My sons hamster

Question
My husband and I purchased a hamster for our son about 1.5 years ago.  She has been the best pet ever.  She is so sweet and such a good girl.  Last night as I was ironing my clothes before bed, I checked on her and she was fine... running in her wheel and playing.  Whenever I checked on her this morning, she had died.  She's never been sick, ever.  We've always been very careful to only feed her healthy "hamster" foods.  I'm completely in shock!  It's almost time for my son to come home from school and I don't know how I'm gonna tell him about this.  I also have no idea how this happened.  Any suggestions???  I found her in her "corner" all cuddled up in her bedding and thought she was asleep.  I was very wrong.
Anything you can tell me would be very much appreciated.
Thank you-
Kim

Answer
Hi Kim,

i am really sorry to hear about your loss.

Even though some hamsters have lived up to 3 years and even more, some hamsters do only live until about 2 years.

It sounds as if your hamster has had a very good, healthy life, so i would definatley not blame yourselves - the age a hamster lives does depend on each individual hamster.

Your hamster could have come from a line of hamsters which just didnt have a long lifespan - it is nothing you have or havent done.

You can either quickly replace the hamster with a new one of the same colour to save your son from being upset or you can explain to him that he has gone to heaven - it is really up2 you and how old your son is i suppose.

Please do not let this discourage you from getting a new hamster - maybe buy from a breeder who knows how long her hamsters live?

Good Luck and please let me know how you get on.

Kind Regards,

Tammy