sick baby hamster

Question
QUESTION: Hi I was wondering if you could help me understand why two of my hamsters have now passed away. They both appeared to be healthy one day and then close to death the next. I am wondering now because this has happened twice is it the cage? They both had food water and a wheel to get excersize. I do not use cedar for the beds. THe symptoms are very quick to progress, trouble walking on front legs, lethargy, not eating, stiff like to touch and pat and very cold bodies. This makes me so sad I am desparate to understand why this has happened twice.. I am an animal lover and figure it must be something I am doing wrong. please help me with this if you can thanks..

ANSWER: Hi Curtis,

    What type of hamsters were they? What type of cage?
You said you don't use cedar bedding, what about pine?

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

QUESTION: one was a 1 year old teddy bear hamster and one a 4 month old black bear hamster ...the cage is plastic and I use care fresh bedding which is not pine or cedar. I am now thinking it may have been a parasite or virus for them both to die in the same cage. I have two others (one 1 and a half) and one 4 and a half mos. in different cages and they are both seemingly healthy. I just need to understand what could cause the symptoms that I have mentioned in order to achieve some sort of closure ( if at all possible).  

Answer
Hi Curtis,

    It is possible that it was some type of parasite or virus, although most of the parasitic diseases found in hamsters, I have read about, they show no clinical signs of being sick.
    There is something called Aspergillis Fungus. It is a fungus that grows on the bedding where the hamster urinates. It sends off airborn spores into the hamster environment which can damage a hamsters health and even cause death. If the cage was not properly disinfected before putting another hamster in it, it is possible that something like this could have been the cause of their death.
     I hope this is of some help and if you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing.