my syrian hamster URGENT PLEASE

Question
hi i have a hamster roughly 6 months old hes been very happy until 2day he has started losing his balance today and was still trying to move around as normal, then half and hour ago he just lay down under hes water bottle n now has a wet head, hes been eating thid morning and fine before today. could this be wettail?? hes had normal poos n hes tail isnt actually wet but he does feel quite cool help asap please i dont want him to die  

Answer
Hi Natalie

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster.

Firstly, it is important that he isn't wet - so if he is still laying under his water bottle, then either move him or the water bottle.  Make sure his cage is in a warm part of the house.

Wet tail is usually identified by diarhoea, so if his poos are Ok, then it isn't this.

It is hard to know what is wrong without seeing him.  Hamsters can suffer with seizures, heart attacks, strokes etc.  They can also suffer from respiratory problems.  All of these would need to be diagnosed by a vet and treated where possible.  

Do you have a local vet that you could get him to?  if you don't know any it would be worth phoning one or two and checking if they have anyone there who specialises in small animals, and also checking what their standard consultation fee is as most vets offer a much reduced one for a small animal.

If there is still no change or he is getting worse and he is unable to walk properly or cannot get up then it would be adviseable to get him to a vet as soon as possible.  They should be able to confirm if this is a heart problem or respiratory, or if he has suffered some sort of neurolgical episode.  If there is some improvement now that he has rested and he seems to be a lot more steady, then it is a case of monitoring him, keeping him warm and tempting him with a little food and seeing if he improves over night.  If in doubt, however, please get him to a vet.

I'm sorry I can't say for sure what is wrong.  This type of behaviour, however, isn't normal for a hamster of only 6 months old and therefore does need investigating.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards  
Sheila