Worried about Phoebs - **good news!**

Emma · 11-28-2005, 01:03 AM

Phoebe didn't go to bed last night! It's not like her at all.

I came home last night about 10.30pm, she was up & about in her cage very active. She had a run in her exercise ball whilst the rats had playtime, then the rats went back to their cage to have some dinner and Phoebe got her playtime with me - that's when I took those shoddy photos! After that she was back to her cage with dinner - just hamster mix as she still had an uneaten piece of broccoli from the day before. She also had a banana chip and had had about 4 or 5 choccy drops at playtime.

I went to bed about 1am when I went to bed she was busy stuffing her pouches and taking things to the bottom level. Woke up around 6 to go to the toilet. At 6 she was still up and about in the base of her cage. She looked funny - just standing in the corner, quite low to the floor - not sitting, lying, hunched or anything. Her pouches were chock full. She would walk slowly around the bottom of the cage, and stop in corners, but make no attempt to unpouch or go up a level. I was a bit worried that she was in pain - maybe she'd hurt a leg or something - I took her out and let her walk around on the bed, she seemed to be using all 4 limbs equally.

Now (7.45am) she's still on the bottom level, still massive pouches with no sign of anything being unpouched. Still acting a bit strange - perhaps gingerly. She looks very well and bright, anyone looking at her would say there's nothing wrong, I just know something isn't *quite* right with her. She's normally gone back to bed by now. I picked her up and put her on the top level next to her bed, she sat there still for a few minutes before shuffling back downstairs and returning to the corner-standing and looking restless.

My suspicions are she's in pain from something, or she's impacted her cheek pouch. I'm feeling very guilty as the choc drops last night were dog choc drops not hamster ones. I remember once reading that hamster ones are treated in some way so they don't melt in the pouch?

I'm not sure how long to let her unpouch before I really suspect impaction and take her in to University. I could probably get an appointment this morning for her, but it would be quite embarrassing if she merrily unpouched on the exam table (although I'd be relieved and wouldn't mind too much!). Does anyone know any other signs of impaction? My books just say that it can happen, can be assessed with radio-graphs and unimpacted with fine forceps under anesthesia.

It's just really unlike her to be awake this time in the morning, and also not usual for her to have full pouches for too long. She always fills them to the brim but only for transport, she usually unpouches as soon as she's got her cargo where it's going.

I'm such an over-protective worrying hamster mummy.

Emma · 11-28-2005, 01:34 AM

Ha, result. She unpouched whilst I was in the shower

There are still two small hard lumps in her left pouch though, suspiciously drop-shaped but I think I'm feeling into things! Fingers crossed they're gone later.

Phew. You see all you have to do is tell people and then your hamster will embarrass you!

Skwee · 11-28-2005, 02:51 AM

teehee

I'm sure she's totally fine

Skwee has gone for 24 hours without stopping once!! it was me in tears from lack of sleep though, not him

he totally wrecked his cage and food and bedding and pulled his house to bits and his wheel etc. the noise was crazy!!

**babyboos** · 11-28-2005, 04:09 AM

Is she in her new Cambridge Emma? I would put it down to an unfamiliar environment - poor wee girl will be unsure of whether to unpouch or not in case her cage changes again and she looses her stash, or because it is different to what she used to have, she hasn't quite decided where she wants her food stash to live in her new cage.

Dog and hamster choc drops should be made from the same mixture normally, but you are right about the special treatment to make them have a higher melting point than normal chocolate.

Emma · 11-28-2005, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babyboos

Dog and hamster choc drops should be made from the same mixture normally, but you are right about the special treatment to make them have a higher melting point than normal chocolate.

That's made me feel better

I was thinking it could just be new-cage syndrome. It's just she seemed so settled in it initially - seems to have taken her a while to realise she's in a new place!

Just come home for lunch (1pm) and she's STILL up and about, pacing around the bottom of her cage. If she was a cartoon she'd have rings around her eyes and frazzle lines coming off her. GO TO BED!!!

souffle · 11-28-2005, 06:27 AM

I would agree with Babyboos about the new cage thing. Maybe it's like when we move house and you can't find anything or anywhere to put your things. I think we actually mentioned this when you first suggested a new cage as being a bit stressful as some of ours have found it hard when moved i.e sleeping in the potty for days or under the wheel, digging frantically. It occasionally happens even if you put a new toy in bless their little hearts. I'm sure she will settle. Did you add some of her old bedding / sawdust to the new cage to carry her scent?

Emma · 11-28-2005, 11:11 AM

Yeah she had all the old litter from the other cage, topped up, and her igloo was just moved over bedding & all.

Phoebe travels with me when I go away, she has a cage at my parents house and at my boyfriend's parents. She's visited both before with no upset in settling in at the other end - she's been very steady all the time I've had her, as long as she had her food and her bed she was happy. Which is why I wasn't too concerned about a new cage being stressful, as she's fairly used to moving about.

My housemate has suggested that maybe it was rather a lot of choccy drops last night and maybe she's wired

When we came home at 5pm, she was sitting in the bottom of the cage, almost asleep, nibbling on a peanut. I picked her up gently and popped her up next to her bed, and she crawled in. Result thought I. But 30 minutes later she was up again and now she's back to pacing around the cage. She can't have slept properly for coming up 24 hours now, it's definitely at least 20.

**babyboos** · 11-28-2005, 11:25 AM

Does sound a bit peculiar Emma I don't blame you for being a bit concerned. Pouches seem fine now do they?

Emma · 11-28-2005, 11:40 AM

Yes pouches are completely clear now, that's one good thing. She seemed to fall asleep in a corner for a few minutes but then was up again. She's ignored the dog biscuit poking through the bars too, that's not like her! I'm just going to leave her be this evening, keep an eye on her and hope she settles down. I can only think either it's strange behaviour because of the new environment, or possibly strange behaviour because of pain? She is moving fine though nothing obvious, and is fairly bright in herself for the amount of time she's been awake.

Emma · 11-28-2005, 03:29 PM

She's STILL awake!! She's making me feel tired, it's definitely been at least 24 hrs now. She's not so active now though, and seems to have started to make a makeshift nest downstairs. Hopefully she'll get comfy and kip down there maybe.

I do hope she settles. There was me thinking I was being nice by getting her a bigger cage.