sudden death in my Syrian(s)

jmhalifax · 11-22-2014, 11:43 PM

Feeling bad here… typing one-handed with my Daisy White (yep, named after Houdini's mistress) in my lap… Only a few months old, tons of energy until today when I noticed her sleeping all day. I got her out, she's really cold and is barely alive. Almost no energy. Ate fine yesterday, no wet tail, cleaned her cage a week ago. If she can make it to Monday (it's early Sun. morning here now) I'll try a vet visit but I doubt we'll make it that far. And unfortunately, this same sequence happened nearly exactly to my Syrian about two months ago. Any insight? I've had several hamsters through the years,I love them- this sucks. Doesn't appear to be much pain, just severe lethargy.

Pygmypuff · 11-23-2014, 12:45 AM

How cold is it where you live? If it's too cold, she could be going into hibernation.
First of all, turn up all the heating in your house. Wrap Daisy in a warm towel, and hold her next to a radiator, making sure there is more than one towel between her and the radiator, if it appears she is already in hibernation. Rub her softly. Have some water at hand; once awake, she won't appear very different, but she should try to take a lick of the water. Keep offering her the water and make sure she is warm, as she will be very dehydrated.

cypher · 11-23-2014, 01:03 AM

I'm really sorry to hear Daisy White is so sick & I do hope she can hang on until Monday so you can get her to the vet.
It could be that she was going into hibernation & may well come round if you can keep her warm & hydrated.
I'm really sorry this has happened so soon after losing another hamster but given the time gap & that it's unlikely it was too cold a couple of months ago I wouldn't have thought the two are related.
Good luck with her, I'll be thinking of you.

jmhalifax · 11-23-2014, 01:27 AM

Thanks…
It wasn't cold today…
And after submitting the previous entry, she had some pronounced labored breathing…
After the previous hamster passed, I cleaned the cage really well, I thought. I also cleaned it before bringing Daisy home.
Daisy lived healthily for about a month, but I'm still considering throwing the cage out.

Thanks again for your comfort.

Pygmypuff · 11-23-2014, 01:41 AM

I'm so so sorry for your loss of your previous hamster.
I looked up on common illnesses and I can't find anything that matches the symptoms of your hamster.
Try to keep her hydrated and comfortable. If she's still cold, you may want to just try and warm her up anyway, for her comfort. I'm sure she lived a happy, healthy life and that you've done all you can to keep her safe.

muddy_dragon · 11-23-2014, 03:14 AM

I'm so sorry to hear this, it must be so horrible for you. I'm far from a hamster disease expert but here are a few thoughts that might be worth considering and changing if you can, i know it's probably little help at the moment (and appologies if some of these seem obvious i just wanted to try to cover all bases).

You thoroughly cleaned the cage but did you make sure the cleaning agent was gone afterwards? (so thoroughly washed in plain water afterwards?)

Could it be some respiritry thing (lethargy and laboured breathing could mean that). have you been using the same bedding as before (and what is it?) there could perhaps be something in that (fungal spores you can't see etc) or lots of dust or dust mites perhaps?.

are you using the same food as before? (especially from the same bag) maybe there is something up with the food? again perhaps a fungal thing that you cant really notice (e.g. they could have fungal infected wheat which once processed you wouldn't be able to notice in the bag as the fungas would have gone but the toxins released from the fungi would be there).

Are you storing the food in the same container as before? did you wash that out?

Could the food be getting damp atall? (have you stored it in an airtight container or sealed the bag between uses?)

Are they from the same breeder/shop? it's possible it could be a genetic problem especially if they're related, if from a breeder speak to them ask if there's been any other problems. if from a shop you could try asking them but they might not be truthful..

Was it a new waterbottle?

Was everything else including the cage thoroughly cleaned or replaced? (ball, wheel, food bowl etc).

are there any drafts near the cage?

That's all i can think of right now. i really hope you can get to the bottom of this and i really hope daisy pulls through. *fingers crossed for you*