Partial seizures? Episodes of terror?

[Catherine Spark]

Oakie has been having these episodes of what I can only assume are terror, or partial fits, on-off since we got him. So far he has had three, and they tend to occur when he has been alone in a room or the flat for a while. The last two have just been glassy-eyed and frozen, and then he eases as soon as I pick him up and give him a stroke and talk to him soothingly.

Today it was the worst. I found him facing the wall, stock still but wide awake, sitting up in his bed. So I picked him up. He was obviously awake and alert, and sitting up but totally unresponsive to me touching him. And his eyes were bulging and his whiskers twitching.

So I carried him through to the bathroom which is a room he knows well and has free run of when supervised. In the hall on the way he suddenly leapt about half a foot into the air and started squirming, and it was all I could do to catch him and hold him before he fell to the floor. Seconds later the same thing happened. Then we were in the bathroom and I put him in the bath, where he shot around the bottom of it and froze again. He began to calm down so I turned the tap on just enough to make a puddle at the far end, so he could go for a drink. When I picked him up he seened calmer, and crawled up my arm and sat in my lap and nosed around. He was completely normal by now, but very jumpy to any sudden sound or movement. I noticed a wet spot on my arm Not sure if it was because he wet himself or it was because of the puddle of water I had made for him to drink from.

He crawled into my shoe and stayed there, washing himself and licking the inside of the tongue of the shoe, and sniffing the lining. When I picked him up again he was calm and normal, so I carried him through and put him back in the cage. He then happily chomped away at some porridge, went to his bed and settled down to sleep. And just as I type this I see the bedding shaking around a lot, but as soon as I look it stops and he's curled up asleep. He may have been washing himself - I didn't see.

What could have happened?
Has anyone had any similar experiences?
Could these staring/freezing spells be fits??
What can I do to help him??

****

Other than this he has been calmer and more affectionate than ever over the past week, even crawling up my body and curling up in the nape of my neck, or sitting on the top of my head and chewing my hair, cuddling with me while I watch a DVD, following me around when he has free run of the hall, and much more. A really beautiful soul!

***

P.S. I didn't think what date it is today (5th Nov) - could some early fireworks have frightened him?

[Bunsey]

gosh i really don't know what to think about this. It could be fireworks, but none of mine have ever been bothered by them. I guess it depends how loud they are.

Is he a hybrid dwarf by any chance? If so, perhaps it's a problem relating to that?

[Catherine Spark]

I don't know actually - he looks syrian, and he has no stripe on his back - and he's a classic golden hamster with all the correct markings according to souffle. I would guess he isn't a hybrid, but I can ask the pet shop owner - she still has more of the same, and they look like the same litter as they share characteristics. The fireworks are not loud, and he's not bothered by them at the moment. I just don't know!

[Bunsey]

ah, no he's not hybrid is he's syrian. You can only get hybrid dwarfs.

I really don't know in that case i'm afraid. That was all i could think of

any chance he was too young to leave his mum (i.e. less than 6 weeks)? Just clutching at straws here really

[internet_nobody]

Sometimes they will freeze and listen to things, and seem to be unresponsive because they are concentrating. The bathroom jumping incident sounds like you have terrified him - he suddenly realised he was uncomforable and ran, then he was caught and tried to get away again. With a little time to relax he realised there was nothing scary.

[Catherine Spark]

Thanks for your questions and suggestions bunsey and internet_nobody. Both of these are possibilities I hadn't really considered completely. He was 6 weeks old at the pet shop where I got him, so I suppose there is a chance he was taken from his mother too young. What would this lead to? Skittishness? He's ordinarily completely laid back about everything. It's good syrians can't be hybridised - a lower risk of problems is reassuring.

Normally when freezing because he's listening, he does so for maybe 10 seconds, and moves if I distract him. If I stroke his back he stays still, but if I stroke his head he will normally back up slightly after a moment and then carry on with what he was doing. When I try this with him when he's glassy-eyed frozen, there is no response. I once sat with him in my hand, glassy-eyed frozen, stroking him for literally ten minutes before he moved. The room is warm by the way, he is normally fairly loose - but not limp - and he has plenty of bedding to cuddle up in at night.

***

Jumping probably resolved - I sat with oakie on free run through a looong firework display and he was very skittish, rushing to hide in corners, jumping in the air at every small noise, exactly like a mini version of the leap earlier on. Still baffled by it, as there were no fireworks, but perhaps he was 'primed' by one earlier, or just had a sixth sense that something was going on that night...?

The glassy eyed long freezing episodes are still a mystery as they are recurring, but they probably are a response to something as well. I'll update if anything else odd happens...

[souffle]

I don't think you have anything to worry about here Catherine. I'm almost certain it will be the fireworks.
The freeze response is normal and seen in all hamsters especially youngsters. It is a defence mechanism and they hope that a predator will not spot them, especially birds of prey, if they freeze. It is an inbuilt instinct in a hammy.
How do you approach him? Try and ensure he knows you are coming and it is you. Never swoop down of make a sudden approach to the cage. I suspect he can maybe see the TV, computer screen or another moving object just out the corner of his eye and this is making him freeze. They often look at 'nothing' or a wall and appear trance like. Talk gently as you have done and wait for him to come out before picking up. As they become a little less frightened they stop and have a wash usually.
As for the frantic skitty run. Again an escape mechanism. He has heard the noise but if he is still in this mode he will take the flight mechanism now if further frightened. Sometimes we put the light on and walk in to the room and someone gets a little fright and does what we call a 'furry fit' when they shoot round the cage and run into a corner. Normally a little chat and some reassurance will see them fine.
Oakie is still a young animal and is still very sensitive to every change and will never lose his natural defence mechanisms.
Try not to worry and keep up the gentle reassurance. I have known them to sit in the trance for quite some time till they feel any danger has passed and I would leave him to it. His body will produce hormones like adrenalin and these need to disperse so his heart rate falls and he returns to normal. Wakened too quickly can make them do the skitty dash.
Of course if he seems like he is epileptic or has any other sort or neaurological symptoms you should see a vet.

[Catherine Spark]

Thankyou souffle - you are so reassuring and down to Earth! I'm such a paranoid hamster mother...but really glad there are people who will listen and still take me seriously. He hasn't had any other kind of 'symptom' so I'll stop worrying.

[suga]

Lilbear sits and stares into space for ages too - i have never found it to be anything to worry about. She must have super sensitive hearing, etc to hear or sense something that I can't see - so hence have no idea what she is looking or listening too. Glad your worries have been put at ease.