possible hamster stroke

Question
our family hamster snowdrop who is 18 months old started limping on her back leg sunday evening,and was wet around the anus,we thought wet tail but was told by the lady at the reputable pet shop where we bought her from that wet tail was inherited and thier hamsters where bred by one person,she has since gone worse she is motionless and breathing shallow the lady at the shop suggested she has had a stroke and told us to put hot water bottles under her cage and if she is still alive after 24 hours to feed her baby food which is full of nutrients is this right and after a hamster has a stroke can they survive

Answer
Hi mark, poor little snowdrop she sound in a bit of a state! i agree with your petshop owner on one thing, that it wont be wet tail, and it is not inherited, they only really get this when they are young, however i wouldnt recommend putting too much heat around her cage as she could easily over heat, just make sure she is in a warm room out of draughts and give her extra bedding, this will be sufficient. dont give her baby food as it can be high in salt and sugar for hamsters and it could make her worse. provide her with some plain scrambled egg and a little cooked meat, chicken has always been a favorite of mine! to be honest she is getting on abit in hamster years, i have just buried my old man, he was two, he was getting thinner and limping and generally looking unwell, although he was still eating and drinking quite well. the age hamsters live to varies on hamster to hamster, it could be that she has an illness that she could get over but if i am truly honest with you it doesn't sound good from the details you have given me. i should tell you to be prepared for the worst to happen, i know its difficult but every animal has its limits and once these are reached there is precious little that can be done. I dont mean to sound harsh with you, just truthful. of course if you do want a professional opinion you should take her to the vets as soon as you can, if it is less serious than it sounds then she could have antibiotics or other treatment to aid her recovery. i hope this helped a little and i really hope she isnt as poorly as she sounds, please let me know how you get on with her, the very best of luck, Jen