Teddy Bear Hamster death

Question
My long haired teddy bear hamster of two years, named Rat, died yesterday.  When I adopted him, his hair had already grown out, which leads me to believe that he was at least a year old then, making him approximately 3 years old when he passed away.  The week before his death, he would not run on his wheel and would not come out for food.  He only came out for water at which he would fall asleep while drinking.  Food had to be brought to him.  Rat had a difficult time moving around and would fall asleep after walking only two inches.  He spent a great deal of time sleeping more than usual & had no diarrhea. When he passed away, we noticed that he wasn't stiff! I've had 2 teddy bear hamsters before & both were stiff when they died. His body was cold and his eyes were partially closed. We thought about hibernation but the weather in southern CA has been in the mid-70's. We attempted to warm him up just in case & nothing happened.  Is it unusual for a hamster's body not to stiffen after they passed away? Perhaps he didn't die and suffered a stroke instead? I couldn't find the answer on the internet. I would hate to think that we may have buried him alive. ~Thank you.

Answer
Hi Linda,


       No, I do not think it is unusual for a hamster's body not to stiffen after passing away. I really think it depends on how long it has been before we find them. In my experience, most hamsters pass away during the night, so by the time we find them, it has been awhile and they are stiff. Out of the 18 hamsters I have had, 3 of them have died in my hands. They were not stiff. So I believe that you found Rat right after he passed on.

       From the things that you have said, There were really no signs or symptoms of Rat suffering a stroke. Hope I was of some help.


Thank you for writing and so sorry for your loss.