[inflikted]

Stitch is my Syrian hamster, I got him from where I work because when he first arrived he bit everyone in store and I decided I'd take him as no other customers would. Since then he's been brilliant and energetic, although he'd often obliterate any toy I gave him within minutes.

That is until last week, when he started getting more sluggish and would spend most of his time sleeping. I can't really tell if his belly's swollen or if he's just put on weight through inactivity, but he mostly only comes out of his house to eat or drink (which he still does plenty of) unless I get him out. When he is out, it's very sluggish, with that sort of half-awake look, ears back and his bottom lip hanging open, and when I let him run around he generally just looks for somewhere dark to sleep so I let him sleep on my bed while I'm laying on it, and he just settles under the cover next to me where it's warm. When I put him in his sand bath yesterday he ended up leaning back to clean himself and got stuck, and I noticed his testes seem to have retracted into him or something as they're nowhere near as pronounced as they used to be, and his penis and anus are more prominent.

Needless to say, I've booked an appointment at the vet this Saturday (couldn't get any earlier as I couldn't get the time off work at such short notice) and am keeping a close eye on him. I even asked the guy who does small animal husbandry where I work and he said it could be cancer but could just as easily be something like an ear infection, so I thought I'd ask the advice of people on here who'd know a hell of a lot more than me.