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Hiya.
It was today, roughly 30 minutes ago, that I found my gorgeous Syrian hamster, Puff, had passed away. She was seemingly sleeping but as I tried to wake her, I slowly realised that she had passed. She passed (what I hope to be) peacefully in her nest. This is a first for me, as I’ve never experienced the loss of a hamster before.
As all hamsters owners - particularly new ones - must do, I’m trying to come to terms with her death. But I can’t help the itch that says that it was my fault that she passed so soon. I’d had her just short of a year ago. I’m trying to conclude the reason for her death and was hoping you wonderful people could give me some idea as to why a Syrian hamster has passed at a year old.
Some general information:
• Bought as a baby (roughly 7-11 weeks) at my local Pets at Home.
• No signs of injuries or ailments. A seemingly perfect, healthy hamster.
• Very active in her early months. Loved to zoom around her cage.
• Was fed the purple mixture from Pets at Home.
• Had a 100cm x 100cm cage.
This cage.
• Had a 12inch wheel at all times.
• A water bottle at all times.
• Changed her bedding every 3 weeks + removed any soiled bedding whenever I saw any.
I’m honestly thinking that it was my fault that she passed so soon. Here are some things that as a new hamster owner, I did wrong:
• Not held her - she was a biter and I had not tamed her to that level.
• Possibly fed her too much veggies - It’s only recently that I began to introduce vegetables / fruits. Half a grape here and there. It was bits of lettuce and cucumber mostly. I would feed her a tiny square of cucumber and a leaf of lettuce every other day, no more than 3-4 times a week. This is where I think I went wrong.
• She never came out of her cage - I have serious regrets about not allowing her time to roam around the house. She was placed in a ball while young, but I stopped as soon as she grew too big for it.
• Not gone to the vet - I had a vet fund (roughly £500) but had never taken her to the vet as I never saw that she needed a checkup. I kept a close eye on her when I first got her, looking out for signs of Wet Tail and such. I checked her eyes, ears, bum, stools, and overall body whenever I fed her.
Could anyone please give me an idea as to why she has passed so young. Was it my fault as I think it is? Or was it something outside of my control?
Her death was rather sudden and unexpected. I had fed her yesterday and she was perfectly healthy and rushed to greet me. When she had passed, her eyes were open and she had no visible signs of injuries or ailments on her body. If it weren’t for her eyes and lack of breathing, I would’ve assumed she was just sleeping.
I’d like to thank every single person that has helped me in the year or so that I have been using Hamster Central. You all are a central part of my experience in caring for my first hamster and I am SO grateful for your feedback.
I more than likely will not be using Hamster Central for a while. I’d like to say goodbye to you all and may you and your hamsters have a wonderful life!
Thank you!
- Aimee x