A sad, and happy, state of affairs

[SquishyHelium]

Thank you for your responses everyone. He will most definitely be going to the vet, most likely tomorrow. I hope the vet will be able to properly check his teeth because so far I have been unable to. He is very lively when he comes out of his house but I am not sure how accustomed he is to being held.

He doesn't seem particulalry interested in food which could be a part of his weight problem, but when I offered him some carrot and a little cube of cheese last night he did have a nibble.

As for his colour, I am not certain. In some lights he looks yellow, but in others a pale cinnamon. I will post some pictures up when I can.

Thanks again for your replies and I'll keep you posted on the little guy's progress.

[Thin Lizzy]

Have you got a name for him?

[racinghamster]

Good on you for giving this hamster a second chance at a better quality life. The weight loss could be due to poor nutrition or even a lack of nutrients when he was growing, but he does sound active and able to eat, so that`s good.

There won`t be any quick-fixes, just feed him more variety daily and give him a few small fresh raw veggies like garden peas, broccoli etc....

What was his diet and what is it now? Just to compare. x

[SquishyHelium]

He currently is a nameless little chap as he will be jointly owned and cared for by my partner and I. The trouble is we can't agree on what to name him! He was previously known as Freddie which I don't feel suits him so we want to change it - so watch this space!

He was previously fed Wagg Hamster Gerbil and Mouse Museli. Personally I don't rate this as I don't consider the nutritional needs of three separate species can be met with one food (Perhaps I am wrong but surely they do have different nutritional requirements). So he's currently being weaned onto a combination of Science Selective Hamster Nuggets and Xtravital Hamster Museli. The trouble is he just doesn't seem interested in eating nuggets whatsoever. I put the food down, he'll have a sniff at what's in the bowl then leaves most of it there, which is then thrown away the next day. There seems to have been marginally more success with scatter feeding, he certainly has been gathering the food, but I am still not convinced he is actually eating it. I will check the hoard later. I have bought him some baby food and I'm introducing some other things. He does appear to enjoy things more if they have softer textures.

The vet appointment is booked for tonight - so we'll see what advice I'm given.

For now I have some pictures, they are not the clearest but will give you a bit of an idea of what he looks like.

[BrainGirl]

Aww, hi sweetie! He is cute, but looks a little uncertain still. No wonder poor mite. Well, at least he's up and about and looking around himself so that's a good sign!

Hope the vet visit goes well x

[cypher]

Awww he is so sweet! He does look a little unsure of himself but still curious about his little world!
I hope the vet visit goes ok too.

My hams have never liked the pellet type food but if he seems to like softer food maybe he's give it a go if you moistened some, might be worth a go anyway.

[kyrilliondaemon]

He's adorable! I hope the vets goes well for you

[SquishyHelium]

Thank you all.

The vet was ok and I certainly feel better for taking him.

She said he was a little underweight but he has already gained since I got him at the weekend, so I'll continue with supplementing his diet. She didn't give me any advice about him not eating nuggets - she just said he might be adjusting to the change in environment. I am concerned that once he's up to a healthy weight and I stop with the supplementary foods that he will lose weight again - has anyone had any experience of a similar situation?

She checked his spine and could feel nothing wrong there, but couldn't conclusively tell without an x-ray. I also think I can see an improvement in his posture since the weekend so I hope it continues. She did find that his sternum is rather prominent but considered that it was most likely a deformity that he's had since birth.

She checked his teeth, incisors no problems, though she wasn't able to see the back teeth without a sedation (he was just too feisty) so they haven't been checked.

We have come to a decision that he shall be named Hamlet, which is fitting because he's so dinky I love him to bits already.

[BrainGirl]

Unless there's an underlying issue that wasn't detected I don't see any reason why he should lose his weight once he's got it back. Plus as he feels better with the supplementation his appetite will probably improve and he'll start eating on his own without needing any convincing!

[cypher]

Glad it went well, I expect his weight will remain stable once he's settled down & got used to his new life, diet & everything else he has to adjust to so I wouldn't worry too much about that.
Love the name, sweet!