[Sal86]

Hi everyone, I’d like some advice on my Syrian hamster (Cheddar) please. We inherited him from my niece after she lost interest and he came from Pets At Home in March or April 2019, so I imagine he’s around 2 years old now. We’ve had him since August 2019.

We’ve always had a little Hive camera next to his cage to see what he gets up to at night and over the last few weeks there’s been less & less recordings and he doesn’t seem to be going on his wheel anymore. As well as being less active he seemed to be struggling a bit getting up & down the tubes and platforms in his cage (the Savic Hamster Heaven) so we took all of those out and now he’s all on one level, which hopefully will be easier for him.

But the main thing I’d really like some opinions on is his body shape, as I’ve had hamsters in the past that have gotten a bit thin in their old age but it’s mostly around his neck that he looks quite thin and his sides still look quite round. His ears are usually folded flat all the time now as well and his eyes get stuck down sometimes but I’ve read that sometimes this happens if fluid from the eyes drips out and dries.

I can’t tell if his sides have always been like this and now I’m just noticing more because his neck is thinner or if there might be a problem I need to get checked out. I have no problem paying for vet fees but as he’s getting old and doesn’t like being handled I also don’t want to put him through the stress of travel and being pulled about if it’s not needed.

He seems to be eating & drinking fine, he often wakes up during the day for a little nibble on something from his hoard and of an evening I give him a small piece of broccoli or skinless grape, small pieces of nuts, a few sunflower seeds and a couple of other treats. He has the Pets At Home hamster mix and bunny Hamster Dream food.

I have included some photos which are stills from a video I took of him last night and would be so grateful for any advice you have. Thanks!