Hibernation

Hollykw · 11-21-2015, 04:35 AM

Hello!

I was just wondering if anyone else has had a hamster go into hibernation?

I got my hamster Sven in September 2014. He is my first rodent pet and the first pet i've owned completely myself. I kept him out in the study room in his cage and I was sure i'd given him plenty of bedding and everything and he was fine throughout winter but then in February I went to feed him and noticed he wasn't moving. I was stupid and didn't handle him when I got him after he bit me twice and make me completely lose my confidence to handle him (Now im pretty sure he wouldn't as he always runs over to me when I put my hand up to the side of the cage but i still get wary :c) I could see that he was breathing so immediately knew he had gone into Hibernation to double check I put my hand in and just poked his side and he didn't flinch which he would've done if he was just asleep.

So, after a bit of panic we moved his cage in front of the heater in my living room and my dad held him and stroked him. We filled his water bottle up with warm water and after he had woken up (took about 45 minutes of hugging him) he drank some.

He recovered amazingly quickly and after walking around looking a bit groggy he started eating the food in his bowl and I came out later in the day and he was running around.

I now don't keep him in the study of course and he has a different cage so I can put loads more bedding in there for him.

Has anyone else had this happen?

Shannonmcn · 11-21-2015, 05:19 AM

It does happen but it's dangerous. Calling it "hibernation" is a bit disingenuous though that does seem to be the word everyone uses, it's actually torpor and it's happening because the temperature is too low for them to properly function so their metabolism slows down as an attempt to keep them alive. Hamsters do not hibernate. They can very easily die when they are like this so I'm very glad you caught it in time and got him warmed up. You did the right thing there.

Thin Lizzy · 11-23-2015, 10:17 PM

I've never had it happen to me. So glad you spotted it in time and made some changes to Sven's living area.

Scargirl · 11-23-2015, 10:20 PM

Have never heard of a hamster going into hibernation but they can go into topor. I dont know much about topor, but I do know it can be dangerous. It happens when your ham is not warm enough. Where was he (which room in the house) when he started going to sleep?

Hollykw · 11-24-2015, 12:24 PM

He was in the study and it probably was very cold! He isn't there now though :3 we make sure to keep him really warm

Pebbles82 · 11-24-2015, 02:22 PM

It is a worry at the moment - certainly in the Uk it has been freezing cold the last few days and I'm thinking of leaving the heating on for a couple of hours in the night. Charlie has his heat pad but when it's this cold I think he needs a bit more. I just have to remember to move the heat pad if I have the radiator on at night or the heat pad could melt lol as it sits between the radiator and the cage.