Fork could be blind?
 

The only time my hamster come is when you call her if you put your hand near her she appears not to see you and jumps she also constantly try's to jump off my shoulder or lap, could she be blind? shes white with grey ears and what I think are pink eyes x

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

unsure have a look in her eyes are they clear ?

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

As far as I'm aware hamsters don't have great eyesight (can someone back me up on that though?) they operate mostly by sound and smell. as for the jumping, chances are you just have a skitterish hamster? Mine does a sort of 'jump' back sometimes when she's startled by something, does that sound familiar?

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

Her eyes are clear yes, and the jumping is not really a scared thing I don't think as she'll try and jump out of her tank if you let her x

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

To be honest, hamsters have very poor eyesight, and can adjust to blindness quite easily. It would be shame if she is blind, but if she is generally a rather tame and placid hamster it probably won't effect her too much.

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

It would be a shame, but I used to have a white gerbil that was blind and he behaved exactly the same so I'm used to it, when i first got her \i noticed her eyes were very small I expect she has just been badly breed as I got her from someone who claimed he saved her mother from a snake breeder. x

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

When I went to get my winter white hamster, there where ones with black eyes and ones with pink/red. The lady there said that people often think that red/pink eyed hamsters are 'evil' because they can bite more, but this is because they have short eyesight so if you do not let them know you are there, they bite more that one with black eyes who may see you coming. I hope this helps! :)

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

I have two albino Campbell's dwarfs. I know they don't see too well because they sway their heads back and forth when looking around. However, they are the absolute tamest hamsters we have and would never dream of biting. They do not mind at all when I gently scoop them up. My hybrid has red eyes and sways his head even more and I think he eyesight is terrible, but none of the three is the least bit concerned as its all they've ever known. They adjust to it.

I would try talking to your hamster every time you interact, which I'm sure you do anyway. My Syrian girls are jumpy sometimes; I don't know why. They will walk right off the furniture if you're not careful, but I do not think they are in any way blind.

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

I do talk to her when I get her out etc :-) my hubby thinks I'm mad lol, I had a gerbil with pink eyes that was always very Jumpy this is how I noticed orginally that Fork was maybe blind, before I got her I asked the chap who was selling her but he said she wasn't. One thing I have noticed is that her eyes are small compared to previous hamster I've had x

Re: Fork could be blind?
 

Hamsters are very short sighted. I believe they can only see about 6 inches in front of their face. My hamster is the same, she will leap off anything, no mater how high, given the opportunity. Sometimes she also jumps if I put my hand near her . If I tap the floor and call her she will then come up to my hand and can see it once she gets close.