Hamster Central - View Single Post - Did I just unintentionally starve my dwarf hamster to death?

Mii Force · 01-29-2018, 08:43 PM

Introduction: Let me start by introducing the story of my deceased dwarf hamster, my baby boy, Darkie. I saved him from a pet store, where he was being neglected and extremely bullied by the rest of his litter (he was the runt of the litter). He was covered in blood, swollen, some of the fur missing, had scars and open wounds. I immediately complained to the (careless) caretaker and threaten to call the Animal Abuse Association (from my country). After some arguing and back-and-forth, I managed to take Darkie into my care. I rescued him on the 18th of October 2017.

Here's a picture of Darkie a few days after I got him home:

Other Companion(s): I also have another dwarf hamster called Mii, which I adopted last year on the 20th of September 2016. Mii is very quiet, very cuddly but also prone to diabetes. Something I wasn't much aware of when I adopted her, and I gave her lots of sugary treats and would fill her bowl every time it was nearly empty. The veterinary told me I should reduce the amount of treats I give her, and get sugar-free treats that wouldn't harm her. She also told me to fill her food bowl when I was sure she would need it. She was very over-weighted at the time, and had enormous hoards in more than one place inside her habitat -- Fist-sized hoards.

Here's a more recent picture of Mii (sorry for the quality):

I was advised to place them on separate habitats, because they were from different litters and of opposite sexes. Darkie was a male, while Mii was (older) and female.

Darkie's Personality: Darkie was very energetic, he would climb everything, he would run on his wheel for hours and hours, and was very aware of his surrounding, very fit, and overall very active. He wasn't really the friendly type (he would bite), but he was my companion, since Mii likes to do her own things like sleeping and grooming and generally being quiet (the veterinary said she's healthy, and that it's natural behavior because she's becoming old). I work remotely from home, mostly during the night, so I would always tease Darkie because he was mostly awake at night and playing. He was my partner, my buddy. I would give him my robe sleeve and he would go crazy chewing and biting it, like a small pitbull. So I baptized it our "pitbull" playtime. He loved it.

Problems: I gave the same treats to Darkie that I gave to Mii, but it seems like any threat that I gave Darkie would cause him diarrhea. The veterinary said that I should just stop feeding him all the treats since they were harmful to him, but he still had some mild intestinal problems even with regular food. I was told that it was possible that he suffered from anxiety due to the abuse when he was in the pet store. He used to squeak in his sleep almost every night. I felt bad for him and wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do besides giving him all the love and care that I could.

Me and my wife were instructed to be careful with the amount of food we gave him, and what kind of food. Also, we were advised to fill his bowl only after it was emptied, so that he wouldn't become obese just like Mii, so we took his diet and care very seriously.

And this is when thing started going down. Some weeks ago, I started a new project on my company, and I worked at least 12 hours a day (remotely). I played with Darkie only occasionally but I was too focused on my job to pay him any extra attention.

Last Time he was Fed: The last time I put food on his bowl (until it was half-full), was around the 8th of January 2018. I checked his bowl on the 11th of January 2018 and still had some food. I think his food run out (from his bowl) around the 15th or 16th of January 2018.

Thread Reason: And now comes the reason why I'm posting this threat, while crying my eyes out, filled with grief and regret. That was the last time I fed him. He passed away inside his little nest, curled up like he used to be when sleeping, but this time he was cold and dead. He passed away on the 27th of January 2018.

I couldn't possibly understand how he died, until I looked at his food bowl. I suspect that he died from starvation. From the last time he had food on his bowl and the time he died, at least 10 to 11 days passed. I have NEVER neglected my pets, I used to have dwarf hamsters 15 years ago as an emotional support pet, they got me through very though times from my childhood, and I ALWAYS took great care of them. I always took great care of Mii, and I always took great care of Darkie. So why did I neglect his food bowl for an entire 10-11 days period? I wish I would've never accepted that work project, I wish that I paid more attention to him, and now I miss my boy so much that it is causing me great grief, more than I could ever imagine.

Here's a picture of Darkie a few weeks after he passed away:

Possible Diagnosis: At first I thought he was hibernating, so I tried warming him up and put a bit of warm water in his mouth. But nothing happened, and after a few hours, rigor-mortis settled. That's when I knew he was dead.

He was very energetic and playful the day before, on the 26th of January 2018, and he was running on his wheel for hours as usual. Yet he seemed more stressed than usual, which I now believe was due to not having food or barely having any left.

After he passed away, I searched his entire habitat for food, in the hope of finding some food remnants or small hoarding. I couldn't find any hoarding, but I did find (8) partially-chewed food pellets scattered around his habitat.

Here's a picture of the half-chewed pellets:

Questions: So now I have a few questions for all the experts and veterinarians in this forum, so that I can find some closure. Please refrain from commenting about the possible scenario if you're not an experienced veteran or a veterinarian, I'm already grieving and guilty of the thought he might have died because of me, because maybe I couldn't provide him with enough food. I need an honest opinion from an expert, and please don't sugarcoat it, tell me straight away if you think it was my fault. I need the closest thing to the truth here, so that me and my wife can move on.

1. He was VERY active the day before, but also very agitated. If an hamster is starving, would he be this agitated and active the day before he passed away? Or would he be lethargic and weak? Or is it unrelated?

2. Do you think the remaining (8) partially-chewed food pellets could've have been scattered and untouched because he couldn't find them? Or do hamster actually have a great sense of smell and could track the food if he was starving?

3. Given the case scenario, do you think that Darkie died from starvation? Or was it something else entirely (heart attack, pneumonia, etc.)?

Please I need an honest answer, it's now been three days and I still cry everyday, I can't get closure on this if I don't have an honest answer.

