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Pebbles82 · 11-10-2020, 07:30 AM

I am so sorry to hear this. Hibernation is a misnoma with hamsters - it is actually "torpor" and it should be avoided as they rarely come out of it. It's something they are wired to do in the wild, like dormice, to survive a cold period without needing to eat, but even a lot of dormice die and don't come out of hibernation and it's normal for them.

If a hamster gets too cold they can go into torpor and it is quite dangerous. You have done the right thing gently warming him up. Sometimes they come round but still may not survive.

I am not sure how to tell if he is still alive or not but a bit more time may tell. You could keep gently warming him. Souffle knows how to tell.

It may not be hibernation/torpor - he could have been unwell - they can be born with congenital things such as a weak heart. If you think he got a bit cold then it could be torpor.

11-10-2020, 07:30 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Hamster dead or hibernating I am so sorry to hear this. Hibernation is a misnoma with hamsters - it is actually "torpor" and it should be avoided as they rarely come out of it. It's something they are wired to do in the wild, like dormice, to survive a cold period without needing to eat, but even a lot of dormice die and don't come out of hibernation and it's normal for them. If a hamster gets too cold they can go into torpor and it is quite dangerous. You have done the right thing gently warming him up. Sometimes they come round but still may not survive. I am not sure how to tell if he is still alive or not but a bit more time may tell. You could keep gently warming him. Souffle knows how to tell. It may not be hibernation/torpor - he could have been unwell - they can be born with congenital things such as a weak heart. If you think he got a bit cold then it could be torpor.