Wobbly Hamster Please Advise!

LilMommaGoonie · 03-05-2018, 05:49 PM

Hi! My name is Kara and I am new to the site but I'm having a problem with one of my hamsters and need some advice please 😊 I have a female long haired syrian who is about 2 1/2 to 3 years old and all of a sudden last night my husband and I noticed that she is quite wobbly and unstable and falls over on her side sometimes. I am so worried because I don't want her to be in pain or suffer at all. She is still acting like her normal self (other than not running on her wheel) and eating and drinking fine and wanting to move around as usual. There is no place in her cage that she could have fallen from and she doesn't appear to to be in pain or have any injuries. Also just to note, she does have a few patches of hair loss on her that have been there for about 2 months (I just assumed it was because of her old age but wanted to list it in case it's relevant at all). I don't know if I should take her to the vet (she has never been to one in the 2 years I've had her) or if I should keep an eye on her for now and see how she does. Also, she has 3 cages connected by short tubes and then tubing that leads up to the area where she nests/sleeps and where she stores her food and uses the bathroom and I wanted to know if I should keep her confind to the cages since the tube leading to that upper area is a vertical climb. I hope this makes sense lol! I would appreciate any advice about what could be going on and what I can do for her at home to help her out. I will certainly take her to a vet if I need to but am trying to avoid that if it's not necessary. Thank you so much for reading all this and for your help!!

racinghamster · 03-06-2018, 09:24 AM

Hi Kara. First two things that spring to mind here are, can she reach water easily? She could be dehydrated? Second thing is her age. She may be feeling the effects of organ failure or typically, something has `gone wrong` that may not be visible on the outside.

The tubes attaching her caging could now be a problem for her, especially vertical tubes, so I would confine her to one level now until you know what`s going on. She won`t mind that if she`s pottery and not being herself or using her wheel, which can sometimes be an indication they are not 100% as hamsters do love their wheel.

You could take her nesting material as it is (with her scent on it) and use an upside down cardboard box with a few doors cut into it and use this as her bed. I definitely wouldn`t want her trying to climb anything just now as she seems weak. Have you seen any improvements since 12:45 today? Try her with a small piece of apple and see if she responds to eating anything.

cypher · 03-06-2018, 09:58 AM

Your ham is a really good age now & at this kind of age they are prone to having strokes so I would imagine that's the most likely reason for her being wobbly.
If she seems ok otherwise it is unlikely she's in pain or suffering at the moment.
If it's going to be difficult for her to access areas of her cage set up now then it would be best to either keep her in one part or rearrange things so nest, food, water etc are all close to each other & she can reach them easily.
Some loss of fur or thinning of fur is also common with old age so probably not related to this new problem other than being due to age.
I hope she can remain comfortable now but if she shows any signs of being in pain or really begins to struggle then you may need to see a vet but for now I would just keep an eye on her & see how she copes.

Pebbles82 · 03-06-2018, 10:26 AM

As the others said, I would keep her in one area and block off the tubes. Move her food and water into that area. You could also add a dish of water in case she has difficulty reaching the bottle. Keep an eye on her and take her out for a cuddle and let her eat some tasty treats from your hand

She is a very old lady - it is a great age.

LilMommaGoonie · 03-06-2018, 02:07 PM

Thank you all for your advice! She doesn't seem to have improved since I posted but she still does not seem to be in distress or pain either which is good. She can reach her water easily in all 3 cages (I have a bottle on each cage to make it easier on her) so I don't think she is dehydrated. My first thought was a stroke since it came on so suddenly and I work with dogs and cats and they act the same way after having a small stroke. I will confine her to the cage area for now and bring all her nesting material and food stash down to the cage so she doesn't have to climb at all. I'll keep a close eye on her and see how she does. Thank you again for your advice and I will let you know if she improves!