FEMALE TEDDY BEAR HAMSTER ILLNESS

Question
3 year old female hamster; we bought her at one month old; lives by herself in a cage & never been with a male hamster.  She has symptons of being pregnant...gaining much girth around her hips & doesn't move around very well.  Still drinking & eating & urinating but haven't seen any waste.  This suddenly came on 8 days ago. Is she really sick?

Answer
Hi Tricia

I'm sorry to hear that your hamster isn't her usual self.

Unfortunately this could be a few different things - the first thing that comes to mind is that perhaps she has an abdominal tumor. Tumors are very common in hamsters of 2 years or older.  With abdominal ones you don't really notice any signs apart from the fact that the hamster tends to go 'pear shaped' and often starts drinking more than usual.  Tumors can grow rapidly and a hamster can change more or less over night.  When the tumor is large it can start to put pressure on internal organs, or on the spine and this can prevent the hamster from walking properly or falling over.  Sadly there is little that can be done in cases like this and when the condition is serious, i.e. the hamster looks dull, doesn't want to walk or be handled or if there is any sign of blood or pus coming from their rear end then euthanasia is the kindest option.

She could have enlarged kidneys or ovarian cysts.  These would make her swell up like this.  Sometimes vets will prescribe antibiotics in case this is caused by some sort of infection etc.

In all these cases I would strongly advise seeking a vet as soon as possible.  The important thing is making sure she doesn't suffer at all.  Hamsters have high pain threshholds and it is only when they really are feeling ill or are in pain that you notice a change in their behaviour.  

Do you have a local vet who could look at her?  If you don't know of any it would be worth phoning a few and firstly, checking that they have someone there who knows about small animals (some vets specialise in much larger animals and don't know a lot about hamsters), and secondly, finding out what they charge.  Sometimes you can get a real shock with vet fees, so it is always worth establishing what the standard consultation fee is before going.  Whilst you won't know what the final bill will be with regard to medication or euthanasia, at least this would give you a rough idea of what to expect.

It would be worth weighing her each evening and seeing if there is any change in her weight.  Also check the amount of water she is drinking and make sure that her cage is easy for her to get around - i.e. make sure food and water is close by.  It is worth removing any tubes or platforms if you can so that she isn't tempted to try and climb. You might want to give her some baby food for a day or two - I usually buy the powdered creamy porridge oat variety and mix a little with water.  This contains a lot of nutrients and hamsters tend to like it.  When they are old or ill it is easy for them to eat along with their usual mix and this way you know they are getting some nourishment from their food.

If this is some sort of infection causing her kidneys to enlarge, then early treatment is definitely recommended.  However, I feel that due to her age and symptoms you should prepare yourself for bad news, I'm afraid.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila