20 month old roborovski gone deaf and blind. Help please

Stardust79 · 09-06-2016, 05:46 PM

Hi all,
I wonder if anyone can advise me. My 20 month old robo had been acting strange about 2 weeks ago. Shredding all of his bedding over his shelf, not sleeping in his house, I even added a second house. He just falls asleep on the shelf sitting up.

Now I lost his brother to a tumour in May, he was quite young. They lived separately after 5 days of getting them due to fighting.

Anyway. Munchkin has been acting odd for weeks. Looks agitated, bites every rung in his plastic tunnels which go round the whole cage. He bits the rungs on his plastic wheel. He now bites the cage bars, which he had never ever done. He seems to walk in circles not knowing what he is doing.

It occurred to me 2 days ago that he has gone blind. He cannot see me, he has even started squealing and biting me in an attack stance if I put my hand in the cage. He had never bitten me ever. Always placid and friendly. His brother did the same not long before I found his tumour.

Today I've realised he can't hear either

I have tested his sights and tonight his hearing. He was sitting on his shelf looking at me and I clicked my fingers several times and he just started nodding off. So then I got his ceramic dish and banged it on the shelf a few times and nothing. He just carried on sleeping. Do he must be attacking when I brush past him because it scares him as he can't hear or see.

My question is in your personal opinion, would the kind thing to do is have him put to sleep? I'm struggling with the right thing to do. He is drinking; eating less than usual, running on his wheel, but a lot less than usual. But he is using it. I wonder if he has had a mini stroke. I just get upset looking at him as I do talk to him and fuss him through the cage. Is his quality of life poor? I just don't want him to be suffering. When it's my responsibility for my love of him to make sure he doesn't suffer. He will be going to the vet's next Monday. Any advice. I would be great full x

cypher · 09-06-2016, 09:37 PM

Sometimes that kind of behaviour can be an indication that they are in pain, see what the vet says before making any final decisions, it may be something that can be treated.
Any chance you can get him to the vet before next Monday? That is quite a long time for him to wait.

CMB · 09-06-2016, 11:24 PM

You may need to adjust/stop handling/stroking him so he isn't stressed. I had a hamster that was severely aggressive and never stopped in spite of trying lots of different things to tame her.

I had to move her out of her tank before I could feed her, change her water or do any cleaning.

Once you have had the vet checkup you may have to just watch your hamster rather than interact with it. Robos ,can have neurological problems that cause spinning.

cypher · 09-06-2016, 11:42 PM

Neuro problems are a possibility but it sounds like something more than that going on which is why I think a vet opinion as soon as possible would really help.

racinghamster · 09-07-2016, 05:29 AM

Hi Stardust. It`s not uncommon for hamsters to change behaviours sometimes at this age and it can look to us like something is very wrong and illness is suspected. However, I would definitely not put him to sleep if he`s eating/drinking, still playing on his wheel and giving the impression that he`s not quite 100%, but not falling over, losing weight, looking and acting as if he`s extremely weak or stops eating.

We fully expect them to carry on regardless without much happening in the health department, but aggression isn`t uncommon in robos. I`ve had a few males become cage aggressive and seem `blind` but all in all, they know every inch of the cage!

Seeing your vet isn`t a bad thing anyway if your overly concerned something is amiss, but the vet might also go with the theory that he`s ageing and showing signs that his body and brain are reflecting these changes. Spinning in robos can happen too at any stage, so the circling you are seeing, is this going on in tight circles as if he`s chasing his tail? Or do you mean he`s just running around inside his cage? If the spinning is happening a lot, he could have developed this condition and let me tell you now, there is no cure for it. It`s something that`s managed by leaving the cage layout the same and keeping all his things on ground level for safety reasons and food/water at easy reach.

My last robo suffered from this and I worked around it with him. He was well over three when he passed bless him, but they do overcome and manage it, even if it looks crazy to us.

I would personally monitor him and only spot clean his cage now, no full cage cleans and don`t use cleaning products, just warm water on kitchen towel. Allow him to do what he wants. Try not to handle him and just let him come to you when your inside the cage and talking to him. If he`s really not aware that you are there or you suspect he can`t see you well, just place your hand near his nose and say `only mum` and withdraw your hand. Only wave your hand near his nose and remove it to allow him to smell that it`s you as they can lunge sometimes. It`s just instinct.

Robos in my opinion are little robust mini speedballs that really prefer to be left alone as over handling, removing them from their cage or too much disturbance can make them a bit mental, so the hands off approach might make some difference. x

Stardust79 · 09-09-2016, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMB

You may need to adjust/stop handling/stroking him so he isn't stressed. I had a hamster that was severely aggressive and never stopped in spite of trying lots of different things to tame her.

I had to move her out of her tank before I could feed her, change her water or do any cleaning.

Once you have had the vet checkup you may have to just watch your hamster rather than interact with it. Robos ,can have neurological problems that cause spinning.

Thank you. I don't handle him. He had never been one that liked being picked up. He would walk in to your hand. But not being pickedup.

He had attacked me when I've gone in to change his water and food and canot sense me. It's not due to being picked up or touched.

I've been making sure that when I clean him out, I put everything back exactly where it always is.

He will be going to the vet's Monday.

Stardust79 · 09-09-2016, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Neuro problems are a possibility but it sounds like something more than that going on which is why I think a vet opinion as soon as possible would really help.

He is going to the vet's Monday. Thank you. Yes I feel it's a neurological problem.

Amber_x · 09-09-2016, 11:57 AM

You could always try blowing very gently in the cage (not directly on him) before you do anything in the cage to alert him to your presence.