Is my hamster dying?

Question
My hamster, Lola, has been acting strange the past day. She
is having trouble balancing and using her back legs, her
breathing will either be very slow or very fast, she won't
open her eyes, she sways a lot when she walks, she is
falling asleep easily and in random spots in her cage and
she won't drink water. However, she will nibble at her food.
Is she dying? If not, what could it be and should I take her
to the vet?

Answer
Hi Anna

I'm sorry to hear about Lola.

From the description of how she is behaving, I would guess that she is at least 2 years old?  If so, then this definitely sounds as though she is dying and is quite ill.

One sad fact with hamsters is that they are incredibly prone to getting tumors when they reach this age.  Often these tumors go unnoticed other than perhaps an increase in the amount of water they drink.  When the tumor gets large other symptoms start to appear.  One such symptom is difficulty walking.  The hamster tends to appear to lose weight on their top half, whereas their bottom half can get quite large and they tend to go a 'pear shape'.  As the tumor grows it starts to put pressure on internal organs and also the spine.  In the end it is very hard or painful for the hamster to walk.  If left, this tumor may rupture and the next sign would be to see blood or pus coming from the hamster's rear end.  

Having said this, some hamsters just get very frail and shaky when they are old even though there is no apparent tumor, so without seeing her it is hard to know whether a tumor is present or not.  They can also develop infections that causes them to behave like this - these need treating with antibiotics.

Unfortunately she does sound very ill, and I personally would be tempted to take her to a vet if this were one of my hamsters.  The important thing is to make sure she isn't in any pain and her behavior definitely suggests that she may well be.

If you do get her to a vet, if there is a tumor present then they would probably advise euthanasia as the kindest option. However, if there isn't a tumor, they may be able to prescribe pain relief for her, or some give antibiotics in case there is an infection causing the problem.  The important thing is assessing what her quality of life is - at the moment it doesn't sound as though that is very good.

It is important that her cage is easy for her to get around in - that her food and water are close by and she doesn't have to climb up ladders etc. to get anywhere.  Also, if she starts soiling her nest then it is important to change this regularly so that she isn't sleeping in wet bedding.  You could try her with some baby food - I always find this to be welcomed by frail hamsters - I usually buy the powdered creamy porridge oats and mix a little with water each evening for them. This contains a lot of nutrients and is easy to eat.

Obviously the decision about taking her to a vet is entirely up to you and how you feel she is.  If there is any sign of blood/pus/diarrhea then she must go urgently.  If you do not have a vet that you know it would be worth phoning one or two to see if they have anyone who specializes in small animals and also confirm what their standard fee is.  Usually with a small animal vet their consultation fee is considerably less for a hamster than, say, a dog or cat.

If Lola is younger than this, then I would definitely advise that you get her seen as soon as possible as this is not typical behavior for a young hamster.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila