Robo Dwarf

Question
One of my two Robo's has recently past away it lived for a year and ten months,but at the same time i had another hamster in the same cage(two months old),after i cleaned the cage and took care of this depressing death i started to notice that the one living seemed to be breathing quite faster than usual,walked around the cage as usual(once i cleaned it and put her back inside the cage)but she walked slowly(not usual)she also let me hold her?But what scared me the most was the fact that she went right to the water and when she comes down from drinking she brings her head down like it's a hastle,and she couldn't climb up her tubes when she tried:(















I have read some questions and answers and i think it might be a cold,but i'm not even close to being sure...if you could please help me with some advice i would be VERY greatful.

Answer
Hi Colleen

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster - do you know why it died?

What type of cage is your hamster in?  Whereabouts is it situated in the house?  Is it in a damp area?  How often do you clean them out?

If she is in a tank (which is perfect housing for robos) the danger is that condensation can build up due to the lack of ventillation.  Also, uneaten fresh food or urine can also attract fungal mould.  If any of these fungal spores are breathed in by a hamster it can make them very sick and can kill them.  If you don't know why your hamster died, I would strongly advise you checking the cage.  Give it a really good clean out with a pet disinfectant and dry thoroughly before putting in new bedding.  Make sure the cage is in an area of the house that is dry and warm.

Hamsters can get colds and their symptoms are usually similar to humans in that they look dull, can shiver and can sneeze or make snuffly sounds.  Is she eating?  If not it is important to try and get her to eat something - if you give her some favourite foods or you could try human baby food to try and tempt her.  How much is she drinking?  Would you say it was more than usual?  

It would be adviseable to make her cage hamster friendly by putting everything on one level if you can so that she doesn't have to climb any tubes for food or water.  

What is her poo like?  Is there any sign of diarrhoea or constipation?  If she has diarrhoea then this needs addressing immediately - I can advise you on this.

Do you have a local vet that you could get her to?  It could be that she has some sort of infection that is affecting her breathing and causing her heart to race.  In which case she would need antibiotics.  It is difficult for me to know what is wrong with her without seeing her and therefore I am just suggesting some possible explanations, but clearly she is unwell.  If you can get her to a vet then that would be preferable.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards