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Old 02-06-2020, 02:00 PM   #1
sushi_78
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Default Syrian out of breath after exercise

I do small animal boarding and today a Syrian hamster arrived. She's old - 1 year and 8 months, but no health conditions were reported on the booking form. I have noticed that she sits breathing quite quickly after any kind of exertion. She runs on her wheel for a few seconds, then gets off and pants. She has a shelf in her cage which doesn't have a ramp, and she has a bit of trouble getting up. I think she might have some pain or stiffness in her back legs. I put an upside-down ceramic food bowl by the shelf to give her a step up, which helps a bit, but after dragging herself up she sits and pants, I assume from the exertion. Now ideally I would want to remove the shelf, but as she isn't mine and nor is the cage, there's a limit to what I can do. I'm going to try to find a ramp for her and maybe bring it up when her owners collect her. Her owners seem like very caring people and she's a much loved pet so it's possible they just haven't noticed.

The reason I think she might have problems with her back legs, other than the trouble getting onto the shelf, is that she often stands up by her wheel and turns it with her front paws rather than running in it. I also saw her stretching them out. Despite her age she is quite active, though she moves quite slowly.

My question is, is the panting after exertion normal for a Syrian of this age? How concerned should I be?
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Old 02-06-2020, 02:59 PM   #2
flowerfairy
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

That doesnt sound normal at all to me (I am no expert though). Perhaps worth discussing with a vet?
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:33 PM   #3
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

I don't think the breathing thing sounds normal either. I would mention it to the owner for sure. Can you feel any lumps on her anywhere? Does she squeak when cleaning herself, she may have arthritis in the back legs.
As for moving the wheel with just front paws, if you mean from the outside, mine have done that on occasion - i think they think they can escape or something?
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:46 PM   #4
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

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Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
I don't think the breathing thing sounds normal either. I would mention it to the owner for sure. Can you feel any lumps on her anywhere? Does she squeak when cleaning herself, she may have arthritis in the back legs.
As for moving the wheel with just front paws, if you mean from the outside, mine have done that on occasion - i think they think they can escape or something?
I think I will definitely mention it to them.

I haven't had a good feel of her, because she isn't good with handling. She's friendly and wants to come out, but isn't very comfortable being touched. I can't see any obvious lumps though.

I do think she isn't grooming properly. When she has stood on my hand it felt like the fur on her belly was clumped, as if stained with urine. I haven't been able to look yet, but I will try over the next couple of days. Her cage had been cleaned before she arrived, but I can see no sign of diarrhoea, so I think it's urine. I haven't seen her clean herself yet. Her fur isn't greasy though, it has the dull look of an older hamster.

Her wheel is a plastic Trixie wheel, the enclosed type. She stands in front of it and turns it using the holes in the cover. She does this more often than running in it normally.
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Old 02-06-2020, 04:11 PM   #5
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

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Originally Posted by sushi_78 View Post

Her wheel is a plastic Trixie wheel, the enclosed type. She stands in front of it and turns it using the holes in the cover. She does this more often than running in it normally.
My Star does that sometimes, but she will eventually dive in through the holes. I really wouldn't worry about that.

It's all the other stuff that sounds more concerning.
I think all you can do is mention your concerns to the owner then it's up to them.
If you were really concerned I guess you can contact them and ask them if they want you to take her to the vets then you have done everything you could. Or if you really aren;t happy, just take her to the vets anyway.
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Old 02-06-2020, 04:16 PM   #6
sushi_78
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

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Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
My Star does that sometimes, but she will eventually dive in through the holes. I really wouldn't worry about that.

It's all the other stuff that sounds more concerning.
I think all you can do is mention your concerns to the owner then it's up to them.
If you were really concerned I guess you can contact them and ask them if they want you to take her to the vets then you have done everything you could. Or if you really aren;t happy, just take her to the vets anyway.
I think it's age related really, and I think that's what a vet would say. I will monitor her and see if it gets worse. She seems a happy hamster generally. She wants to come out for exercise, she's eaten treats and she's still moving around and chewing things, so I don't think she needs to see a vet urgently. If she were my hamster I would be making a non-urgent vet appointment, but all I can do is tell the owners and then it's up to them I suppose.

Thanks for your input, it's really helpful.
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Old 02-08-2020, 10:20 AM   #7
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

After a couple of days I'm more reassured about my boarding hamster. I think she is grooming herself ok after all, she doesn't seem to have any staining underneath. She's more mobile than I thought as well, though she's only awake for a few hours each night, and hardly uses the wheel at all. I think I will just mention her trouble getting up to her shelf to her owners when they collect her.
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Old 02-08-2020, 10:42 AM   #8
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Default Re: Syrian out of breath after exercise

That's good to hear.
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