hamster looks ill

Question
I had a syrian hamster when i first got my hamster she was about 3 months old and really small, after about 2 months she looked fully grown and healthy. after a few months i noticed she wasnt eating her food just storing it, it looked like she dosnt eat any of it and she started to look a bit thin not normal for a hamster and then she just suddenly died on her wheel. i recently started giving her hamster vitamins from the pet shop and maybe they had something to do with it? i had the flu and my dad told me she could of caught it, can this be true?

Answer
Hi Tracy,

    I really don't think that the vitamins had anything to do with her death. It is true that hamsters can get the flu and even colds from humans. That is one reason why we should always wash our hands before handling them (but it is best not to handle them when we are sick). I don't feel your hamster died from that. She would of had more symptoms than the not eating well.
    When a hamster passes away suddenly, it would more than likely be do to a massive heart attack, massive stroke or a tumor that had ruptured (even though you may not see it or feel it). These would be more common in older hamsters, but it can happen in the young. I had one that died suddenly at the age of 6 months.
    If you have anymore questions, please feel free to write again.

Thank you for writing and so sorry for your loss.