my syrian hamster, i think hes dying???

Question
I think our wee sam is dying. he seems to have been off his food over the last week and not running around much. in last 24hrs he has been hunched in a ball and shivering. his face looks quite swollen and he has his eyes closed. went to try comfort him and he snarled which is very unusual for him. can you help?

Answer
Hi Monica

I'm sorry to hear about Sam.  He certainly sounds very ill.  You haven't said how old he is and whether this is age related or just illness.  I would strongly advise that you get him to a vet if you can.  It is worth phoning a few vets if you don't know of any to make sure that they have someone there who can treat small animals.  Also check their fees as some vets can be expensive, but others have reduced standard fees for small animals.

In the meantime I would suggest that you make sure he is in a warm area of the house and that his food and water are close by so that he doesn't have to move far for them.  Remove any wheel/platforms etc from his cage so that everything is easy for him. You could buy some powdered baby food (creamy porridge oats) and mix a little with water and give him this in a low dish - he may find this easy to eat, but in all honesty I think that veterinary advice really ought to be sought as soon as possible.

Usually when hamsters are old, they lose quite a lot of weight and can feel very cold when they are getting close to dying.  Often hamsters get tumors and these don't always become obvious unless they are examined - some tumors put pressure on organs/spine and they can be very painful for the hamster.  The fact that he has behaved aggressively which is out of character for him I would think that he feels pretty ill and is probably in pain.

If this is age related, or a tumor, then I think you should prepare yourself for some bad news. If this is an infection or something treatable then your vet may well be able to prescribe antibiotics or pain relief, however, they may feel that euthanasia is the kindest option.

I do hope you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila