Dwarf hamster rapidly losing weight?!

[Beckosaur]

Hi all,

I'm new here, so all help would be appreciated. Honestly I signed up purely for advice because I'm so worried about my little fella. I have a Russian dwarf hamster, roughly 18 months old, male. He's called bandit. He weighed about 55g a short while ago, a little podgy but nothing dramatic. Recently I've noticed he's felt super bony- his little hips and shoulders stick out, and I can feel all of his tiny ribs. I'm so concerned that I weighed him today- only 27grams!!! He's still happy to run around, not biting, eyes are bright and he's alert. He's enthusiastic to be out of his cage and handled too. I've checked his teeth and they're fine. He just doesn't seem interested in eating. He had maybe two bites of a peanut, a few mouthfuls of his favourite porridge oats mixed with water (used to be a very rare treat- I'm desperate to try to get him to eat something). He pouched some sunflower seeds and spat them out the moment he was back in his bed.

Can people PLEASE offer any advice? I'm at my wits end and I'm scared he won't last a couple more days

[Vectis Hamstery]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you're having a worrying time with your little Bandit.

If he's lost that much weight in a short space of time and isn't wanting to eat then I would recommend booking him in to be checked by a vet.

How is his drinking? Is he drinking/peeing any more than usual? Russian hybrids can suffer from diabetes which can make them feel unwell and lose weight, but there are also other causes so a vet check is worthwhile.

[cypher]

Really sorry to hear about Bandit, it is worrying that he's lost so much weight.
I agree you really need to get him to the vet as soon as you can to find out what the problem is.
Keep giving him the porridge oats if he'll eat those & if you can get any maybe offer some baby food (no sugar, salt, onion, leek or spices) to try & give him a bit of a boost until you get him to the vet.
Good luck with the little guy, keep us posted.