Genetic problems in hamsters.

[SinNyx]

This is going to be a very hard post to write, so please, try not to leave negative comments.

For those of you that follow the rescue, you may already be aware of what has been going on.

A while ago I took on 5 (was supposed to be 6) litter mates, all Syrians, all sable-banded, one male, four females. They were soon put up for adoption as they were all friendly, and there were no problems during their assessment. The male was the only one to be re-homed, and since then, things have gone downhill.

Back to the start...the person originally keeping them let their pet shop hamsters out together, who ended up mating, and producing a litter of 12 pups. Now, I have no idea what went on with the others, so this is just what has happened with the remaining hamsters. As above, please try to be sensitive as this is a hard topic for me to discuss, as it's incredibly hard to see hamsters pass away, especially at a young age.

Of the four females I was left with, I currently only have one. All three of the others have passed away for whatever reason, most recently, one passed in her sleep, curled up.

Now, as this has happened over the course of three weeks, and the other hamsters are fine, I'm not worried about anything contagious, however I am worried about it being genetic.

The little girl I am currently left with, who I have obviously decided not to re-home, appears to have started having small fits. Since her sisters passing away I have been watching her like a hawk and tonight I found her stiff and cold, in a little ball. Luckily after some comfort and hydration she has perked up, however, she seemed to be having fits, where she would tilt her head back.

Obviously I'm worried about her, and what I can do. With her sisters passing like they did, so far, I've put it down to a genetic link rather than coincidence or something contagious...

What do others think? What can I do for the little girl that I have left? Bearing in mind, she is around 16/17 weeks old.

Thank you for reading.

Also, apologies if anyone finds the picture upsetting, but I have attached a picture of how she was earlier when she appeared t be having fits, prior to improving and being more 'normal' right now.

[Nienna]

Oh dear, this is so sad. Hug for you, SinNyx.
I agree that it sounds like genetic. Just out of curiosity, have you heard from the people who have the brother?
Genes aren't something that can be fixed...so I don't know what could be done for the little girl. Other than, you know, keep her comfy and happy, and monitor.

[SinNyx]

Originally Posted by Nienna

Oh dear, this is so sad. Hug for you, SinNyx.
I agree that it sounds like genetic. Just out of curiosity, have you heard from the people who have the brother?
Genes aren't something that can be fixed...so I don't know what could be done for the little girl. Other than, you know, keep her comfy and happy, and monitor.

Yes, one of the first things I did after the last girly passed away was to contact his owner, I felt that it was for the best. I explained the situation to her, and of course, said I'd be happy to take him back if she preferred, but he is a much loved pet and is doing fine last time I checked, she will be keeping an eye on him.

[Bec]

Hi SinNyx, again I am not sure what is going on but sounds like it is genetic, and you are doing everything right by the last girlie. Hope you are okay.

Keep her comfy and monitored, that is all you can do...sending you lots of hugs and healing vibes for this little one x

[Nancy's Hamsters]

Sin were the girls in with the boy when they surrendered them to you?
I had a similar situation with a line of Yellows and Blacks when I first started raising Black Tort and Yellowblacks. However with my situation the males were curling up and dying in the nest at or around 8 weeks old up to 4 months old. In my situation it ended up heart failure which failed to pump enough oxygen to the brain. It was a hard blow for me as I had to eliminate that whole line from my breeding program as well as locate some very understanding pet owners who understood the pet they took on may not live past 4 months. I also had to restart my whole Yellow and Black lines once I had either helped the effected Hamsters to the bridge when they got too ill to save, or they were called to the bridge on their own.

The other thing that comes to mind IF the females were housed apart from the male is contaminated food. Aflatoxin Poisoning in Corn and corn made food is not visible, and has no odd odor and takes a time to kill. This poisoning killed hundreds of dogs and cats here in the USA when it got into a high name brand pet food companies corn source.

