[Pebbles82]

I am so sorry. This is so sad and hard for you, especially with such a young hamster. I agree that it sounds like it could have been a stroke or heart failure. The only blessing is she wouldn't have known much about it.

As the others say, sadly many hamsters are born with genetic predispositions due to interbreeding - she could well have been born with a weak heart or a heart defect of some kind.

There is nothing you could have done to prevent it, even if you had been there.

I am guessing you are in the US - and it is hard to find hamster breeders there, but if and when you get another hamster, you could maybe try and find a breeder - to have a good chance of healthy breeding practices and good genetic health. If not then sometimes smaller pet stores breed their own hamsters or use a breeder. The large ones - the breeding practices are not pleasant sometimes with hamsters being shipped in from various dubious places.

The positive is, your little dwarf hamster had a loving home with you for her short life, rather than cooped up in a pet store. Xxxx