Help needed for 18 month old hammy

[NSF]

I am new to the forum and am hoping someone can help me with advice/similar experiences.

Last Thursday Eve (9 May), Tariq, my Russian Dwarf, stopped eating and drinking, was a little limp, wobbly and had no interest in anything other than sleeping.

I took him to the vet on Friday. There were no signs of an infection. His lungs and heart sounded good. I was sent home with some Metacam, as they were concerned, he might be in pain (he is hunched over when he walks). He weighed in at 66 grams.

Over the weekend he has only improved slightly. I have been syringe feeding him baby food and water. Last night he had a few nibbles of some broccoli, pasta, bell pepper and carrot. I am taking him back to the vet first thing tomorrow morn (the earliest they can fit me in). He has lost about 4 grams of weight over the weekend. His mood is the same. Not interested in much else, but sleeping.

I have had hammies for a number of years now, but this is the first time I have had one that has had such a sudden shift in their appetite and mood, where there wasn’t something underlying.

Have any of the forum members experienced this with their hamsters? He was perfectly well on the Wednesday beforehand.

FYI he has a very large enclosure with lots of enrichment two wheels, chew toys, platforms, lots of hides. It has been warmer here last week, but it hasn’t climbed above 25 degrees in the flat and has not improved with the cooler weather.

[Aegis]

Hey, so sorry your hamster is feeling this way. The only thing I can think of is that maybe he's trying to hibernate, as you mentioned cooler weather. Not all hamsters do this, only some of them, and it's normal and will go away if the weather is warmer. His instincts might be to sleep a lot when it gets cold out.
I know this is a late reply, has anything else happened? Is he doing better now?
Best of luck,
-Aegis