Will he be okay? What should I do?

Kimberly · 12-25-2017, 07:57 AM

I found my Syrian hamster, Cactus, in his tank yesterday, lying on his side and breathing heavily. He was very weak and was struggling to walk. I thought that it was because he was old and going to die soon, because other old hamsters I've had in the past have shown the same symptoms hours before dying.

I decided the best thing I could do was to make him comfortable, and try my best to get him to eat and drink. So, I moved him to a dark and quiet room in a separate, small cage, with a lowered water bottle and his favorite house. I also put a heating pad under the cage so he would stay warm.

He continued to lie in the same position for a couple hours, occasionally moving around the cage, walking still labored. I tried a couple things to get him to eat, and he nibbled a bit at a few but wouldn't eat much of anything. Finally, I heated up some milk and added oats, and spoon fed him that, which he accepted to a good degree.

I continued to feed him the oatmeal; he would eat a bit, and then start refusing after a couple minutes. He seemed to be getting stronger, however, managing to lift his head over the lid of the cage, and eventually climbing on top of the house with a little help. By the end of last night, he was drinking from the water bottle again. I noticed that he seemed a bit bored in the small cage, but I left him in there overnight, waking to check up on him every few hours.

This morning, he was still drinking from the water bottle, and when I brought him some normal food to eat (because I was concerned that he wasn't getting proper nutrients from the milk and oats), he actually ate a bit of that. His walking seems more normal, and although his breathing is still a little heavy, it's better than yesterday.

Some other things:
-Before yesterday, I had not noticed anything different, he acted normally and seemed healthy.
-He is maybe two and a half years old, which is why I thought old age was getting to him.
-He seemed a little skinnier than normal when I found him, but nothing crazy.
-About a week ago I changed his food, which he seemed to be eating fine.
-I noticed a sort of clicking noise coming from him in the beginning of this ordeal, but it seems to have gone away now.

So, is he gonna be okay? Is there anything I should/shouldn't be doing? Like I said, he seems more bored and annoyed that he's in the small cage than anything. I just don't want to move him back because I won't be able to put the heating pad in the tank, and it isn't always dark and quiet where his tank is. Thanks for any and all help!

Pebbles82 · 12-25-2017, 08:26 AM

So sorry your hammy is unwell. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for him and he has come round a bit.

I would suggest putting him in his familiar cage now, in the same location as before, but have a small heater in the room overnight if you can. I have a small oil filled radiator on a plug in timer which comes on during the night, but sometimes just leave it on low all night.

As he is old, a cold spell may affect him more than usual, and it may also be he is in his twilight time. They do tend to enjoy familiar surroundings and his old cage, nest and house would be comforting for him. I wouldn't do any cleaning or take his nest out for a while. Which food have you changed from and to?

Kimberly · 12-25-2017, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

So sorry your hammy is unwell. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for him and he has come round a bit.

I would suggest putting him in his familiar cage now, in the same location as before, but have a small heater in the room overnight if you can. I have a small oil filled radiator on a plug in timer which comes on during the night, but sometimes just leave it on low all night.

As he is old, a cold spell may affect him more than usual, and it may also be he is in his twilight time. They do tend to enjoy familiar surroundings and his old cage, nest and house would be comforting for him. I wouldn't do any cleaning or take his nest out for a while. Which food have you changed from and to?

Thanks so much for the advice. I do have a radiator, so I can do that. I'm not sure these brands will sound familiar, as I live in America, but I switched from All Living Things to Vitakraft hamster food.

Kimberly · 12-26-2017, 08:37 PM

Just a quick update on Cactus:

He appears to have made a full recovery, and with contined warmth he stays active. Here's a picture I took of him earlier:

I didn't have much hope when I found him as he was, but Cactus is a strong boy and I'm so happy he pulled through. Happy holidays everyone, and best wishes to yourselves and your companions!