Sad...my hamster passed away today

Stewball · 06-13-2014, 02:38 PM

I am really upset because today I lost my hamster after only having him 11 weeks and really upset more because I have no idea what happened. I will tell his story - sorry if it's long. But maybe someone who is a hammie expert can maybe shed some light on what could of happened?!

I got Stewie at Petsmart. I wasn't in there to get a hamster I was just in there to pick up cat food. But like I always do I always go see all the animals they have on display. I happened to see this really cute winter white hamster sitting in his food bowl. I tapped gently on the glass and with a seed in his hand he looked up at me with this "what u looking at?" look. I was there with my mom and my nephews bday was approaching and they were about to be 9 and wanting a pet. So I texted my sister in law to see if I could get a hamster for them. She said she prefer I didn't. So I walked around a few more min and decided I wanted to take him home - I couldn't resist.
I had a russian dwarf hamster as a kid but don't remember him much. I am 30 years old so getting a hamster for myself seemed weird but I didn't care! I picked up a small hamster trail cage, food , toys, bedding, treats etc and we were off.
Things were great. I named him Stewie and he was the cutest thing ever. Tame and lovable from day 1. I could carry him around everywhere. He liked his ball and running around on my bed and he was fond of this stuffed pig I had on my nightstand and would curl up and sleep on it all the time! He got fed fresh veggies a few times a week and life for this spoiled hamster was pretty much perfect......
Well sat night I got home late but he was up so I did our normal routine and took him out and played w/ him for about an hour. I put him back for bed. Stewie hated going back in his cage he would climb the bars and as soon as I would come in the room he would run to the door to come out. So that night he started climbing to get out. The next day about mid afternoon I popped in the spare room to grab something and saw that he was up which was unusual for mid afternoon. I said, "hey stew" which normally prompts him to run to the door but he just sat there.
So I opened the door and he didn't move he just turned his head to look at me. I noticed his left eye looked droopy. I had just changed his bedding the day before and was always using pine bedding but this was a new brand.
I googled and found pine may not be suitable so I ran out and got carefresh bedding and changed his cage thinking maybe it was irritating. He seemed more lethargic and not willing to come out of his cage. So I let him be. On monday both his eyes were now droopy and so I read up the day earlier that hammies can get colds and to try a thyme tea mix or even some fresh leaves to try and open airways (assuming he may have a cold) but by end of day this didn't seem to do anything.
I began calling around to vets and was getting a lot of "no's" for seeing him. But finally found one that would but not til wed bc small vet dr was not in until then. By tuesday he was so bad and I found he was walking somewhat odd like arched and was no longer running but hobbling fast. So now I'm thinking not a cold maybe an injury. By tuesday evening, he was so bad I thought he was dying on me so I began to call more vets and got a hold of one who would take him. So I rushed him over. I explained everything and even showed the vet tech how he seemed wobbly. The vet tried to do an exam on him (quite comical) but she concluded that he may just be coming down w/ a cold and him not eating is what's making him sluggish. So she prescribed some antibiotics. By wed. he actually seemed perkier. I even got him to nibble on veggies and drink some water. I was thinking we were out of the woods. But thurs he started to go downhill again and by thurs night I knew that the outcome wasn't going to be good. He wanted no parts of coming out of his cage. He would slowly go to his hut and not come out. I even found he was sleeping in weird positions like his back and side.
So to make this long story short (impossible) I woke up 6:30 this morning and came in and found him pretty lifeless but he was breathing shallow. I opened the cage, removed his hut, took my hand and rubbed his head and he took his final breath. I cried tears bc it's as if he waited for me. Why would I wake up that early??
He was only about 4 mos old. According to petsmart he was 8-10 weeks when i got him. I am so sad. I never thought a hamster would impact my life but it did. I did everything I was supposed to and despite my efforts he still passed away.

He was not sniffling or sneezing which makes me believe something more happened. The best way I could describe him in the last 3 days is "special" he just seemed to lose everything about him and didn't know what to - it's something I'd expect from an old hamster but not a young one

I just keep trying to figure it out and I will probably never know what happened to him but I feel I need to so I can prepare myself better next time if I decide to go get another. I feel like I let him down.

humfry · 06-14-2014, 01:23 AM

I once lost a Syrian ham - Harry - at a similar age. One day he was fine, next a bit lethargic & then he was gone - found him curled up in his nest & he had not even waited for me to say goodbye.

