syrian

Question
my sons 17 month old hamster has started making this
screeching noise.. i noticed when he looked like he was doing
the toilet.. then when my boy was putting him in his ball for
a run around..then when boys where sitting chatting he did it
over and over..what could it be.

Answer
Hi Janette

Screeching noises aren't normal for a hamster - something must be wrong either physically or mentally.  Some hamsters squeak or cry occasionally, snore or growl in that they grind their teeth if they aren't happy and these are all normal noises.  Screeching would indicate either he is in pain, or has been spooked by something and is afraid.

You mention that you noticed him making this sound when he was going to the toilet.  What are his bowel movements like?  Is there any sign of diarrhoea?  Can you find any of his poo in his cage?  Is there any possibility that he has constipation.  Check his rear end to make sure there is no blood or pus, and also nothing as such coming from it - hamsters can suffer prolapses of the intestines and these can actually start to come out of their rear end in extreme cases - if you see anything like this then he needs to see a vet urgently.

Has anything changed in his behaviour apart from this?  What is his eating like?  Has he increased his drinking at all?  When he is out and about in his cage does he seem happy?  Is he running in his wheel normally?

Hamsters are very prone to getting tumors although this is quite young for him to have one - usually you notice a significant increase in the amount they drink when a tumor is growing - these tumors are often unnoticed until they start putting pressure on organs etc and can be painful.  

My advice would be to have a good look in his cage for his poo, check for blood/pus, and see if his food/water levels are different from normal.  If everything seems to be OK and in himself apart from this screeching he is fine, then I would be inclined just to monitor him over the next week or two and see if anything else changes.  If this is psychological he might just snap out of this.  If however you do notice something wrong with his cage/eating/drinking etc. or if he starts to show other signs that are out of character with him then I would be inclined to get a vet to check him out to be on the safeside.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Sheila