Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Hamster Healthcare

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-11-2017, 10:31 AM   #1
teddyandbear
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3
Unhappy Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

It is with an extremely heaving heart that I inform you that last night our two Syrian hamsters passed away within hours of one another. My boyfriend and I are extremely heartbroken and are searching for answers as to why this occurred. A little backstory on Teddy and Bear...

About a month ago we adopted Teddy and Bear from the local Petsmart, they are brothers that were kept together in the crate in the store and it was impossible for us to adopt just one. The worker informed us that they were just a few months old and in good health. She also said we could keep them in the same crate together, with us being crazy animal people we took to Hamster Central immediately to ensure that keeping them together would be OK, and turns out the woman at the store was wrong. We immediately separated them and bought them their own crates.

After about a month of owning them everything seemed to be going great, two happy and healthy (and spoiled) hamsters. Yesterday evening we went to check on them and something seemed off, Teddy was laying motionless in his crate and we quickly tended to him to see what was wrong. He appeared to be sleeping but was still breathing and occasionally moving. After some research we figured he may have gone into hibernation from too cold of an environment, so we started the process of warming him up. We went to check on Bear to see if the same was occurring with him and while he appeared to be sleepy he was still moving around and seemed otherwise ok. Nonetheless we started the same process of warming him up, giving him a very small amount of sugar water, etc. Bear seemed to be doing fine but Teddy was only getting worse. We called every vet in town to try to get him seen but none were open on a Sunday night and those that were did not see hamsters. We even called vets out of state to try to get some help, and the nearest vet that could see him was a two hour drive away and we were fearful he wouldn't make the trip.

After about an hour of tending to Teddy he started to make coughing noises and his poor little body was shaking. It was as if he was gasping for air and was the most heartbreaking thing to watch. We tried absolutely everything to help him but in the end his little body couldn't take it.

The weirdest thing is that Bear appeared to be doing much better and was on the mend, until about an hour later when were were watching him sleep we went to move him and his poor body was limp. He went through the same thing that Teddy went through except his nose appeared to be runny with a clear almost yellowish liquid.

It was incredibly heartbreaking and we feel as though we have failed our little hammys. We are looking for answers as to what happened and would greatly appreciate any insight
teddyandbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 03:44 PM   #2
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

I'm so sorry for the loss of your hammies. It does seem mysterious. The fact you'd had them a month doesn't suggest they were ill when you got them. But as they were brothers, they could have had a shared genetic weakness or predisposition to heart failure for example. The only other thing I can think is something in the environment. Nancy on here lost hamsters when her boiler was giving off carbon monoxide, and that alerted them to getting the boiler checked (sorry if I didn't get that story quite right Nancy). You can get carbon monoxide detectors - we have one. Hamsters are more sensitive to smells and gases.

If there was nothing unusual about your or their environment at that time then it does seem like it may have been a genetic thing - this can happen particularly when hamsters are interbred a lot. It doesn't sound likely to be hibernation from cold at this time of year, although it's possible I suppose.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 04:45 PM   #3
teddyandbear
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

Thank you so much for the response, we will definitely look into getting a carbon monoxide detector. We have been leaning on the side of genetic disorder and are planning on having a word with the pet handlers at Petsmart about the issue. Just a few months back our Russian dwarf, Scoobs, passed away unexpectedly as well. He was under a year old and his passing occurred not long after we moved into a new apartment. It makes me suspect that there might have been something going on environmental wise...
teddyandbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 04:54 PM   #4
scoobs
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 8
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

Hi everyone, I'm teddy and bear's co-parent (OP's SO). Carbon Monoxide isn't a bad guess, I'll look into getting a detector soon. Another one of our guesses is the food we started feeding them. Scoobs, our first hamster, passed away after about a month of having him at a new apartment. He died mysteriously as well, but we weren't there to witness his passing.

Since Scoobs did fine at a different apartment for over 6 months, it seems to be either an environmental problem, the new food, or an insane coincidence. The food was an "exotic blend" that we purchased from petsmart, I believe by the brand name Kaytee, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know of any other possible environmental causes?
scoobs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 06:06 PM   #5
AmityvilleHams
PM Fluffy for custom title
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

Environmental causes are a good bet,but there's just too much unknown genetic background on the hamsters(including things that are extremely important but unfortunately you just won't be able to find out).The food most likely was pretty low quality,but that on its own wouldn't be a single factor into death(even though low quality food can be responsible for many health problems developing,including cancer and more especially due to the higher potential for a weakened immune system).

