Hamster making big piles and dips in hemp

[Snail]

So my boy Snail is reaching 2 years and his behaviour is a little off which I took him to the vets about and they dont think they can do much about it. He is on painkillers (metacam) but his behaviour is deteriorating in that he is drinking and scratching more than he was before. Now this is another thing he does which I am unsure about and could be a normal quirk or could be a strange behaviour. I find it a little amusing but I do get a little worried as it seems excessive. He digs massive piles in his hemp shavings which he spends about 5 minutes on then just does nothing with them and leaves them like that. Im not sure if he smells something or theres some herbs there but he’s done this a few times and Id like to know if anyone hamsters have done anything similar and whether its a cause for alarm or not.

It might just be a funny little quirk but i dont want to take any risks especially when his behaviour has been deteriorating recently
Heres a link to a video on my twitter https://twitter.com/dirkaaaaaa/statu...814114305?s=21

[Ria P]

One of my dwarfs digs like that but i never thought anything of it. Bit like a human kicks a ball about to entertain themselves.

[Snail]

Thank you for the reply! Yeah Im most likely just paranoid but its good to know he can make fun out of things I wouldnt have thought of. Ill maybe put some herbs in the shavings so he gets a little ‘reward’ for digging

[Ria P]

He's an old man now, albeit a very cute one but old age doesn't come alone. Maybe the drinking and scratching is caused by late onset diabetes but i wouldn't worry as long as it doesn't affect his quality of life. One of my dwarfs is forever guzzling from a bottle and sometimes i worry when he's so sleepy that he walks around with his eyes shut.
Then i get up in the middle of the night and half expect to find him lifeless to see him running on one of his wheels.

Hamsters are such lovely little animals that its so easy to worry too much.

Let us know how Snail responds when he fonds a reward while digging his heaps.

What do you mean by saying that his behaviour is deteriorating?

[Snail]

By his behaviour deteriorating I mean aside from the drinkingn and scratching he also has been acting incredibly strange, doesnt want to be outside his cage, is wobbly and often falls over unprompted and is just all round not acting like himself. The vet said his scratching could be because his brain is feeling like he’s itchy when he in reality isnt as he doesnt seem to have any skin conditions but the scratching is extremely excessive and only getting worse and as his fur has been checked I think the vet may be right. He’s scratching every few minutes repeatedly and its always in around the same place its like a tourettes tic or something similar (not a great analogy but i dont know how else to describe it) I tried to get a urine sample to test for diabetes and I got one but it wasnt large enough to test and I doubt I’ll get much more from him as hes such a little guy.

I do worry daily that hes going to pass away so much so that when the day comes I dont think I will be able to process it well. Every time I cant find him for a while to take his painkillers I worry I’m going to find him still and cold but I just find him looking incredibly sleepy. I try not to wake him too early for his metacam so I do it around 9pm but I do feel bad waking up a sleepy old man!

[Ria P]

I don't know for how long you've had hamsters as companions but i got my first hamster in March 2019 so he's coming up to around 1.5 yrs old soon. Sometimes i look at him and this wave of sadness overcomes me thinking that he may not be around next Christmas. Then i chase the dark thoughts away and appreciate that he's alive and enjoying the best hamster life i'm able to give him.

Keep that in mind, that you are providing Snail with a good life full of love and care but unfortunately their lives are far too short. He may be wobbly but he's not in pain because you make sure of that so enjoy his company while he's with you and try and safe the sadness for when the time comes.

It's astonishing how close we can grow to these little delightful creatures and i totally understand how you feel.

[Petite]

Originally Posted by Snail

I do worry daily that hes going to pass away so much so that when the day comes I dont think I will be able to process it well.

I can fully understand that. I lost a hamster in January at a little under a year, and was miserable until I got another. Some members of the forum have a second (third, fourth, etc!) hamster so that when one goes you still have the others to love and care for. I would do this too if I could work out where to put another. However, do try to focus on treasuring the time you have left with Snail, rather than marring any remaining time by worrying about when you don't have him.

[Snail]

I have 2 other hamster although they dont live with me which I think is why Im taking it so bad because by the time I can see my other hamsters again (lockdown) I might not have the third, its possible I might never have all three of them again. Snail could be anywhere from 1.5-2years old as he is adopted from another family who didnt know much about him at all and couldnt care for him anymore (they gave him a name but they forgot it) so He couldve been a month old when I got him or 6 months old in November. I like to say his birthday is May 30th and Im just really hoping he makes it until then.

I do think had I had my other hamsters around I wouldnt be feeling this low but at the moment because Snail doesnt like to be around me or out his cage much I feel like I have no hamsters. Its upsetting aswell cause I was really hoping to move out and have all three of them with me by now so I could spend more time with them all but due to the lockdown I’m now never going to be able to have them all together I just have to hope he was on the younger side when I got him