[ilguy]

Yeah, that is what they thought it could be. I had a little syringe for giving her those meds and she would just sit
flat on my hand and lapped it up.

It was so hard to see her like that. After you guys suggested the new wheel, she loved it so much. It was her jam after human time every night, just running for hours on end with little breaks. If I put my hand in during her wheel time, she would dart over and put her front paws on my hand like "look what I can do!", then zoomed back over.

But then one day she just struggled to keep it moving. She was licking and grooming her lower body a lot. Then she would try to start going again and it was obvious she was in pain, looked like she was slowly trying to waddle over something invisible.

After coming home from the vet, she just stopped coming out at all for the most part the next few days. She would do what was normally her angry click from inside her burrow, instead of our together time. I gently scooped her out, and she just lapped up those antibiotics from the syringe. She wasn't moving much by then.

Pearl was always up to greet me every morning. At some point on the last day, she must have decided to come out to our together corner. I woke up and found her laying stiff on her back there. She was so amazing, and I wish I could have had a few of those last mintues together.

It took a few days after for it to really sink in. Everyone on here has been super nice, and it's great to learn from experienced hamster owners. She really came alive after the new wheel + platform, and was just pure joy.