hammys acting funny

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi there,

My hammy is almost a year old and has been doing fine.  I believe she is a golden hampster, my first questions is how can you tell if she is or not?  Also, since the weather is getting hotter I think it is making her act funny and very lethargic like.  Some of her characteristics, most of which are out of the normal, are laying "dead like" in her ball for a long time (until I take her out), is it possible she doesn't like the ball anymore because she used to be active in it.  I think these past two nights she has slept right through and not gone running in her wheel which is her favorite thing to do-even after taking her out and playing with her for a bit she goes right back up to her bed.  When i take her out of the ball I usually let her run around on my bed because she can pretend to burrow and she runs around like a spaz, which is normal she has always been a crazy spaz.  But lastnight she was not only running around like a spaz but finding ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to chew on.  Now, i know this is not out of the ordinary for hamptsters but i had never seen her react is such a way-when i say everything and anything i mean it!!  Maybe her teeth are hurting her-i give her lab blocks for her to eat, do you recomend anything else which is good for her to gnaw on?  I have heard mixed things regarding the cleanliness of the cage.  I know you have to change the bedding once a week and rinse it out, but should we do a good thurough wash with soap and scrubbing every week or once a month?  Last few thoughts, I am afraid she is not getting enough water and now that is it especially hot out i'm more concerned because it is so important!  I watch her drink and i can't really tell if she is getting any good amounts of water-what do you recommend?  And lastly, is celery good to give them, I am concerned the stringy stuff will get caught in her throat.

Thank you for your time!
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Answer -
First off, hamster has no pt in it. If your hamster is lethargic, just leave it alone for a little bit. It might be worn out from all the playing, sometimes you feel like taking a nap durring the day, just because your tired for some reason. Your hamster likes sleeping alot too. They sleep all day and play at night since thier nocturnal creatures. If chewing is a problem, give your hamster hard treats from the pet store. Some hamsters just dont like lab blocks to chew on, they want food. I recomend this hard treat from vitacraft called raviolios. Thier hard and delicious, so your hamster will be motivated to chew that. Changing the litter is a must, once every week. Cleaning the cage itself can be done once a month. Mild soap and water, and rinsed out really good so your hamster wont get sick on left over soap. As long as you see your hamster drinking, its fine. It knows where the water is, so it will get a drink whenever its thirsty, and will drink untill it has enough. Celery is an excelent treat for your hamster. Hamsters will even eat foods with seeds in them and you wont have to worry, thier very clever. Hope I've helped
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Hello, me again.  Sorry about the mispelling-I know is hamster, but I always seem to mispell it.  I have more concernes about Hammy being lethargic. I agree with your answer above, however she is lethargic most of the time even if I have not been playing with her.  I know they get tired and like to lay flat sometimes-but I just feel like she has been doing that a lot more then she used to.  What do you think about the fact that she isn't coming out and playing at night, but instead is sleeping or laying in bed?  One last points that I am still not sure about is the water-I see her at the water bottle but I cannot really see if there is any water coming out and going into her mouth. Do they drink out of bowls?

I have these concernes because I am going away for 6 weeks and leaving her with my mom (who takes very good care of her-but just can't play with her quite as much as I would like to) and I would like her to not be concerned about Hammy's unusual behavior.

Thank you again.

Answer
Hmm, Since your hamster is almost a year old, it might just be due to old age. I know when my hamsters started getting old they would usualy just sleep more then usual. Do you have the Air Conditioner on in your house? If your hamsters cage is right near it, it may be sleeping more due to the cold. Rest assured, the water is comming out of the bottle, it's just not easy to see. It dispences droplets of water every time the ball is pressed in by the hamster's tongue. They can drink from dishes, but its definatly not recomended. They get all sorts of debris in the water, and its not worth having to change it consantly. As long as your mom keeps the hamster away from direct sun and cold, has fresh food and water, and a wheel or exersize device in the cage, your hamster will do just fine. Good luck!