic tray and wait for her to pee - then you test her urine. If there is any sign of glucose on the diastix, you can usually assume that this is diabetes.  The only way to know for sure is by a blood test, but these are impossible with hamsters due to their small size.  If it is diabetes, then it is important to make sure there is plenty of water (if necessary put a second bottle in).  Make up a mixture of sunflower seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds and sesame and give about a teaspoon of this daily in addition to usual food.  This contains essential fatty acids and helps with this condition.  I have had several dwarf hamsters with this, and also a Syrian (which is far rarer) and they were fine providing I closely monitored any food I gave them.

Hamsters can also suffer from similar conditions to humans and if she is exercising, then having to rest it could be that she has some sort of heart condition (a bit like angina when you need to rest for a while after exercise). Her weight gain could be because she is eating the same amount as usual but not exercising, or a build up of fluid. A vet might be able to confirm this if they listen to her heart.  If this is the case, then it is important not to let her over-exercise and it is safest to remove the wheel so that you can regulate any exercise - i.e. put her in an exercise ball for a short time in the evening.

If she has been away staying with someone else, and you have just got her back - are you aware of anything traumatic happening to her? i.e. were there other pets where she was who might have spooked her?  Has anything changed in your home that might be worrying her?

I can't help thinking that there could be some medical condition that explains why she has sudden bursts of energy.  It might be that she can live perfectly well with this, however, I would be tempted to monitor her closely - perhaps even keeping a diary of her behaviour over the next few days/week and see if anything changes, how long it is with her exercising before she rests, etc.  If she deteriorates, then definitely get her to a vet as soon as possible, and also if her behaviour is of concern to you - any notes you make might help a vet establish what is causing this.

Hopefully she will be fine, however.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila