Clumsy Hamster?

[Bex010]

Does anyone have a hamster that is just clumsy?

I have a Russian dwarf boy (Sammy ) he is around 1 year 2/3 months.
He is just so clumsy! He has always been like this, it is not a new thing with him, I'd be concerned if it was!
He'll often fall over onto his back if he stands up on his back feet. Just now he was stood on his house and he got excited for food when he saw me coming so he stood on his back legs but kind of carried on going backwards and fell to the floor of his cage. Nearly every night when I feed him he waits on his back legs but falls over backwards. I've seen him fall down when climbing along the bars of his cage, he's fallen off the platforms. He has a little wigwam thing that is on one of his platforms that I occasionally find on the floor or his cage, so I dare say he's probably taken a tumble with it. He doesn't seem distressed when he falls, he just gets up and carries on like nothing ever happened. He has soft bedding to land on. I do sometimes worry he'll hurt himself but not sure what I can do?

He's otherwise healthy but has an intermittent problem with a sore/irritated eye. It doesn't interfere with his vision.

Just wondered if any other hammies were the same!

[Drago]

Does his falling backwards routine happen to look like this?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqezLxwHAA

If so, that is a neurological disorder which is caused by poor genetics (bad breeding). Other symptoms of this are things like pacing, circling, and seizures. It would make sense as well since he does it the most when food is coming, which would excite him. As far as I know, the only cure is not to overwhelm them with stimuli, as well as to keep them overall calm. I don't know too many details on this so another member may advise better

[Pebbles82]

Hammies can fall off things but it sounds like he might have a problem with his back legs if he falls over when standing up on his back feet. At his age his on the older side for a hamster - 14 to 15 months isn't young any more, and he may have some weakness or a bit of arthritis. It might be an idea to lower everything in the cage and maybe remove any platforms. I had to do this when our Syrian got older and couldn't climb well or fell over when trying to stand on his back legs.

Check the cage for anything he could hurt himself on. If he just falls onto soft bedding that's ok, but if he could land on anything sharp or hard, then it might need a bit of minor rearranging. I think I would take any levels out and have everything at substrate level, although maybe add something like a large cork tunnel so he still has something to hide under or climb over (they are quite soft and it's a shallow slope to climb).

[Bex010]

Originally Posted by Drago

Does his falling backwards routine happen to look like this?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqezLxwHAA

If so, that is a neurological disorder which is caused by poor genetics (bad breeding). Other symptoms of this are things like pacing, circling, and seizures. It would make sense as well since he does it the most when food is coming, which would excite him. As far as I know, the only cure is not to overwhelm them with stimuli, as well as to keep them overall calm. I don't know too many details on this so another member may advise better

He does fall like the hamster in the video but he doesn't do it repeatedly over and over again. He doesn't pace, circle or suffer from seizures. I hope he doesn't have a neuro disorder

[Bex010]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Hammies can fall off things but it sounds like he might have a problem with his back legs if he falls over when standing up on his back feet. At his age his on the older side for a hamster - 14 to 15 months isn't young any more, and he may have some weakness or a bit of arthritis. It might be an idea to lower everything in the cage and maybe remove any platforms. I had to do this when our Syrian got older and couldn't climb well or fell over when trying to stand on his back legs.

Check the cage for anything he could hurt himself on. If he just falls onto soft bedding that's ok, but if he could land on anything sharp or hard, then it might need a bit of minor rearranging. I think I would take any levels out and have everything at substrate level, although maybe add something like a large cork tunnel so he still has something to hide under or climb over (they are quite soft and it's a shallow slope to climb).

Did wonder about his back legs, but he runs about like crazy without difficulty. I hear him running on his wheel whenever I wake in the night. There is nothing he can harm himself on on the floor, it's all soft. I could adjust his cage and take his levels out. He is actually on metacam just now relating to his eye so I guess if his legs were hurting this should help.

[cypher]

It sounds as though he may have a bit of a weakness somewhere in back legs or spine to me, it doesn't sound like a neurological problem.
If he's that age & manages fine without being distressed by it I would just keep his cage set up so he can never fall far or onto anything too hard but otherwise not worry about it.

[Bex010]

Originally Posted by cypher

It sounds as though he may have a bit of a weakness somewhere in back legs or spine to me, it doesn't sound like a neurological problem.
If he's that age & manages fine without being distressed by it I would just keep his cage set up so he can never fall far or onto anything too hard but otherwise not worry about it.

Yes there is nothing he can hurt himself on. Like I say, he's always done it and I've had him from being a baby. He's very active, eats well and is otherwise happy!

[Drago]

Could you possibly get a video of the behavior? If he's done it since he was very young, it gives me a bit of a suspicion that it could be something neurological. Either way, doing everything you can to keep him calm and avoid excess stimuli might go a long way. Like cypher and serendipity said, make sure he cannot land on anything and he should be alright