Sick Hamster or Normal Sleeping Position?

Question
Thanks Joann.  I regret to inform you that we lost him.  I checked on him a few minutes ago and he is  gone.  The worst part will be breaking the news to my son when he gets home from school.  Is it possible that we caused this.  We handeled him yesterday, and he was very social.  He let us pet him gently and hold him in the palms of our hands.  He was not frightened and did not bite us, so we cuddled him intermittently throughout the day.  He had only been with us for one day before we started interacting with him.  Was this too soon?  Could he have died from the shock?
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Followup To

Question -
Hi Joanne,

My son got a siberian hamster two days ago, and up to this morning he has been normal and active.  However, this morning he is not moving about his cage and when I picked him up he just slumped over into my hand.  He is now in his cage, lying stretched out on his back.  He is breathing, and only appears to be sleeping, but I've never seen a hamster sleep like this.  Is this a normal sleeping position, or is this an indication that there is something wrong with him?  Do hamsters usually become so lethargic when sleeping.  As I said, he hardly moved when I scooped him up a while ago.  I'm very worried.  Please advise.

Thanks,

Alice

Answer -
hi alice,

no this isnt normal, hamsters are supposed to be very alert, and usually wake up to the slightest russle in their cages. unless your room has been veryvery cold he could be hibernating but i doubt it.

he is either in shock at all the new surroundings, and should recover from this in a few days, so leave him plenty of water, and give him peace for a couple of days, though if he's no better by tomorrow, see a vet.

lethargicness in hamsters is a symptom of many things such as wet tail, a cold, dehydration, a stroke, parasictic infection etc etc. seen as the sleepyness is the only symptom you have noticed, it doesnt narrow down the said illnesses and only a vet can give you a propper answer, please bear in mind it shouldnt cost anymore than 15-20 dollars probably less as they are small creatures. you could try ringing the vets just now to get a quote for price and describing this sleepyness, he may very well tell you to bring him this afternoon (i do apologize, its 3pm in the uk lol) also if you cant pay up from leave a contact address and telephone number and they will send you the bill.

thank you for your question and please let me know how you got on. best of luck.

joanne x

Answer
hello alice,

im really sorry to hear about your sons hamster. this is very strange seen as you've only had him a couple of days.

like i said in my first answer it could have been a number of things, perhaps he was ill when you got him but didnt show any symptoms until last night. a stroke is a possibility, the floppyness would back this up, this is caused by over heating, which happens in warm areas and is no1's fault.

can i ask, what kind of bedding did you use? because the fluffy, cotton bedding is very dangerous, if they swallow it, it gets entangled in their digestive systems and cause death, many people have been lobbying the makers of this stuff as its becoming more common for hamsters to pass away because of this. so if you are planning on getting another, use the shredded paper bedding instead.

im so sorry that your hamster has passed away after such a short time. and my thoughts will be with your son. if you want to ask any questions if you are planning on gettin a new hamster, such as cage wear, taming, food, temperature etc please ask.

joanne x

p.s. seen as your hamster was very tame when you got him suggests it was not shock, so dont worry. also hamsters arent usually this tame to begin with, so chances are he had a previous owner who gave him to the pet store, making him older than you thought.