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Old 04-28-2015, 10:50 PM   #1
scabs
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Default Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

I was cleaning my hamsters cage and I forgot to close my bedroom door and she rolled down the stairs in her exercise ball (worst mommy ever award, I know, I know :'( !!!!!) Luckly, I guess I don't have very steep stairs because she didn't fall down all of them at once, it was a bunch of short drops in a row with very short pauses in between each stair. Even so, she was half way down before I realized what was going on so I wasn't able to catch her in time. When she reached the last step she rolled pretty fast and hit the front door.

I checked her out up close and watched her walk around on the floor and everything seems okay. I also gave her a bunch of treats and she ate them right away so I'm taking that as a good sign.

The 24 hour emergency vet that I've called about my dog before doesn't keep a small animal vet at night so there was no one for me to ask when I called, so until the morning I'm turning to y'all for advise:

Is there anything I should do for her if she seems fine?
Is there any damage that could have occurred that wouldn't be very obvious?
Are there warning signs I should be on the watch for?

I brought her cage downstairs so I can keep an eye on her while I'm studying tonight. She ran on her wheel for a bit, pouched some food, then went down into her igloo. She would normally be up at this hour but when I have the lights on late at night she sometimes takes cat naps cause I think she gets confused lol so as far as I know she's still acting normal. I'm just worried about internal bleeding or brain damage or something horrible like that that I could be missing!

I feel so awful! Any advice is appreciated :/

Thanks,
Xoxo,
Abby and Scabbers
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Old 04-28-2015, 11:16 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

It sounds as though you got lucky & she hasn't been hurt, it is still possible that she might show some signs though so just keep a close eye on her for any changes in behaviour or signs of injury that might not show up immediately.
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Old 04-29-2015, 01:26 AM   #3
herbi7
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

Aaargh what a scary thing to happen you must have felt awful. Try not to feel too bad tho, it was a mistake and we all make them sometimes. You won't do it again! Keep an eye on her, hamsters can be pretty robust and as she fell slowly she may well be fine. If there is an internal problem it may show up a little later so keep an eye on her... Don't be alarmed if she has a quiet day tho as if she was shocked sometimes there is a delayed reaction and she may want to sleep it off. It will be interesting to see how she feels about her ball now. Some hams aren't bothered by a bit of excitement. I once tripped over my ham when she was in her ball and she seemed pretty oblivious but I felt really bad!
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Old 04-29-2015, 02:37 AM   #4
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

Accidents happen and this was clearly an accident so don't be too hard on yourself, you being on here asking about it shows how much you care for your hammy.
Like the others have said, keep a close eye on her, she seemed to enjoy her treats after it happened so that's a good sign.
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Old 04-29-2015, 07:30 AM   #5
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

As the others have said, thankfully no real damage was done but if it was mine, I would ditch the ball. Hamsters don`t need them, they can be placed in a storage box or a solid-sided play pen when out of their cage which is safer and much more natural for them. Balls are a convenience even if they are supposed to be `fun`. I suspect they are more fun for the owner than they are for the hamster. x
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Old 04-29-2015, 10:30 AM   #6
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

It is one of those things that can't be helped. Perhaps get her a new ball with a stand to prevent this from happening again?
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Old 04-29-2015, 10:54 AM   #7
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

The balls with the stands are safer, I agree. But since they can only be used for a short time for safety reasons, I still feel a play pen is a better option with a little DIY and some free cardboard boxes! x
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Old 04-29-2015, 02:55 PM   #8
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

Racinghamster, do you have a particular pen you recommend as most I've seen are barred and my hamsters become obsessed with escaping rather than playing :/

I hope everything will be ok with scabbers
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Old 04-29-2015, 11:40 PM   #9
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

You could try using a big cardboard box or you could by the bar playpen and use cardboard round the inside.
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Old 04-30-2015, 05:22 AM   #10
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Default Re: Emergency--I did something really dump, please help!!!

Lizzy is right. The cheapest (free!) way of making a play pen is to get three or four same-sized cardboard boxes, open them up flat, remove the outer pieces with scissors and either tape or use strong bull clips/office clips to hold the parts together. Just takes half an hour to lay everything out and then you can fold it up and store it. You could still use the barred pen as a barrier on the outside and put the cardboard on the inside. This would make it double secure and also prevent climbing/bar chewing! x
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