sick panda hammie

Question
We just bought our panda hammie about 4-6 weeks ago. He has been healthy and active until today, the only thing we have noticed different, is, a few days ago, his fur, where his scent glands are, seemed to be wet, as if he was not grooming as well, then today we noticed he was not coming out of his house. We checked on him tonight, and he feels cool, and is taking shallow breaths, and very lathargic. I don't know how old he is. Is there any hope for his recovery? Thanks.  

Answer
Hi Lori,

    This does not sound good. the feeling cool to the touch, shallow breathing and being lethargic are signs of a hamster who is getting close to passing.
    It is possible, that if there was sudden drop in the temperature in your home, that he has gone into hibernation (this happens but is very rare since the temperature in our homes stay about the same year round). For this you would want to warm the hamster slowly, by wrapping him in a dry washcloth and holding him close to you. If he is in hibernation, this should bring him out of it. Sometimes the hamster will shake just before coming out of hibernation.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing and best of luck.