Larry the hammy

[Larry the hammy]

Hi I am new to this site, I have concerns over Larry my 3 year old hamster, he has been unwell the past thew days, no energy, breathing heavily and rapid at times, he keeps falling over and very unstable and he can't groom himself, I can't get a vet appointment as he is a small rodent which I'm appalled by, is he dieing??

[cypher]

Hi, sorry to hear Larry is unwell, he really is a very good age now, it sounds as though he may possibly have had a stroke which is quite common in elderly hams or possibly a respiratory infection causing breathing problems.
It may be that he is close to his time now, have you called around all the vets within a feasible distance to see if anyone can help him? It does sound as though he really does need to see a vet, all you can do in the mean time is keep him comfortable, arrange his cage so everything is within easy reach & he can't hurt himself on anything, just give lots of toilet tissue for a comfortable cosy nest but do get him to a vet if you possibly can.