Hamsters keep dying! HELP PLEASE!!

[hayyypet]

Hi all,

I'm new here, so I don't know if this is the correct place to post this thread. I've had two Syrian hamsters die over the past month, the same exact way, and I am really distraught over this. I bought them both from a pet store, exactly 2 weeks apart.

I bought the first hamster and bought everything it needed to live a happy life. It lived in a sizable cage (I was planning on creating a bigger cage from an aquarium and mesh top, but it didn't live long enough), and I also had a large cardboard box I had a package delivered in that I turned into a play pen with tubes, a wheel, a play house, etc. which it exercised in every night. I also put him in a ball for 15-30 minutes a night. He always had food and water and hay, he was very lively and friendly. His poop was normal consistency, and for the first 12 days, he seemed completely fine. Then, day 13, I woke up and he seemed to be sleeping like he normally did during the day, but when I got home from work, he wasn't moving but he was still breathing. His breathing was very slow and I immediately took him to an emergency vet who specialized in exotic animals. She kept him overnight in an incubator because she said his temperature was very low. She said he did wake up at one point and he ate a little, but he passed away soon after.

She said it may have been a birth defect or an illness he brought from the store, so I went back and got another since it was within the 14 day policy. Same kind of hamster. I bleached and disinfected everything the first one touched before bringing the second one home. Then, about 14 days later, this one died the EXACT same way. Completely fine the night before. Eating and drinking normally, active throughout the night. Then the next morning was barely breathing and eventually passed.

To answer some questions, the house is ALWAYS between 70-72 degrees. They were not near windows or loud noises. I was gone during the day when they slept, so he wasn't bothered. They both ate and drank normally and always had access to food & water. I'm not sure if they were from the same litter or not, I'm not sure how hamster shipments to big pet stores work.

If anyone could shed some light on what may be happening, please share. I'm really upset about the loss of two hamsters. I love animals and can't stand animals suffering. I want to get another, but not if there is a possibility of this happening again.

Thank you.

[Anja88]

Hmm Have you let the cage empty for 14 days? What have you done with the bedding, wooden toys? What type of bedding do you use (softwood?)?
What food have you been giving? Are you 100% sure there were healthy when you got them?

Do you have any mold, cigarete smoke, parfumes, strong cleaning products?

[hayyypet]

I use carefresh paper bedding and all natural hamster pellets for food. Both recommended by the store. I didn’t wait 14 days in between the hamsters, but I did disinfect everything the first one used. I sanitized one wooden toy house, but is it possible there was something passed through it? I’m also not sure they were healthy.. they seemed healthy, but I wouldn’t know how to tell otherwise.

[Anja88]

You should wait 14 days at least. Consult the vet, let them figure out what went wrong :/ No, all wooden toys, paper, cardboard, should be thrown away after hamster dies of illnes.

[Pebbles82]

I am so sorry this happened for you. I think your vet was right that it could have been some genetic defect your hamster was born with - and the second one may have been bred the same way. Or - what can happen is there is illness at the pet store and both your hamsters from the same store had the same illness.

If you disinfected everything it is unlikely the new hamster contracted the same condition and it does sound a bit more like a genetic thing by the lack of disease symptoms. A weak heart maybe.

If a hamster has died from unknown causes though and there is a chance it could be infection. Personally I would not re-use wood items, as they are hard to disinfect. Plastic or metal things are easily sorted. Just as a guide for next time to be ultra sure.

I would suggest you get a hamster from somewhere else. And do get another one - you have a lovely cage sorted. And maybe write to the pet shop expressing concerns that there may be illness as both your hamsters died, with no other adverse circumstances, and politely request that you would be grateful if they would check this out.

Sometimes smaller pet shops have better bred hamsters, or you can get one from a breeder where you know the genetics and ancestry of the hamster (not always easy as litters aren't always frequently available).

After this bad experience as well, another option could be to look up local animal rescues and look on gumtree, and adopt a hamster that needs a home. There are many unwanted pets. And some quite young, not all older hamsters. That would be reassuring in a way. Particularly an adoption from a rescue where they would know if there was any illness and they would have cared for them well.

It sounds like you have a lot of toys and items from the large cage and nice big playpen, and these are expensive to replace and often difficult to disinfect some things. So maybe get prepared now. Something like a pet safe disinfectant is better to use than bleach in my opinion, and is what vets use. Even then rinsing and airing well is good afterwards as hamsters have a strong sense of smell and can be affected by scents.

This is the one our vet recommended

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Johnsons-Cl...r+disinfectant

Plastic toys and metal items can just be sprayed/wiped with this, rinsed and dried. I found cage bars a real pain to get to every bit - I put the cage top in the bath to spray and wipe and then filled the bath to rinse it.

Wood or natural items like stone can be baked - I can't remember the temperature or how long, but someone will know. Although personally I think rough wood bark items like bendy bridges are best replaced. For that reason i have very few bark wood items these days! After having had to do a full disinfect once.

Cardboard is your friend! cheap toys, hamsters like chewing them, and easily replaced. Cardboard tunnels, egg box hides, shoe box houses etc. Boredom breakers make some nice colourful cardboard tubes/tunnels.

Ceramic is easy too. Painting smooth wood items like houses with plastikote makes them easy to disinfect as they have a waterproof coating on that is easily sprayed and wiped. Plastic is fine too.