Hamster died :o(

Question
Our hamster went into hibernation the other day, i quickly looked online to see what we should do and read we had to wake him up and give him fluids ASAP. After an hour of cuddling and rubbing he started to stir and his eyes opened so everything was going ok, he even got the shivers n shakes like it said he would. However he then jumped up n kind of gasped then fell down, he was dead :o(
I feel really guilty now thinking we caused him to have a heart attack by waking him, is it possible he would be ok if we had just left him? Thanks

Answer
Hi Gemma

I'm very sorry to hear about your hamster.

It is very rare that hamsters hibernate - usually if the temperature drops below 5C.  You did all the right things in that you tried to warm him up and give him fluids.  If I had found a hamster in this condition I would have done exactly the same thing.  You don't say how old he was - it could well be that he was in actual fact very sick/dying anyway and this is why his body lost temperature and he ended up this way.  

Without a postmortem it is impossible to know for sure what caused him to die. In the event that he was hibernating due to a cold environment, if you have any other hamsters or decide to get another one, then this is something you need to keep a close eye on - perhaps it is possible to warm the room more, and give extra bedding so it doesn't happen again.

In no way should you blame yourself for his death. If he was ill, then he would have died anyway as he wouldn't have been able to bring his body temperature back up on his own. It is clear that you really loved him and cared enough to notice he wasn't well and do something about it.  

All the best
Regards