My Poor Hammy fell down the vent.

Question
QUESTION: My poor precious hammy Fuzzy fell down our vent when our kids left the door open by accident.  I think he survived the fall.  We can't get the furnace apart tonight.  He's been out approx 4 hours. How long can he live without food and water?  I don't know when we can get the a/c person out here.

ANSWER: Hi Missy

Sorry to hear about your hamster.  Do you think he's actually trapped in one area - or is there a chance he's wandered off?  If there is a gap he might have gone to explore and search for food - hamsters can eat small insects so he might find the odd spider. If there is a gap - then when you come to look for him, you might find he's not where you expect him to be - they can get through tiny spaces.

If you think he's stuck in one place - can you drop small pieces of cucumber or similar to him - this will give him some moisture.  Hamsters are great survivors, but obviously it depends on whether or not Fuzzy injured himself when he fell, and/or how hot it is in the vent.  

Some hamsters who escape turn up a week or two later - good as new - providing they have been able to find food/water - so please don't give up on Fuzzy.  For a day or two, (providing there is no serious injury) I would think Fuzzy will be fine, but I would strongly advise that you get access to the vent and get him out as quickly as possible.

Regards


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for making me feel better.  I don't know what I'm going to tell my girls when they wake up. I th ink he's stuck in one place, but he's fallen a few times down a few levels and now he's actually in a part of the furnace.  We have the furnace off, even though it is like 30 degrees outside, I'm afraid of what will happen if we turn it on. He hasn't scratched at me for awhile, I'm hoping he's asleep and not injured.  Do they squeek if they are injured?

ANSWER: Hi

Hamsters do sometimes squeal loudly if they are afraid, otherwise often they don't make much of a sound. You might find that if you are able to get to him he will squeal out of fear/trauma.  He may also be aggressive - I suggest whoever puts their hands in to pick him up wears gloves so they can get a good grip on him and if he bites he won't injure the person.

Hopefully you can get to him sooner rather than later.  Definitely don't switch the a/c on - hamsters can over-heat and die from heat stroke quite rapidly.  The area where he is could be extremely hot and airless - hence another reason why you need to try and get him back as soon as possible.

When you do recover him - I would suggest either getting a vet to look at him if there are signs he is unwell/injured, but if he looks OK in himself, I would advise re-hydrating him for a day - you can give him human oral rehydration powders - mix up with water according to the instructions, then with a dropper give him some of this during the day.  This will replace any lost salts - don't over-do it as you don't want to give him too much, but if he is thirsty, let him have some of this (say, 2 or 3ml). If he is severely dehydrated (in a state of collapse) a vet can inject a rehydration fluid which will bring him around a lot quicker.

Please let me know when you have got him back.

Regards

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much.  You really have made me feel so much better.  I hear him again this a.m. (9:20) and the heating and cooling guy said he'll call when he's on the way.  If it's easy to open the front he said he won't even charge me and call it a cleaning check. How nice is that?  We love him so much. Never bites, stays where you put him.  He's a blonde teddy bear with LONG fur. Are you talking about something like Gatorade?  Sorry to keep asking so many questions. Thanks,
Missy

Answer
Hi

I'm keeping my fingers crossed it all works out well for you - he sounds a great little fella.  The rehydration powder in the UK is called Diorylite (not sure where you're writing from so I don't know if this is a brand unique to us here). I usually get it from a chemist or supermarket - it is the type of powder that you take if you have been really sick/diarrhea and need to replace lost body fluids. If you're not sure what to get your vet may be able to help you - or even let you have some of their equivalent.

Good luck with all this - I'm waiting for the next instalment!
Regards

Hi

I'm so pleased this had a happy ending - now I can go to sleep without worrying!  I hope Fuzzy doesn't get himself into any more tight spaces.  He sounds like a real character - this is why I love these little creatures so much.

regards