Why did she die?

Question
2 years ago i bought my first syrian hamster. She was well looked after and very healthy but then she suddendly started to get bigger around her stomach. She wasn't getting fat though. She was still happy in herself but i took her to my friends grandad as he runs a pet shop. He told me to stop feeding her for a few days to see if it made a difference. I still fed her small bits of food but it didnt make a difference. One night she wouldnt get up and was laying curled up in her bed barely breathing. There was nothing i could do for her and she had died by the morning. She was only very young and i hadnt even had her for a year. Can you please tell me what happened to her?

Answer
Hi Vicki,

In my experience, I would have to say that she died from tumors. Tumors are very common in Syrian Hamsters and they can develop at any age. I have had this happen to me with one of my hamsters and he was only 6 months old.

Thank you for your question and so sorry for your loss.