hamster is breathing really hard and fast

Question
HI, I have had my hamster Nub for almost 2 years now. I have had since she was a baby. For the past few days she has been breathing hard, like her body is constantly pumping even harder when she is sleeping. She is somewhat active but its hard to tell. She seems to be eating fine and so far god forbid does not have wet tail. She lives with another hammy who is the same age and is not breathing like this. Today I saw her sleeping in her wheel. Please tell me if there is something really wrong?

Answer
Hi

It sounds like this is purely old age.  Some hamsters age better than others.  The fast breathing could be that she is suffering from an age related heart problem, or it could be that she has a tumor that is affecting her breathing.  If you feel her, can you feel any lumps inside her?  Abdominal tumors can get quite large and can often be felt.  They can press on the lungs, which causes wheezing, or they can affect the way a hamster walks.

The main thing is to check she isn't in pain.   The fact that she is still eating is a good sign.  Usually when they are in pain they sit hunched up, not wanting to do anything. I would advise you getting a vet to check her out.  If they find a tumor, then you may need to make the difficult decision as to whether to put her to sleep or not as at this age surgery isn't a viable option, plus internal tumors are impossible to remove if they are attached to an organ. If however, they can't find anything wrong as such, or if a there is a tumor but it isn't causing a real problem,  then I would suggest you make her environment as easy as possible for her - make sure all her food is closeby and that she doesn't have to climb to get to it, etc.  I give all my elderly hamsters human baby food - the powdered variety is best - you just mix it with water.  They seem to love this and it gives them extra nutrients.  Still feed her dry food as this will help keep her teeth short with the biting.

I hope this helps you.  Please let me know how you get on.

Regards