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Petite · 04-30-2021, 02:46 PM

My hybrid dwarf, Freya, is behaving oddly, and I'm hoping someone can shed some light. She is around 15 months old.

A few weeks ago she started looking slightly unsteady on her feet, sometimes rolling over onto her left side. I thought maybe she was groggy and uncoordinated from having just woken up, but as time goes on it is happening more. Tonight when I went to feed her, she seemed to be going manic, shaking her head frantically from side to side and often rolling over as she was going about her cage. She was keen to eat, and I can't see any apparent injury on the left side in either paw; she seems to be using them normally. It was very worrying to see her like that and I wonder what could be wrong.

Could she have had a minor stroke? But would that explain her balance seeming to get worse in the last day or two?

I gave her a whimzee and a stroke to try to calm her down, but then she tried to take the whimzee back to her hoard, rolled right over onto her back with the whimzee still in her mouth, and didn't seem able to right herself without a wee bit of help from me. Even burrowing into her substrate she went head over heels and struggled to right herself.

Of course, it's Friday night, and I've no idea what kind of hours the vet is keeping these days. There used to be a late night emergency service, but I'm not sure if this is an emergency - yet. She doesn't seem to be in physical pain, and is still using her wheel, although noticeably less. We've been giving her Maxitrol eye drops recently for an persistent eye infection, and I did wonder if it was a sight rather than mobility issue, but her eyes look fine tonight.

Apologies for the long post, but I'm really worried. If she was your hamster, what would you do?

04-30-2021, 02:46 PM
Petite Senior Hamster Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Scotland Posts: 501	Hammy doesn't seem right.... My hybrid dwarf, Freya, is behaving oddly, and I'm hoping someone can shed some light. She is around 15 months old. A few weeks ago she started looking slightly unsteady on her feet, sometimes rolling over onto her left side. I thought maybe she was groggy and uncoordinated from having just woken up, but as time goes on it is happening more. Tonight when I went to feed her, she seemed to be going manic, shaking her head frantically from side to side and often rolling over as she was going about her cage. She was keen to eat, and I can't see any apparent injury on the left side in either paw; she seems to be using them normally. It was very worrying to see her like that and I wonder what could be wrong. Could she have had a minor stroke? But would that explain her balance seeming to get worse in the last day or two? I gave her a whimzee and a stroke to try to calm her down, but then she tried to take the whimzee back to her hoard, rolled right over onto her back with the whimzee still in her mouth, and didn't seem able to right herself without a wee bit of help from me. Even burrowing into her substrate she went head over heels and struggled to right herself. Of course, it's Friday night, and I've no idea what kind of hours the vet is keeping these days. There used to be a late night emergency service, but I'm not sure if this is an emergency - yet. She doesn't seem to be in physical pain, and is still using her wheel, although noticeably less. We've been giving her Maxitrol eye drops recently for an persistent eye infection, and I did wonder if it was a sight rather than mobility issue, but her eyes look fine tonight. Apologies for the long post, but I'm really worried. If she was your hamster, what would you do?