I often wonder when we see a higher amount of our furries die suddenly without any signs or warnings their ill if it is not something in the food we can't see or smell. I do feel you are doing what is best for the remaining little girl. She would most likely not be able to handle a new home and you can keep her as comfortable as possible until her time however long or short that may be for her.

[SinNyx]

Originally Posted by Nancy's Hamsters

Sin were the girls in with the boy when they surrendered them to you?
I had a similar situation with a line of Yellows and Blacks when I first started raising Black Tort and Yellowblacks. However with my situation the males were curling up and dying in the nest at or around 8 weeks old up to 4 months old. In my situation it ended up heart failure which failed to pump enough oxygen to the brain. It was a hard blow for me as I had to eliminate that whole line from my breeding program as well as locate some very understanding pet owners who understood the pet they took on may not live past 4 months. I also had to restart my whole Yellow and Black lines once I had either helped the effected Hamsters to the bridge when they got too ill to save, or they were called to the bridge on their own.

The other thing that comes to mind IF the females were housed apart from the male is contaminated food. Aflatoxin Poisoning in Corn and corn made food is not visible, and has no odd odor and takes a time to kill. This poisoning killed hundreds of dogs and cats here in the USA when it got into a high name brand pet food companies corn source.

I often wonder when we see a higher amount of our furries die suddenly without any signs or warnings their ill if it is not something in the food we can't see or smell. I do feel you are doing what is best for the remaining little girl. She would most likely not be able to handle a new home and you can keep her as comfortable as possible until her time however long or short that may be for her.

When they arrived the male was separate, three girls were together and another was separate due to fighting, they were 8 weeks old then.

Unfortunately, as they had been here a minimum of a few weeks before passing, I doubt it was food related, as they were kept on the same mixture that my hamsters are on. I also currently have 9 other hamsters, and if there was a problem with food/water, they would be affected. They were all also kept in the same room which I feel rules out any problems with gases.

Of course I have decided to definitely not re-home her, she is staying with me. She could have a long, full life, or a short one, either way, she isn't leaving.

[Vectis Hamstery]

I'm sorry to hear of your difficult time with these pups. How heart-breaking. I had a harvest mouse who had fits. At 5g in weight my vet felt that medication wasn't a safe option due to the potential large errors that could occur. I found that lot temperature and stress made his fits worse so he had a heat mat on a thermostat and was kept calm as far as possible. Perhaps medication may be an option in a Syrian, or at least worth discussing with your vet if you haven't already, particularly if changing the environment doesn't work. I'm not saying it's a definite option but worth a chat with your vet about the pros and cons, even if you don't go down that route. I strongly suspect it wouldn't be licenced for hamsters, but if the fits are frequent and affecting her ability to be a hamster it's worth considering.

[SinNyx]

Originally Posted by Vectis Hamstery

I'm sorry to hear of your difficult time with these pups. How heart-breaking. I had a harvest mouse who had fits. At 5g in weight my vet felt that medication wasn't a safe option due to the potential large errors that could occur. I found that lot temperature and stress made his fits worse so he had a heat mat on a thermostat and was kept calm as far as possible. Perhaps medication may be an option in a Syrian, or at least worth discussing with your vet if you haven't already, particularly if changing the environment doesn't work. I'm not saying it's a definite option but worth a chat with your vet about the pros and cons, even if you don't go down that route. I strongly suspect it wouldn't be licenced for hamsters, but if the fits are frequent and affecting her ability to be a hamster it's worth considering.

Thank you for the advice. I haven't spoken to my vet about it, I was under the impression that there isn't much they could do for a hamster, but of course as my vet has small pet experience I think it will be worth an ask. I just want to do what is right for her, and what will be her best option.

[BrainGirl]

I can't offer any better advice than you've already been given, but wanted to send condolences on the losses you've already suffered and hope things improve for your little girl x

[Nancy's Hamsters]

I was thinking more of food tainted before you collected them as some toxins take along bit of time to actually kill after being consumed. Look at rat poisons, the rat can actually live several weeks before the toxins do enough damage to kill them.