Dehydrated Russian Dwarf?

[StephBrom]

Hi there,

I noticed yesterday morning that my Russian Dwarf hammy Chica wasn’t acting normal, she was walking round, eating and drinking but she was really wobbly, and when she fell over onto her back she really struggled to get back up.

I’ve just checked on her again now and even though she has been drinking A LOT since yesterday her water level hadn’t gone down at all, so I helped her get some water by slightly squeezing the bottle, she drank a whole lot and now the water level has actually gone down.

Are the symptoms listed above connected in any way to dehydration? I’m suspicious that her water bottle may not be functioning properly and causing her to become dehydrated

[StephBrom]

I’ve helped her get some water by squeezing the bottle slightly as she was drinking and she does seem a little steadier now, also started cleaning herself

[mangoandmimi]

Really important to check the bottle works every time you refill it, tapping the ball bearing gently should let water out. If the water level didn’t go down it does sound like the mechanism failed so either get a new one or provide a shallow dish of water for now.
Dehydration is really dangerous with hamsters so I would guess those symptoms are linked. But you’ll have to see what she’s like again once she’s definitely hydrated.

[StephBrom]

Originally Posted by mangoandmimi

Really important to check the bottle works every time you refill it, tapping the ball bearing gently should let water out. If the water level didn’t go down it does sound like the mechanism failed so either get a new one or provide a shallow dish of water for now.
Dehydration is really dangerous with hamsters so I would guess those symptoms are linked. But you’ll have to see what she’s like again once she’s definitely hydrated.

Do you know how long roughly it would take for her to be completely rehydrated?

[mangoandmimi]

You can try a “tent test” to check if she’s dehydrated. Probably better instructions if you google it but you basically pull the back/neck skin back gently, and it should go down in under a second. If it doesn’t, she’s dehydrated.

[StephBrom]

I’ve actually looked into it and it appears that she may have had a stroke, I’m taking her to the vets in the morning to make sure she isn’t in pain and to see what her quality of life could be like going forward.

From the posts and videos I’ve seen she doesn’t seem even nearly as bad as other cases so I’m hoping for a good outcome, she’s quite an old girl now so hopefully I can help her to live out her later life in peace and comfort

[cypher]

The symptoms do sound like she may have had a stroke, they can manage quite well after a stroke sometimes so I hope she'll do ok.
If she's struggling or a bit wobbly you might need to make some adjustments to her cage depending on the layout to make sure everything is within easy reach for her with no climbing, have food & water close to her nest.
If you have any doubts about your water bottle working well I would just switch to a small shallow bowl.

[StephBrom]

Chica has been to the vets and has been diagnosed with an ear infection and has been given some antibiotics, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[Sasha04]

So sorry to hear about China’s ear infection. I’m glad it wasn’t something worse! Keep us updated on her progress!

[cypher]

It's good that you know what the problem is now, hope her ear is better soon.