Hamster just staring

Tomthehamster · 05-01-2017, 02:56 AM

Hi

My daughter has a syrian hamster who is about 5 months old. He is normally happy, healthy and very active.

Yesterday we brought him on a car journey (he has been staying with my parents while we were away for the night). He travels in a small travel cage and it is not the first time he has been on a car journey.

Before putting him in the travel cage he was perfectly fine but when we got him home (about 30 mins later) and took him out he was behaving very oddly. When placed on the floor he just stood completely still like a statue. We put him in his ball (which he normally loves) in the hope that it would encourage him to move but he just stood completely still in that too. I assumed that he was upset/scared by the car journey so we put him in his normal cage and left him somewhere quiet to let him calm down. I peeked in at him several times through the evening but just found him in a trance like state. At one point he had moved to another place but was still completely still.

This morning I checked on him and he had put himself to bed and was asleep (which I took as a good sign). Unfortunately though I think I disturbed him when I checked on him again he had got up and started the staring again. He has now fallen asleep where he was stood (very unusual for him as he always sleeps in his bed).

In every other way he seems healthy (bright eyes, dry tail).

Is this normal? I'd appreciate any advice. We are really worried about him.

Thank you x

chesca_27 · 05-02-2017, 03:48 PM

I'm not too sure on the what that is, but if you are concerned I would recommend making an appointment with a good exotics vet. Hamsters do tend to freeze a bit when freaked out (prey instinct), but not to the extent you are describing. I would also suggest leaving your hamster alone and not disturbing him. Maybe add in some extra nesting material (clean, unscented white toilet paper cut into strips) and make sure food and water are easily accessible from his nest.

Fingers crossed your hamster is ok!

cypher · 05-02-2017, 11:36 PM

I'm not really sure what's going on here either tbh, if he'd only been away for one night & the journey wasn't long I wouldn't expect any change in behaviour, they can sometimes behave strangely after having been taken to a different place during holidays etc but it does seem a little odd after such a short time but that doesn't rule it out as the cause & they can be oversensitive sometimes, if he continues to appear healthy in every other way & is eating, drinking etc normally then I would just keep an eye on him for a couple of days & see if he settles down again, if not then it might well be worth having him checked over by your vet.

Thin Lizzy · 05-03-2017, 10:00 PM

I'm with Cypher. If he's still like this later take him to the vet who'll be able to do a thorough check on him. It will also help you, it can be stressful for us owners when we think something's wrong.

Tomthehamster · 05-04-2017, 11:41 AM

Thanks all. It has taken a couple of days but he seems back to normal. He went from staring to running around frantically and finally settling down to something closer to normal. He had us worried. He has been eating and drinking throughout. I'll think twice before taking him in a car next time - I didn't realise my driving was that scary!