Scared hamster

lizard · 03-15-2013, 05:21 PM

My 7 month female Syrian hamster has been acting a bit scared the past couple of days, she's been a bit jumpy even when I'm just looking over her cage. This afternoon I opened her cage, normally when I do I can see her move a bit in her bed but she wouldn't move and I was really worried that she was unwell, after 5 mins of tempting with rattling food and calling her, I got out some smelly dog biscuits which eventually made her move n she looked okay.
Just now I went to see her and she was back in her bed, she hasn't been out much the past few days, just seems to stay in bed a lot. She came out of bed but was jumpy, then I was leaning over her cage not moving and she came up to the side, and suddenly like flung herself across to the over side of the cage, like 20cm and ended up on her back she got up and seems okay but I'm worried she could be ill or something. There was nothing that I could tell that could scare her.
Any ideas if something could be wrong?

Amethyst_ice · 03-15-2013, 05:28 PM

Anything out of character and that is settling off your alarm bells usually says to me to go with your gut instinct.

It could be any number of things and without checking her over couldnt say.

Could be some neurological issues, changes in environment..tummy upset...so many things..or nothing.

Could you get her to the vet for a check up and peace of mind?

x

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-15-2013, 05:31 PM

I'd keep an eye on her over the weekend, try to look for more possible problems and see how she is tomorrow.
If she's still out of character then maybe see a vet on Monday.

We've had a ham unnerved without any reason we could see once, then when we went to bed we saw lightning and realised there was a storm out over the sea (we're by a beach). We think the air pressure had upset her and she was fine a day later

lizard · 03-15-2013, 05:38 PM

I can't see anything physically obvious but I haven't been able to check her out fully as she's so active right now! I pick her up and she just wants to run, she's always been very energetic, I think it's partly because she's outgrown her wheel and I can't get her a new one for a week or so.

I've been thinking of taking her to the vets for a general check up, but I'm not sure how u go about finding a vet, I don't know how good normal animal vets are, can I just make an appointment at one and go and just say can you check she's okay? Will they look properly?

She just gave me another fright, I put her in her ball for a bit, then put her back in the cage and gave her a treat, one of those blocks of seeds, its about 1.5cm square and she shoved it in her pouch, it was too big and stretched her pouch and made her eye look really sunken! I just closed my eyes and waited for her to put it in her bed, she came out and looked fine. Could this have done damage to her pouch?

She's my first hamster and real pet so I'm not sure about everything and worry so much about her, especially now as I recently realised her cage is too small.

Amethyst_ice · 03-15-2013, 05:42 PM

Hamter pouches are pretty versatile, they can impact but you can see it so i wouldnt worry too much..there have been lots of times ive thought..crikey..you'll never get all that out and they have hehe

Regarding a vets, you can have a seach for small exotic pet specialists, or ring up local ones and ask if they have one, how much they charge etc.

The RSPCA and PDSA offer reduced cost services to people on benefits or low incomes.

A google search is usually good and of course you can ask for a check up

It could be nothing, it could be something.

You could try hold her in a towel to give her a check over, you should practice how to scruff a hamster as this is a good way to check teeth and general heath

xxxx

lizard · 03-15-2013, 05:53 PM

Okat, yer, normally she shoves lots in and it's fine, I was just worried about this as it was a bad shape!
I think I'll keep an eye out on her this weekend and if she still is worrying me ill get an appointment for early next week.
What's a normal price for a vet appointment? I'm not too worried about price, as ill pay whatever to make sure she's healthy, I just don't want to pay a rediculus amont of money for them to take one look at her n say she's fine!
Scruff a hamster? As in holding them by the fur on the back of their neck? I normally let her climb half out her cage then scoop one hand under her back legs (she struggles to lift them high enough to get out so I use my hand to make sure she doesn't fall!) then cup her in both hands, she's not really keen on my scooping her up in the cage, she just hops out of my hands!

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-15-2013, 05:59 PM

At the our current vets we asked if they treated hamsters, the receptionist told us that all the vets have some experience and then wrote the name of the best one on a card for us

We've seen all four vets there and they've got varying levels of experience/confidence but they're all definetly competent in the basics of ham care. I did have to scruff a ham for one of them but in fairness the ham in question does hate being scruffed and knows perfectly well how to avoid it lol

Prices vary a lot by practice/location. At ours its about £15 for a consult, £7.50 for the second ham if we've taken two along at once. Meds are usually somewhere between £5 and 50p for us.
I know other places charge as much as £40, or in real specialist places as much as £70 sometimes just for the consult.

And yes, scruffing a ham is to hold them by the fur at the back of the neck.

Amethyst_ice · 03-15-2013, 06:04 PM

My vets used to be around £13 but they put it to £20, the RSPCA vet was £7 I think. Again, depends who you see, if they are specialist and the area. But phone and ask if they have an exotic pet specialist or small mammal vet

Don't be afraid to "shop around", having a good relationship with your vet is worthwhile and try put a few £'s a week away for a vet fund

You can scruff in a towel as well, i tend to pick my hams up from the middle and cup under the bum..she sounds like a wriggly so and so

xxxx

lizard · 03-15-2013, 06:21 PM

Wow, £70! I want the best care for my baby, but that is a lot!! Ill have a look on google and try and find some vets then phone them up and ask about it.
Is it good to go to a vets regularly/be registered with a vet or are vets only needed when problems arise?
I don't know if ill be able to scruff her, I'm always kinda worried when I pick her up normally, but scruffing doesn't sound/look very secure. Maybe I'll try it when I have someone else around just in case!
And yer, she is so wriggly, she either seems to be sleeping or running round! I didn't get a dwarf as I thought they'd be to fast when holding but that's how she it! I want my next hamster to be more calmer!!

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-15-2013, 06:23 PM

£70 surprised me too lol, fortunately mine is nowhere near that.

And we keep all the hams registered with a vet as then theres less paperwork if we need them. We only go if we suspect (or know of) a problem though. Strange behaviour does count as a symptom in some cases. Oh and I'd practice scruffing in the bath or with the ham in a box... Or delay until she's slightly calmer with people lol