Please help me diagnose my hammie!! LONG BUT PLZ!

[Mother_of_Hammies]

Hello everyone, I’m new here and I’m also a new hammie mom! I adopted two Russian Dwarf Hamsters, both females called Yuki and Marnie and I’ve had them just over two months.

Both have settled in well and we’ve bonded. Yuki never bites and Marnie now has the occasional light nip but overall we are pretty good.

Yesterday though I woke the hams up as normal by talking to them and saying their names, getting their fresh food ready. They both come out or I entice them with some dried meal worms which they love. Suddenly Yuki went weird, she slumped oddly and it appeared that she couldn’t use her back legs! I lifted her out and she kinda dragged them and seemed to be shaking like she was shivering, and then she started attacking herself like she was really itchy! Even to the point of nibbling me if I was in her way as she was desperate to get to her abdomen.

This is my first pet and I’ve thought long about getting them and giving them the best care I can so I immediately called around the vets and managed to get an early appointment. Once we got there she had regained use of her legs and just seemed to be shivering though I could still see damp patches where she had been nibbling!

The vet couldn’t see anything wrong with her and I check her every day, she’s still energetic, bright eyed, no discharge anywhere, clean and fluffy with plenty of appetite. The vet said it could be mites so she gave me treatment to put on the back of their necks. Later on I cleaned out the cage as best as I could with disinfectant including plastic bed, bowl and potty and entirely brand new food and bedding. The hams got treated and they still seem pretty active with Yuki still enjoying her food and attempting to climb out of the cage to get to me.

However I’m just concerned she’s not quite right. She seems a tad unbalanced and not as strong on her legs as she was before. It does not seem to hinder her moving and she still uses her wheel though I did notice she struggles to jump into it though not sure if that’s because the wheel is new and I’ve not had a chance to notice.

This morning she came out for breakfast and I picked her up and she was shivering again so I turned the heating on and shut them in the room to retain heat in case she was just chilly from coming out of her warm bed (like we do) as it is spring and we’ve turned the heating off, But later on she’s fine. She also seems to not be as dominant anymore to Marnie.

I know this is long but PLEASE can someone help give me advice!? I cannot find anything online. Her poo looks normal and I haven’t changed her food. Any ideas on what might be going on??

[souffle]

Pet shop hamsters can suffer from illnesses due to their poor breeding or start in life and there may well be nothing you can do about it. It is possible she has suffered a small stroke. If hamsters get through the first 24hrs after a stroke they normally do well and will either fully recover or have some minor lasting damage. It could be this or another neurological problem. I'd keep her quite calm without too much overstimulation like cage changes, exposure to loud noises or bright/flashing lights like the TV for now and monitor her closely. I hope she does well and has no further problems develop.

[Pebbles82]

You might also need to keep an eye on how they are together, as pairs often fall out and it can lead to one hamster attacking (or even killing) the other one. Particularly if one is showing signs of ill health or weakness. Personally I would separate them - they are absolutely fine kept apart, and Yuki may do much better with her own space.

This means needing an extra cage. If you don't have one then a large plastic bin with the lid off would do (as long as the sides are high enough she can't get out if she climbed on top of the wheel!) - until you have chance to sort another cage or make a bin cage.

Also if she does become unwell or not survive it may be easier on Marnie if this doesn't happen in the same cage. You mentioned Yuki didn't seem as dominant before too. It is possible (maybe) that there had already been some fighting? We don't see them when we're asleep.

You will be able to observe her better in her own cage as well and make any adjustments needed for her particular lifestyle if she has issues, while keeping Marnie in a cage set up that works for her best.

[alpacassei]

It does sound like she had a stroke, unfortunately russian hybrids are prone to a lot more health problems than other species due to being hybridised. Strokes can also be caused by untreated diabetes, I recommend doing some research on the signs and symptoms of diabetes just in case.

Personally I’d move her into a “hospital cage” where you can make adjustments to suit her needs and closely monitor for changes in her behaviour.

Sadly a lot of pairs and colonies will fall out or attack the injured hamster. It’s purely instincts as in the wild, an injured or sick hamster puts the whole colony at risk of being targeted by predators as an easy meal. This isnt the case in every situation but is common with russian dwarfs so its best to separate them for both of theirs safety.

[Mother_of_Hammies]

I always keep an eye on them and I’ve only seen dominant behaviour from Yuki and one scrap where Marnie snuck up on Yuki 😅 they do sleep together all the time so i’ll Keep an eye on them.

As for the stroke I was worried about that...thankfully she seems fine so I will monitor her. I handle them regularly to ensure they are ok and well.

Guess I better look into diabetes then! I didn’t really think to look into it as I don’t feed them sweet treats or fruit.

Thank you so much for your comments! I will monitor Yuki and keep an eye on their behaviour together! If anyone fancies seeing them then you can follow them on Instagram @yuki_and_marnie 💕

[Mother_of_Hammies]

UPDATE: I don’t think it is fight related as Yuki had another fit this morning... again she woke up for breakfast and as normal I feed them dried mealworms which I feel is worth noting that is a bag of dried meal worms from the shop for birds. Could this be the issue??? She loves them and they’ve been having them from that bag pretty much since I first got them and had no issues. She seems to be addicted to them though as she roams the cage, stands up and investigates my hand after I’ve just fed her.

The only other change is a new wheel which is entirely wood like this one - https://images.app.goo.gl/aR3WstQCqqiLg6wWA she started this a few days after I put it in.

She seemed to slump over and basically starting jerking and then stopped as quickly as it had started. She went back to climbing over me and wanting food. Could this be epilepsy?? It has only been seen in the morning and her body is quivering afterwards but she seems fine in the evenings! Help!?

[souffle]

I do think it is worth you seeing a vet. It could be something easily treated like an ear infection. I would agree with the others that you need to watch them closely as a cage mate may well attack a weak or sickly hamster. It is a natural instinct.
I doubt it's anything to do with the food our mealworms or indeed the wheel unless she is over running and is diabetic or pre diabetic and this is causing her blood sugar to drop too low.

[alpacassei]

The mealworms and wheel are both fine! My hams have mealworms for birds and that exact wheel.

[Mother_of_Hammies]

The mealworms and wheel are both fine! My hams have mealworms for birds and that exact wheel.

Thanks! I didn’t think anything could be wrong with the wheel as such but since it’s the only change I couldn’t think of what else it might be!

UPDATE: Yuki fitted again this morning. I spoke to them so I knew they were there but this time I didn’t get meal worms out to entice them as I didn’t want to work them up and over exert them and the minute she got outside she started fitting! It lasted for 10 seconds and then she was back to herself asking for food!? I really think it’s epilepsy as she goes straight back to being normal after and I can’t see any unusual symptoms that might relate to diabetes. I thought if it was diabetes that feeding her the meal worms when she might not have eaten for some time might be spiking her levels but I guess it’s not that. I’ve got a diabetes urine test coming so I can check her glucose levels.

Anyone got any ideas!? The room temperature is about 21 degrees Celsius so between the recommend 65-80 farenheight. And regarding vets , they just told me it was hard to diagnose hamsters, I don’t think they are clued up on tiny hammies!?

[AmityvilleHams]

While I can't really offer much advice as far as the diagnoses goes, I would look into another vet. If they find it hard to diagnose hamsters, they probably don't know too much about hamster veterinary care, so if you can find a vet who knows more about them you'd be much better off in the long run even if this turns out to not be a serious problem!