syrian hampster

Question
hello ive woke this morning to find my hampster out of his usual house he sleeps in laying on a plastic shelf. i opened the cage to check him and he was shaking and disorientated he is hardly able to walk . i put him in his house scared he was cold even though house is warm but he came out and went back to the shelf i found him on . he wont let me touch him he screaches and tries to bite me he hasnt the energy to run away .he lately has been coming out less and dosent do much at all if i put him in his ball he hardly moves. i know he is old he is over two now is he passing away or do you think something else is wrong . what can i do to help him shall i just leave him alone ??? help

Answer
Hi Debbie

I'm sorry to hear your news, but pleased that your hamster is not suffering at all.  A hamster's behaviour can change overnight when there is a serious illness because a day in their life is about a couple of months in ours and illness can manifest itself rapidly.  Sadly tumors are so common in older hamsters - sometimes it is possible to control any pain/symptoms, but more often than not the kindest thing is to have them put to sleep.  So I'm glad you got him to the vet when you did.

Regards
Sheila

Hi Debbie

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster.

These are definitely signs of old age and his body starting to close down.

It is always a difficult decision to make at this stage - whether to leave alone, or to go to a vet who would probably euthanase.

When hamsters reach this age they can suddenly start shaking and be reluctant to walk.  Sometimes it is neurological but hamsters are prone to getting tumors.  Often these are abdominal and you don't really notice a problem until the tumor is large.  The hamster can show signs of weight loss on their top half, but their bottom half gets bigger.  When there is this type of tumor present if it puts pressure on organs, or the spine the hamster can find it difficult walking.  In cases like this I always advise euthanasia as there is no treatment that will help.

Is there any sign of discharge/blood coming from his rear?  If so, then he definitely should see a vet.

The important thing is that your hamster should not suffer at all.  It is important to make sure his cage is easy for him - food and water are closeby so that he doesn't need to go in search of them.  Make sure his cage is in a warm part of the house and he has plenty of bedding.  Also, try and tempt him with food if you feel he isn't eating - you could give him some baby food - either the type you buy in small jars/tins, or buy a powdered variety and mix a little with water.  His slightly aggressiveness is because he feels so unwell - this could be because he is pain and doesn't want to be handled, or he could be very dehyrated.  If you have a dropper, it is worth using this to see if he will take any water.  You can add a little blackcurrant juice to this water as this might tempt him to take some, or you can buy a packet of oral rehydration powders, mix up a sachet and give this.  Also, if you give him the dry baby food you can can add quite a lot of water to it which will give him some moisture.  It is possible to give pain relief to a hamster, but it quite difficult as the dosage is tiny - 1/25th of a standard aspirin tablet.  The best way is to dissolve an aspirin in 25ml of water, then try and get him to take 1ml. It is unlikely he will take this amount, probably just a few drops.  This dosage can be repeated every 4 hours. Giving aspirin is really something that should only be done in an emergency.  There is a drug called Metacam but I think this is only available through a vet - this is an anti inflammatory pain relief and is good to give if there is any likelihood of pain.  However, if too much is given or it is given unecessarily it can cause kidney failure.  

If you feel he is in pain and is suffering then the kindest thing would be to get him to a vet who will put him to sleep.  If you don't know any local vets it is worth phoning one or two to find out if they have anyone there who specialises in small animals, and check that they offer a much reduced fee for hamsters.  If there is any sign of blood, then he definitely needs to see a vet.

However, I recently had an elderly hamster who suddenly got cold, and was shaking a lot and didn't really want to come out of her nest. I made her comfortable - gave her baby food and got her to take some water and she gently passed away in her own time.  Hamsters have an incredibly strong desire to live and they don't give up easily which can be very upsetting to watch and often it takes a few days for them to move on.  

Only you can make the final decision as to whether or not to take him to a vet, I'm afraid.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila