[hamsterquestions]

My previous hamster died within a week at 3 months old after a sudden bloating around the abdominal area as if there was a golfball (it looked somewhat like ascites to me). He bloated up more and more quite rapidly to the point that he was in pain and wobbled when he walked. We had taken him to the vet and they thought it could be a gut infection so he was given antibiotics which ultimately didn’t help. I cleaned his cage and everything thoroughly before getting a new Syrian hamster (female). Now, at roughly the same age she is starting to exhibit the same kind of bloating and I fear that she will endure the same fate. Would any of you have seen this in rodents before? Is it just bad genetics (they’re pet store hamsters) or is there a typical culprit? I take good care of them and I’m really not sure what I could be doing wrong.

I attached a photo of the type of bloating. Is this invariably fatal? (Ignore the spot in the middle; you can see the bloating just above the hips)