hamster is not very active and has changed where he sleeps

Question
I am not sure the type of hamster my son has-Is there such a breed as a long haired golden hamster?  My son won this from his second grade classroom teacher.  I am not sure how old he was when we got him but we have had him for about 2 years now.  He used to sleep in the top of the cage until about a week ago, now he stays in the bottom of the cage and doesn't seem as active at night.  He also seems to struggle to get up to the center of the cage to get his water. I took out the center shelf in his cage and tied his water bottle lower for him.  He also looks like he breathes heaver when he is lying there.  Is he just getting old and ready to die?  Any info you could give me would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again,  Shelly  

Answer
Hi Shelly.

Yes, there is such a thing as a long-haired golden hamster.  :)  A lot of people call them "teddy bear" hamsters, in the hamster fancy they are more commonly known as long-haired Syrians, although the term "golden hamster" and "Syrian" hamster are both correct and interchangable.

A typical lifespan for Syrian hamster is 2-2 1/2 years old, so yes your little buddy is getting on in years.  I would definately suspect this is why he has chosen to stop sleeping at the top of his cage.  He probably just has trouble getting up there anymore.

It doesn't sound as though he is suffering right now, just feeling his old age.  This also does not necessarily mean he is ready to die tomorrow, Syrian hamsters have been known to live as long as three years.

If you are worried that your son might take the loss very hard, you might want to consider looking around now for an acceptable replacement hamster.  Just remember that Syrian hamsters are solitary and need to be housed alone, so this would mean buying a new cage, as well.

In the meantime, just make your old man as comfortable as you can, and love the time you have with him.  :)

Please feel free to ask me any other questions you might have..

All the best!