Need help asap, stargazing hamster losing weight

[Gothicwarrior]

So my hamster Shagrath, over the weekend has constantly been running in a circle, flipping, falling backwards, zoning out and frantically pacing on hind legs and he does this on either side, He is barely eating, sleeping or doing any normal hamster things, he is only 2 month old, hasn't been dropped or anything, and he does this in or out of his large cage. I was just starting to tame him, I can pick him up and he doesn't do anything, it will be 2 weeks before I could even take him to a vet, I don't think he will last that long. My husband suggested that we return him to the store and they have a vet on site that could help him, sadly I have thought of this as well, but we have 3 days to decide as that is when the 14 day return period ends, I don't know what to do

[AmityvilleHams]

Dehydration in hamsters can present itself in ways that would seem like something neurological was going on instead of simple dehydration.

I'd get a shallow reptile bowl no matter what,but you might have to use a medicine dropper of some sort at least until you see any signs of improvement(dehydrated hamsters should show signs of improvement within the first day that they get water or a DIY sugar water solution).

The bowl I'd suggest:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...l-reptile-dish

Along with the water and syringe,hamster safe baby food or high quality natural hamster safe dog/cat food(nothing should ever have unspecified biproducts such as digest/derivatives/meat and bone meal/meat or vague biproducts that aren't clearly labelled/"animal" liver or fat or just "liver"/etc,no sulfur dioxide,no propylene glycol,no BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin,nothing with corn or wheat or derivatives/products of corn and wheat if it'll be shared with cats and or dogs,nothing from China or that is irradiated,no artificial flavors,no artificial dyes,preferably not containing synthetic K3 aka menadione which is quite problematic and harmful,and from a reputable brand rather than those who have had sketchy practices like Evanger's and Diamond).Also if you can check his teeth to make sure they're not overgrown,that would be a good idea,and could also be a part of the bigger picture of combined potential problems.

It can be very easy to assume that there's something neurological going on right away,but symptoms can be shared between neurological problems and other things like dehydration.Hopefully it isn't neurological in this case!

[cypher]

This does sound like some kind of neurological issue, hard to say what or why but it's not that uncommon for robos to have this kind of problem from birth or a young age, seeing a vet as soon as possible is really very important so if it's your only option right now I would take him back to the store so the vet there can assess him.

[AprilPearl]

I am so sorry to hear that Shagrath isn't well.

It does sound like a neurological issue to me; dehydration usually presents as lethargy and limpness, even immobility. The weight loss is likely due to the fact he is not eating/drinking, though.

Whatever is going on, he does need to see a vet asap. If the only way you can get him treatment right now is by returning him to the store then I would do that.

[AmityvilleHams]

Lethargy and limpness can be seen with dehydration,but so can symptoms also associated with neurological problems.This makes it very difficult to be certain what is actually wrong as mentioned before,but I can say with absolute certainty that a lack of balance and similar symptoms are not exclusive to neurological problems.

[cypher]

True these symptoms may not be exclusive to neuro problems Amity but it is the most likely issue, another thing that can cause some of these symptoms are ear problems, dehydration is very unlikely to be a cause tbh.

[velma]

Oh no! How worrying for you. Some robos do seem to present with neurological problems that cause flipping and spinning. But whatever the cause, it's really only something a vet can assess in person and advise on and I'd say go as soon as you can - it sounds like your fella is struggling. In the meantime, make sure his food is easy to reach and is water bottle is running freely so he can try & get something down him but I agree with cypher - a trip to the vet asap would be the best thing. Poor little chap.

[Gothicwarrior]

Thank you all for your help, but it saddens me to say Shagrath passed away this afternoon in his sleep. His water bottle worked just fine and he had food, I don't know why or if he was dehydrated, I gave him plenty of water, even tried to get him to eat and drink. I think there was something internally wrong with him besides the neurological disorder if that is what it was.

[cypher]

I'm so very sorry to hear this, it doesn't sound as though there was anything you could have done & it may have been something he was born with, I can imagine how distressing this has been for you to lose Shagrath like this, it really is very sad. Hope you're ok.

Run free & play well at the bridge little Shagrath.

[Ruth Edwards]

Been following your thread and not knowing anything that could help, wondering about salt and kidney disease. Poor little Shagrath, he was so seriously ill, its sad but you looked after him well. I hope you feel better soon.