Hamster Balance

Question
My golden teddy bear hamster, Junebug, is recently having balance problems...falling over easily.  We know she's getting older because she's slowing, she got sticky eyes the other day, and sometimes she has bladder problems that our vet gives her antibiotics for.  Is the balance issue just another part of aging or is there something else wrong?  The reason we're asking is because the onset was so sudden.
Any help you can give would be great!

Answer
Hi Sara

Sorry to hear your hamster isn't doing too well right now.  When hamsters reach around 18 months - 2 years they often show signs of old age and this can affect their mobility.  This can be caused by arthritis (anti inflammatory drugs can be prescribed by a vet), ear problems which affect their balance, or a tumor that is making it difficult to walk.  They can also have strokes which in some cases affects their mobility and make them shaky.  

Sticky eyes is a fairly common problem in hamsters.  The important thing is to get the eyes to open daily - if necessary, gently wash the area in warm water and then open the eyes.  If the eyes remain sealed shut, pus can form behind the eyelid and cause problems.

If this were my hamster I would inclined to get a vet to check her out to see if there is anything obvious that can be treated.  If this is just old age, then providing she isn't in pain and she has quality of life, then all you can do is make sure her living accommodation is arranged in such a way that she doesn't have to climb anywhere for food/water etc.  Remove any platforms so she doesn't try to climb them and hurt herself.  It would be a good idea to put food around her nest area so she doesn't have to walk far to collect it from a bowl.

Some hamsters  carry on like this for ages, and it doesn't seem to bother them at all - but it is definitely worth getting a vet to give her an examination to check there is nothing serious, such as a tumor.

Good luck with this.  Hope she is OK.

Regards