Hamster Central - View Single Post - Hamster suddenly wobbly, acting disoriented

Pebbles82 · 01-09-2019, 02:47 AM

I was also wondering if the cold might be affecting him - they can go into torpor if they get too cold - which is often fatal. So it is important that that are in a room which has heating. And I often have a little oil filled radiator on a timer on for a couple of hours during the night in winter as well. Room temperature should be about 20 degrees when the heating is on.

That doesn't explain the weight loss though, unless he is just not eating because he is affected by the cold and not active.

Keep an eye on him. I give supplements as well as hamster mix and some veg - nuts are high in calories and protein - half a walnut or half a brazil nut once or twice a week is a nice treat for them.

If he goes like that again and it isn't the temperature, then a vet visit might be an idea, especially as he is a young hamster. Does he have a nice big cosy nest? It's important not to clean them out too much - that stresses them. Spot cleaning mostly is better than full substrate changes, and plenty of substrate to burrow down in and plenty of nesting material so they can build their nest nice and big. Also don't remove the nest and hoard - if it's pee'd in you may have to but try and leave a bit of old nest and hoard behind that's dry, and add new food to replace what you've removed in exactly the same place, plus a big pile of new nesting material in the cage, that they can take back to the nest to rebuild it. And don't use fluffy bedding - it's dangerous! Plain white toilet paper sheets torn into strips is safest for nesting.

01-09-2019, 02:47 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Hamster suddenly wobbly, acting disoriented I was also wondering if the cold might be affecting him - they can go into torpor if they get too cold - which is often fatal. So it is important that that are in a room which has heating. And I often have a little oil filled radiator on a timer on for a couple of hours during the night in winter as well. Room temperature should be about 20 degrees when the heating is on. That doesn't explain the weight loss though, unless he is just not eating because he is affected by the cold and not active. Keep an eye on him. I give supplements as well as hamster mix and some veg - nuts are high in calories and protein - half a walnut or half a brazil nut once or twice a week is a nice treat for them. If he goes like that again and it isn't the temperature, then a vet visit might be an idea, especially as he is a young hamster. Does he have a nice big cosy nest? It's important not to clean them out too much - that stresses them. Spot cleaning mostly is better than full substrate changes, and plenty of substrate to burrow down in and plenty of nesting material so they can build their nest nice and big. Also don't remove the nest and hoard - if it's pee'd in you may have to but try and leave a bit of old nest and hoard behind that's dry, and add new food to replace what you've removed in exactly the same place, plus a big pile of new nesting material in the cage, that they can take back to the nest to rebuild it. And don't use fluffy bedding - it's dangerous! Plain white toilet paper sheets torn into strips is safest for nesting.