Pippins thread - Page 101

cypher · 06-18-2017, 11:03 AM

I hope her behaviour is just down to the heat Rads, none of mine ever seem to want cold things when it's hot, just their usual veg, behaviour does tend to change a bit though it varies with every ham.
Did you say something about changing her diet or cutting down on some of her treats fairly recently? Sorry, can't remember for sure but I was wondering if that might explain at least some weight loss.

AprilPearl · 06-18-2017, 11:10 AM

I hope Pip is ok. She's about a year and a half old, and I think it's usual for hamsters to lose a bit of weight and act differently as they get older. I weigh mine once a week to check for any weight Kidd. Maybe you could do that, just to keep an eye on it? If she's still eating her mix, drinking and at least coming out a little then I'd imagine she is fine. Give her my love x

Rads · 06-18-2017, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AprilPearl

I hope Pip is ok. She's about a year and a half old, and I think it's usual for hamsters to lose a bit of weight and act differently as they get older. I weigh mine once a week to check for any weight Kidd. Maybe you could do that, just to keep an eye on it? If she's still eating her mix, drinking and at least coming out a little then I'd imagine she is fine. Give her my love x

Thank you AP
I intend to check weigh Pip weekly from now on, she has looked a bit slimmer but was wondering whether the warm weather was a contributory factor on top of her age.
She is up this evening as normal filled her pouches with sunflower and pumpkin seeds along with a chunk of apple..! She has retreated to her new nesting area in her cave.
My only other concern was she tried to climb up onto the roof of her house and fell off backwards as she couldn't get a grip on the roof.....!Luckily it was only a couple of inches but she landed on her back and looked around as though she was embarrassed.

BorisPasha · 06-19-2017, 04:29 AM

Aww poor Pip falling off her house and being embaressed.

Hopefully she's just a little out of sorts due to the heat as Cypher suggested and that the weight loss is due to her getting a little older. Do hamsters have a summer weight and a winter weight I wonder?

AprilPearl · 06-19-2017, 04:36 AM

Aww Pip! Rads, it is probably just her getting older. I am sure she is fine and she sounds happy. Checking her weight weekly won't do any harm though, and if it does continue to decline, I'd book a vets appointment. Fingers crossed that's not necessary.

Thin Lizzy · 06-19-2017, 05:44 AM

I'm sure its just the heat, we don't get it as hot in Scotland but sometimes we do and Harvey prefers his veg to fruit also.

Rads · 06-19-2017, 08:03 AM

Hi Folks,
Came home today at 15.30 after work the outside temp was 32C indoors it was 28C I thought I would check on Pip finally found her upside down on her skywalk. So refreshed her water bottles with cold water and she came out took a bit of tomato and a frozen pea as well, it was as well onto its way to bring defrosted.
Pip was also very skitterish/agitated and made this know vocally try as I might she did not want to have anything that would help cool her down, hopefully this is the last day of being "scorchio", as here it is forecast to be a modest 24C...!

Addendum,
Tonight Pip has been very active not withstanding all the heat and humidity..!
She has taken a large part of her stash and put it into her skywalk, along with her hanging treat bars which she has destroyed and carted off to her sky walk stash......
when not being Mrs Active she sits quietly by her cage door and almost goes into a semi trance, all the while breathing deeply/strongly enough to make her body quiver, but she has often done that when sitting in her cage..

Rads · 06-22-2017, 03:36 PM

Pip appears to be back to her normalness, she seems to go through phases of being if she was human basically grumpy, then after a couple of days she comes out of her shell .
Anyway, as Pip is aging I have thought about some dietary changes for her to help support her bodily system etc.
Firstly I am thinking of getting her some millet sticks and taking it from there, she isn't ready for soft foods just yet, though knowing her she would try to pouch the spoon it would be fed on...!

AprilPearl · 06-23-2017, 12:05 AM

Pip was probably acting out of sorts due to the weathet, Rads. Quigley also had a bit of an “energy-level-turn-around”. He is usually really active, but slowed right down in the hot weather and didn’t even want to run on his wheel last night. Funny how she has been spending so much time in her sky walk. Maybe it is cooler there without substrate? Quigley has been spending time on his platforms, probably for the same reason. Hope Pip likes the milet - Mushu never did, but I have never offered it to any other hams.

Hamsterita · 06-23-2017, 10:15 AM

I'm sorry to read that Pip was acting all weird, but I'm glad that she's back to her normal shelf. This hot weather is sick. I spent this week in Madrid and on Sunday it was 41ºC, I thought I was going to die!! Thankfully where I live it is not so hot, but I was worried about Blacky anyway. He is also doing strange things, now he sleeps, eats, and does everything in his potty. Silly baby! He has a big sand pit but he is too lazy, and shy to come out to it.

How old is miss pip?