Oreo didn't die! (Yet.)

[Stella Maris]

In March, my Campbell's dwarf, Oreo, was looking hourglass shaped. Downright emaciated. He wasn't eating his block, and I tried the healthiest looking pet store food, but he wasn't interested.
Since he was 1 3/4 years, I thought it was probably his time to shuffle off to hammie heaven. Still, I tried giving him nuts and seeds, veggies, and baby food, all of which he ate with alacrity. I didn't know how to balance a ham diet from scratch, but figured at least he'd enjoy eating some treats during his senescence.
Then I found a German (I think) brand in a local pet shop, and he loves it! He's gained back some weight! Went from looking like a furry hourglass to looking like his normal self - a hockey puck!
He still weighs less than in his prime, and is a little less active, but he's doing ok, and passed his second birthday last week! Yay!

In March, when I thought he was on his way out, I got "Bean" the emergency back-up hamster. Here's Oreo with furry feet and a broccoli, and a pic of "the boys" having breakfast together.

[Charlie Dunn]

Aww glad to hear Oreo is doing so much better. He looks lovely! X

[Amethyst_ice]

Hello, welcome back, nice to hear some positive news, he certainly looks very healthy there!

Not quite sure what you mean by "emergency back up" but bean certainly looks a stunning little fluff

x

[Maker]

Oreo looks fab, out of interest what food did you find that he's enjoying?

[Ria P]

Lovely photos of the boys tucking in. Glad Oreo made it through his skinny phase. Do you give him dried mealworms as a treat? Dwarfs usually love them and they're meant to be fattening.

[cypher]

Lovely to hear that little Oreo is doing well again, great that you managed to find a food mix that suits him well & has given him such a boost.

[Pebbles82]

Glad to hear Oreo is enjoying the new mix and gained weight. It can be a good idea as well to supplement their mix with soft food too. They often lose weight in old age due to toothache - so although they pouch their food and hoard it they don’t eat much due to the hard food hurting the teeth. A bit of baby food in a small separate dish goes down well. I use one of the baby food jar lids as a dish. Age 4 months is usually ok (ie no onion, garlic, tomato or spices). Plus some softened hamster mix. Put a bit of his mix in another baby food lid and put a bit of boiled kettle water on it and leave it till it cools and it’s then softened. But still keep putting his hard mix out as usual (they do like to pouch it).

This has worked well for our older Syrian (and our previous older Syrians).

[Vierville]

I'm so happy Oreo is looking better and has picked up weight. He looks lovely!

[Stella Maris]

Thanks, everyone, for your kind thoughts!
Maker: He's eating Versele-Laga mini hamster mix. Plus some fresh veg and the odd seed or nut. It's the best food I've found so far. I'm feeding it to both hammies. They don't seem to eat the grass seed thingies that end up in the bottom of the dish. They both have Oxbow hamster block. (Although Oreo barely eats his, Bean seems happy enough to fill his cheeks and larder.)
Amethyst: the story of my Emergency Back-up Hamster is here:
Emergency Back-up Hamster
I hadn't planned to have two hamsters; I figured one at a time would be fine, and my condo rules don't allow more than one rodent. (Don't tell them!)
But I'm really enjoying having both 'boys'. Bean is such a slug-a-bed, hiding in his hide, it's nice to see Oreo occasionally up and running on one of his wheels during the day. Though he's sleeping more in his old age, he gets up from time to time and flops here and there, rarely out of sight.
Here's Oreo, not exactly toes-up:

[Stella Maris]

And thanks Serendipity! If he looses weight again, I'll try the softened food thing again.