Wobbly Hamster!

Jenana · 10-28-2012, 01:54 PM

Hi all,

I'm completely new to here but I'm hoping for a bit of advice

My hamster seems to have lost her balance all of a sudden, she's very wobbly when she walks and can no longer stand on her hind legs. When she's trys to stand she falls over.
Normally, she's lively, active and very cheeky! But since this started she's been very sleepy.
She is still eating and drinking and does not seem unhappy or in any pain at all.
Do you have any ideas of what coudl be causing it and if theres anything I can do, because I'm quite worried about her?

Thank you

shiny · 10-29-2012, 05:52 AM

Hi Jenana,

You definitely need to get your hamster checked out by an exotics vet asap. There are vet lists on here if you don't already know of one near you. General practice vets are not often experienced with small mammals such as hamsters so a good exotics vet is worth finding. Good vets finder

How old is your hamster? You need to keep a close eye on your hamster's weight to make sure she is maintaining her weight through this change in condition, she may seem to be eating ok but it's worth keeping an eye on her weight.

Good luck & let us know how she is getting on

**kyrilliondaemon** · 10-29-2012, 05:58 AM

It could be a few things, most likely a small stroke.
I actually wouldn't rush to the vet over this, but instead would watch and try to make the hams life as easy as possible in the hopes it can recover.

Oh and this is said when one of our hams is wobbly at the moment - in her case we think old age is just causing muscle loss. She hasn't seen a vet and won't be doing so unless she develops a problem a vet could help with. She hates vets and we're not scaring her again for the sake of it.

Jenana · 10-29-2012, 08:21 AM

Thank you, shiny & kyrilliondaemon.

She's around 16 months old her weight & body condition don't seem to have altered at all I've been checking her regularly to makesure.

I also thought it could be a stroke as it came on so suddenly. I will take her to vets if she gets worse but I don't want her to get too stressed and make her worse or cause a new problem.

Last night she did improve slightly and seemed slightly more steady while walking but still couldn't stand.

I just hope she gets better I hate seeing her like this

racinghamster · 10-29-2012, 09:06 AM

Hi Jenana, welcome. Is your girl able to move and use her back legs to get around, or is she having these issues when she tries to stand up on her back legs (as syrians do when they pose like a grizzly bear!)

Could she have had a tumble in her cage? Does she have access to any high shelving? If she hasn`t fallen off anything it could be some kind of hind leg paralysis or minor deterioration or as has already been suggested, a mini stroke of some kind, which can make the hamster `rock` from side to side when moving and at rest.

Keeping her cosy and quiet and watching her closely will tell you if she`s managing okay. Keep her food and water nearby so she can reach them without having to climb or reach up. Don`t allow her to climb. Some hamsters recover in a week or so, but if you think her condition is getting worse or not improving or she stops being able to eat/drink, then definately seek your vets opinion. Hope she`s okay. x

Jenana · 10-29-2012, 04:26 PM

Hi racinghamster,

She can move and use her back legs normally and reacts when you touch them so I don't think that she has any paralysis.
She 'rocks' and stumbles when walking and when she stands like a grizzly bear! she loses balance and either falls backwards or too the side.

She does have a multi level cage and it is possible for her to have fallen as she did used to like to climb, but I can't find any obvious injuries. I've had a good palpate and checked all her limbs and she doesn't flinch or react in pain to be touching her.

I've moved all her food and water close to her and made sure she has plenty of bedding to snuggle up in!

Thank you

racinghamster · 10-30-2012, 01:13 AM

That`s good that she can get around, so it`s just the unbalancing that seems to be a problem. If you have any shelving that is higher than say, five inches off the cage floor, it might be better to (a) remove them or (b) make sure there are no gaps in-between any shelves, making the floors into full shelves across the cage with a ramp leading to each floor?

Hope things improve over the week. x

shiny · 10-30-2012, 03:33 AM

I would just like to add that while it could well be the stroke-type event that hamsters can have, there is no substitute for getting it checked by a vet if you're not sure. They can have other issues that might cause similar balance symptoms such as an inner ear infection & this would probably need treatment. I would suggest keeping a close eye on your hamster & if there is any deterioration in condition or you are unhappy about her behaviour in any other way, consider getting her checked out by a vet.

Hope your hammie is doing ok now, best wishes to you both

Jenana · 11-01-2012, 01:55 PM

Hi all,

Just a quick update on Molly. The last 2 days after some tlc her balance has improved massively.
Her walking is alot better and she doesn't seem to be wobbly anymore. She's still slightly wobbly when she stands upright on her hind legs but its a lot better than it was and is still improving.
Thank you for all your help & advice

Poptart · 11-01-2012, 03:59 PM

Awh get well soon Molly! Strokes definatly suck, my Max had one about a month before he passed away. Hope Molly feels better soon! Xxx