Other than carbon monoxide,there are many potential toxins in household products used by the majority of people.Considering the potential for toxic substances in the air to spread even if used outside of the room a hamster is kept in,that could very well be a contributing factor most people would never expect
AmityvilleHams is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2017, 07:59 PM   #6
Thin Lizzy
Hamster Warrior
 
Thin Lizzy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Lanarkshire, Scotland
Posts: 15,575
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

I'm so sorry for your sudden loss of Teddy & Bear, what an awful shock for the both of you. Please get a carbon monoxide detector asap.
It maybe genetic. Have you spoke to the place where you got them?
__________________
Mom To Gorgeous Noah
Over The Rainbow Bridge - Master Harvey 2 years & 5 months, Twinkle 'The Diva' 1 year & 8 months, Archie 2 years & 3 months & Xena 2 years & 9 months. Forever loved by T-Liz.
Thin Lizzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2017, 02:46 AM   #7
souffle
Moderator
 
souffle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Yorkshire, UK but my heart lies in Scotland!
Posts: 28,184
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

Please get the detector very soon and check out every room as it can also kill humans. If your appliances may be leaking CO that really is an emergency. I'd ensure your home is very well ventilated till you are confident there is no gas or CO leaks.
I'm sorry you lost them both and the symptoms sound quite odd to have happened to the two hamsters at the same time. Everything needs checked as well as all food and bedding binned plus leaving any cages you may want to reuse for at least a month to allow any viruses etc to go as well as cleaning everything with an antiviral / bacterial such as Vircon.
souffle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2017, 03:25 AM   #8
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default

Hope the carbon monoxide gets ruled out. It could be viral if the dwarf's cage was used for one of the Syrian's. Or it could be a combination of factors such as genetic predisposition combined with a lack of a nutrient in the diet. The Kaytee mix is not good quality I believe. Not enough to kill a hamster on its own I expect but could lead to nutritional deficiencies. There isn't much choice in the US I believe for a good hamster diet. Using Harry or Hazel hamster is a safe bet as they are sugar free, have enough protein and are tried and tested. It's recommended by the National Hamster council in the Uk. They are identical formulas but labelled differently due to local regulations in various countries - Hazel is the US version of Harry but I think you can get both.

I guess you just need to rule things out one at a time before getting another hammy. eg the detector, a good brand of food, making sure any cages are disinfected and then well aired (the smell of some strong cleaning things can make them ill). What bedding were you using? Bedding can get damp or mouldy if not stored inside. Most beddings are fine unless a hamster has an allergy to a particular bedding (usually a wood allergy) but it's unlikely all three hammies had the same allergy and you'd have noticed a lot of itching and sore patches and wheezing.

There was a thing with Carefresh a year or two ago when they started putting baking soda in it and people complained it caused illness and even death in hamsters. They don't do that any more as a result, but there can still be some old batches around, so if it's Carefresh check the label - it should say if it has baking soda in or not.

A good safe bedding in the US is Boxo (shredded soft cardboard) which can be bought in bulk. Or Kaytee Clean n Cozy. A lot of people like Carefresh as well - Boxo works out cheaper! Or you can mix a couple of them to make a more expensive one go further.

Last edited by souffle; 07-12-2017 at 03:50 AM.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2017, 08:46 AM   #9
teddyandbear
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 3
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

Thank you so much for all the replies. We are getting a carbon monoxide detector ASAP and are looking into all other possibilities before getting another hammy. The bedding we used was a mix of wood shavings and Kaytee Clean and Cozy bedding.

The hammies were not exposed to any harsh chemicals, I use all natural cleaner around the apartment and keep everything nice and clean. Their crates were clean frequently, complete change of bedding, washing off every item in their crates (no soap just water) and their food bowls and water got cleaned and changed weekly.

It feels as though we did everything to ensure that they environment was clean and safe. We even made sure that they got daily exercise with a fun outing in their ball and would give them both lots of love. A Carbon Monoxide leak seems to be one of the most reasonable explanations. We will be sure to keep everyone updated with the progress!
teddyandbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2017, 09:07 AM   #10
SabreRose
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 143
Default Re: Our hammys unexpectedly passed away - looking for answers!

This thread broke my heart.
I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said already but I just wanted to say I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing one hamster is hard enough, but three in such a short time, just heartbreaking.
I hope you get to the bottom of the cause x
SabreRose is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
teddy, bear, appeared, body, started, answers, crate, hamsters, thing, hour, poor, immediately, make, process, warming, moving, check, vet, called, wrong, heartbreaking, extremely, store, night, month

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:44 AM.