Please help, hamster eye swollen and wet

[LilHamzy]

Hi,
I'm fairly new to hamsters, I just got mine last week from a local pet store. But yesterday he got out while I was cleaning his cage and I couldn't find him afterwards, so i laid out some treats around the apartment. I finally found him today under my (leaky) airconditioner behind a few damp towels! However, he was covered in poop and wasn't moving at all!

I thought he was dead, but he's still breathing. I tried to wipe him off with a warm wet cloth and it seems one of his eyes is swollen shut. He's barely responsive, but will occassionally shake his head or nose. He hasn't moved at all though. I tried to call a vet but they told me off the bat it would be at least 300 or more, and I don't have that kind of money right now.

I'm worried he ate some of his poop and might have developed wet tail..but i'm not sure yet. Any help or tips on what to do would be very appreciated!! I'm worried and I don't know what to do

I can try to post a few pictures too if that'd help

Lilly

[racinghamster]

Hello Lilly, I`m sorry I`ve just spotted your post. First off, is your hamster any better today? He may have got into difficulty while out and when you found him, whatever state he was in, could only help as best you could under the circumstances. Is he breathing okay and how alert is he? If you are outside the UK, I appreciate that vets can be extortionists on charges and it`s not always easy to balance those kind of costs.

Keep him warm but not hot. Offer him water from a dropper or a spoon or even a small piece of apple. It sounds as though he`s either got into the air conditioning unit and got into trouble or something else has gone wrong, but the main thing now is to make sure he`s not badly injured or suffered being stuck inside that unit?

Get back to us and let us know how he is and I hope it`s not too late. x

[BrainGirl]

Being wet and in or near the air conditioner may have triggered hibernation. At the very least I would make sure he is thoroughly dry and kept warm. I would also call other vets. Quoting you $300 does not sound right at all, especially if the quote came from the receptionist who is not qualified to make diagnoses. My vet normally charges ~$75 for the consultation and then adds on any medications or treatments to that. I'm a regular customer though and they seem to have begun charging me less. Furthermore, it's usually the case that American vet fees are lower than Canadian, so if you are in the US I would ask around! I think there's even a thread here (or you can start your own) about good hamster vets in your country.