Please help us.

01-29-2018, 08:43 PM
Mii Force Newborn Pup Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 1	Did I just unintentionally starve my dwarf hamster to death? Introduction: Let me start by introducing the story of my deceased dwarf hamster, my baby boy, Darkie. I saved him from a pet store, where he was being neglected and extremely bullied by the rest of his litter (he was the runt of the litter). He was covered in blood, swollen, some of the fur missing, had scars and open wounds. I immediately complained to the (careless) caretaker and threaten to call the Animal Abuse Association (from my country). After some arguing and back-and-forth, I managed to take Darkie into my care. I rescued him on the 18th of October 2017. Here's a picture of Darkie a few days after I got him home: Other Companion(s): I also have another dwarf hamster called Mii, which I adopted last year on the 20th of September 2016. Mii is very quiet, very cuddly but also prone to diabetes. Something I wasn't much aware of when I adopted her, and I gave her lots of sugary treats and would fill her bowl every time it was nearly empty. The veterinary told me I should reduce the amount of treats I give her, and get sugar-free treats that wouldn't harm her. She also told me to fill her food bowl when I was sure she would need it. She was very over-weighted at the time, and had enormous hoards in more than one place inside her habitat -- Fist-sized hoards. Here's a more recent picture of Mii (sorry for the quality): I was advised to place them on separate habitats, because they were from different litters and of opposite sexes. Darkie was a male, while Mii was (older) and female. Darkie's Personality: Darkie was very energetic, he would climb everything, he would run on his wheel for hours and hours, and was very aware of his surrounding, very fit, and overall very active. He wasn't really the friendly type (he would bite), but he was my companion, since Mii likes to do her own things like sleeping and grooming and generally being quiet (the veterinary said she's healthy, and that it's natural behavior because she's becoming old). I work remotely from home, mostly during the night, so I would always tease Darkie because he was mostly awake at night and playing. He was my partner, my buddy. I would give him my robe sleeve and he would go crazy chewing and biting it, like a small pitbull. So I baptized it our "pitbull" playtime. He loved it. Problems: I gave the same treats to Darkie that I gave to Mii, but it seems like any threat that I gave Darkie would cause him diarrhea. The veterinary said that I should just stop feeding him all the treats since they were harmful to him, but he still had some mild intestinal problems even with regular food. I was told that it was possible that he suffered from anxiety due to the abuse when he was in the pet store. He used to squeak in his sleep almost every night. I felt bad for him and wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do besides giving him all the love and care that I could. Me and my wife were instructed to be careful with the amount of food we gave him, and what kind of food. Also, we were advised to fill his bowl only after it was emptied, so that he wouldn't become obese just like Mii, so we took his diet and care very seriously. And this is when thing started going down. Some weeks ago, I started a new project on my company, and I worked at least 12 hours a day (remotely). I played with Darkie only occasionally but I was too focused on my job to pay him any extra attention. Last Time he was Fed: The last time I put food on his bowl (until it was half-full), was around the 8th of January 2018. I checked his bowl on the 11th of January 2018 and still had some food. I think his food run out (from his bowl) around the 15th or 16th of January 2018. Thread Reason: And now comes the reason why I'm posting this threat, while crying my eyes out, filled with grief and regret. That was the last time I fed him. He passed away inside his little nest, curled up like he used to be when sleeping, but this time he was cold and dead. He passed away on the 27th of January 2018. I couldn't possibly understand how he died, until I looked at his food bowl. I suspect that he died from starvation. From the last time he had food on his bowl and the time he died, at least 10 to 11 days passed. I have NEVER neglected my pets, I used to have dwarf hamsters 15 years ago as an emotional support pet, they got me through very though times from my childhood, and I ALWAYS took great care of them. I always took great care of Mii, and I always took great care of Darkie. So why did I neglect his food bowl for an entire 10-11 days period? I wish I would've never accepted that work project, I wish that I paid more attention to him, and now I miss my boy so much that it is causing me great grief, more than I could ever imagine. Here's a picture of Darkie a few weeks after he passed away: Possible Diagnosis: At first I thought he was hibernating, so I tried warming him up and put a bit of warm water in his mouth. But nothing happened, and after a few hours, rigor-mortis settled. That's when I knew he was dead. He was very energetic and playful the day before, on the 26th of January 2018, and he was running on his wheel for hours as usual. Yet he seemed more stressed than usual, which I now believe was due to not having food or barely having any left. After he passed away, I searched his entire habitat for food, in the hope of finding some food remnants or small hoarding. I couldn't find any hoarding, but I did find (8) partially-chewed food pellets scattered around his habitat. Here's a picture of the half-chewed pellets: Questions: So now I have a few questions for all the experts and veterinarians in this forum, so that I can find some closure. Please refrain from commenting about the possible scenario if you're not an experienced veteran or a veterinarian, I'm already grieving and guilty of the thought he might have died because of me, because maybe I couldn't provide him with enough food. I need an honest opinion from an expert, and please don't sugarcoat it, tell me straight away if you think it was my fault. I need the closest thing to the truth here, so that me and my wife can move on. 1. He was VERY active the day before, but also very agitated. If an hamster is starving, would he be this agitated and active the day before he passed away? Or would he be lethargic and weak? Or is it unrelated? 2. Do you think the remaining (8) partially-chewed food pellets could've have been scattered and untouched because he couldn't find them? Or do hamster actually have a great sense of smell and could track the food if he was starving? 3. Given the case scenario, do you think that Darkie died from starvation? Or was it something else entirely (heart attack, pneumonia, etc.)? Please I need an honest answer, it's now been three days and I still cry everyday, I can't get closure on this if I don't have an honest answer. Please help us.