Screetching

[Scamper]

My Syrian hamster is now about 17 months old. She hardly ever makes a sound. However, the other afternoon she suddenly started screeching. I looked in her cage and she was just sat in her nest looking up screeching. I rang the vet to book an urgent consultation as I thought she might be in pain. However, after I tried to get her out of the cage to take her to the vet she stopped screeching and started scampering about her cage as usual, she even took a peanut from my hand. I called the vets back to tell them and they said to keep an eye on her and bring her in if she started screeching again. However, as far as I'm aware she hasn't screeched again and is eating, playing and has no objection to being handled. I am wondering if she had a nightmare! Is this normal behaviour ?

[Skeever]

Perhaps she heard or smelt something which upset or frightened her? Waking from a bad dream doesn't sound likely that she would continue so long.

Sometimes I have NO clue as to why a ham suddenly runs like hell and hides, or does the meerkat and freezes. She's getting older so I'd keep a close eye and ear on the little fluffbutt

[cypher]

It really does sound like she had a sudden fright of some kind but as Skeever says just keep an eye on her & see how she goes.