Poorly or just old?

herbi7 · 01-17-2018, 02:53 PM

So my little Chinese hamster, Bailey, is 3 years 9 months now. His brother died a couple of months ago but Bailey has stayed energetic and busy till a week or so ago when he stopped using his wheel.... Unheard of for him! He seems a bit uncoordinated, stumbles a bit and seems to have trouble with his back legs but it's only slight. He's spending all his time sleeping, eats a bit less but when I offer him his favourite porridge with a little honey in it in his nest he eats a whole teaspoon! If he's just elderly I'm not concerned and will just give him the space he needs and make sure he's warm and has his porridge. But his eyes look kind of squinty when I wake him up to feed him and I worry he might be in pain. I don't usually wake him up as he bounces up as soon as it gets dark usually so I can't tell if it's normal for him to look a bit odd! He's not bright eyed and happy like normal though, I can tell that. Yesterday he had a tiny explore of his wheel and ran a bit, today he's just stayed in his nest. What do you guys think? I don't want him to be suffering in any way.

Fluffagrams · 01-17-2018, 03:49 PM

I’m wondering if he might have had a stroke given the sudden change in his behaviour and his uncoordinated movements.

Hamsters can recover quite well from strokes but if he’s really struggling to move around then it might be worth a vet visit. In the meantime I would suggest moving his food and water close to the nest if it isn’t already to minimise the amount of moving around he has to do if he’s feeling more fatigued than usual.

cypher · 01-17-2018, 10:26 PM

My first thought was that he may have had a stroke too.
Unless he shows any sings of getting worse then I would do as Fluffagrams suggested, it's hard to guess if he may be in pain or not but if you think he is showing signs of discomfort then it would be worth a vet visit.

herbi7 · 01-18-2018, 04:09 AM

Thanks cypher and fluffagrams. I think his brother had a stroke before he died. It would make sense with the wobbly walk but it seems to be only slight. The last time I was at the vets with a hamster I was told its not possible to give pain relief due to dosage issues with such a small animal. Is this true? I would only bother him with the stress of a vet visit if they could help with pain

Fluffagrams · 01-18-2018, 04:32 AM

In the past I have come across some vets that aren’t sure on the dosage for a Chinese so would rather not prescribe anything at all but yes, it is possible for animals that small to be given pain relief. One of my Chinese was prescribed Metacam a couple of months ago for complications of a skin split. She asked me his weight and double checked the dosage with another vet to make sure but yes, it is possible for a small animal to be prescribed pain relief.

cypher · 01-18-2018, 09:26 AM

Someone else on here had that problem with the vet not realising metacam can be given to hams too, it's not actually licensed for hamsters but most vets will give it, my little Russian had to have some fairly recently too.

Pebbles82 · 01-18-2018, 10:24 AM

It's certainly prescribed for Syrians and I'd have thought it would be possibly for Chinese because a vet told me that the dose per weight is higher for hamsters than cats due to their faster metabolism - but of course a hamster weighs a lot less than a cat! But for example if a hamster was a 20th the weight of a cat it wouldn't be a 20th smaller dose, it would be say a 12th smaller dose (that's made up, just as an example).

I think it was about 2 drops for a large syrian. Even if the dose was half a drop, it can be diluted.

So sorry Bailey is struggling. 3 years and 9 months is a great age. Although you need to balance the stress of a vet visit with him pootling along on his own, I think it would be worth it to get some pain relief.

Coco61 · 01-18-2018, 10:52 AM

Herbi, so sorry Bailey is struggling. Some vets will prescribe a medicine for a hamster even though it is unlicensed. Just needs adjusting as Serendipity said. My Mocho had Cushings and was successfully treated by my vet with a diluted form of the dog medicine. They are exotic specialists. CJ Hall in East Sheen. They have a website. I believe they are always willing to speak to other vets about this sort of thing. Perhaps you could suggest an email to them or do one yourself which you could take with you on a visit to your own vet. Just ask how metacam can be diluted for a Chinese hamster which you can then show your own vet.

herbi7 · 01-18-2018, 02:59 PM

Thanks everyone, that's good to know. He seems bright eyed and more chirpy this evening and happy to eat his porridge again. He can walk to his food bowl and squat in it to eat so I think unless he looks worse tomorrow I'll spare him a trip to the vet for now. It's strange, this lack of activity. His brother was like that for about 3 weeks before he died, with no other visible change so perhaps things will go the same way. Yes serendipity he is an amazing age and has been a placid and consistent little chap all the time I've had him. Will just keep an eye on him I think and keep treating him with his favourite things! He now expects his snack in his nest and just pokes his nose out for it!

Pebbles82 · 01-18-2018, 03:28 PM

Aw. He's a tired little man by the sound of it, but still doing his own thing a bit slower.