It is very sad for you, but try to recall that you gave him a lovely life even if it was short. I think we feel so responsible for the well-being of our hams because they are so small & dependent on us. Hopefully Stewie can share his place in your heart with another little ham in future when you feel ready. And age is no barrier to us humans - I got my first one when I was 30, & here I am 30 years later just decided to get another after a gap of 10 years.

Stewball · 06-15-2014, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humfry

I once lost a Syrian ham - Harry - at a similar age. One day he was fine, next a bit lethargic & then he was gone - found him curled up in his nest & he had not even waited for me to say goodbye.

It is very sad for you, but try to recall that you gave him a lovely life even if it was short. I think we feel so responsible for the well-being of our hams because they are so small & dependent on us. Hopefully Stewie can share his place in your heart with another little ham in future when you feel ready. And age is no barrier to us humans - I got my first one when I was 30, & here I am 30 years later just decided to get another after a gap of 10 years.

Thanks. I think its bc l dont have kids is why l fullfill my life with animals. Your words of encouragement mean alot. I do try to focus on the life l gave him but some things still make me cry. Like his fav stuffed pig that whenever he was running around my bed he always curled up next to it to go to sleep. l miss him so much. I have thought about getting another. But not quite ready. Need time to get over my Stewie first. It was so nice the vet called fri to check on him. When l told her he passed she was so upset to hear.

**DrKMcK** · 06-17-2014, 03:42 AM

I am not sure what happened to him but I am so sorry you lost Stewie so soon. I don't know if it was his bedding as he'd been on it for some time already. What I can say is that if you get another hammy, you now have a vet available who works with small pets and was caring enough to check in on him. So often there's a mad scramble to find a vet when an animal is already sick. With these small ones time can be very important. I usually bring a new hammy to my vet to introduce him/her so that the vet knows my ham before any problems crop up. He also does a "well visit" as a baseline. It also makes it easier on me since I know and trust my vet. That vet sounds like a keeper. For sure, even though his life was short, Stewie was loved. Play well little man. You left too soon

.

Teddy001 · 06-17-2014, 05:59 AM

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Stewi. It's hard to know what actually was the cause of his passing. Pine and Cedar shavings are said to not be suitable for hamsters. I could "feel" your emotions, and love for your hammie, but don't beat yourself. May Stewi RIP, and play well over the bridge. xx

humfry · 06-17-2014, 06:18 AM

The pine shavings we can get here in UK are supposedly safe (I have always used them with no problems) as they are unscented, although you can get "flavoured" ones but I would not buy those for a ham.

Teddy001 · 06-17-2014, 09:51 AM

I'm not sure where Cedar & Pine shavings are toxic for hammies, but I've heard horrific stories, from (USA) ham owners, that have had very ill hammies, that suffered very badly, due to using Pine shavings. I'm glad pine is not toxic in the UK. What do they do to make it safe for hammies?

humfry · 06-17-2014, 10:03 AM

I read that Cedar has a high oil content which can cause respiratory problems. The pine shavings & woodchips sold here in pet stores are from manufacturers who make them especially for animals. Avoid shavings leftover from woodworking DIY activities or from wood yards as they might have preservative.

Stewball · 06-18-2014, 05:14 AM

You would think anything they sell in stores would be safe. My vet said some hammys are never bothered by bit while others are. I only bought it bc thats what petsmart used and it was their brand. He did fine. But as soon as l got the Kaytee brand and opened it l could tell the scent was stronger but just figured it was bc it was a much bigger bag.

I am just upset bc it scares me to get another and have something happen again since we are not certain what took his little life so soon. I feel bad but know he is a happy hamster again.Everytime l see his pic my heart breaks for him to come back. I know over time it will get easier but its still fresh in.my mind. This was my handsome guy

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...kie/stewie.jpg

ashleynchl · 06-18-2014, 08:53 AM

I am so sorry to hear about your little guy. I bought a hamster from a place called Pet Supermarket back in April and he ended up passing away a little over a week after I got him. I think he might have been sick when I bought him but he didn't start showing serious signs of illness until about 3 days before his passing. There are 3 different vets offices in my town and none of them would see him. The pet store told me that I could bring him back and they would "dispose of him" properly. I am not sure what that meant, but I knew he didn't deserve to be "disposed of". The day he died, he died in my hands...loved. It was heartbreaking to watch him go, though. It's crazy how attached we get, even after such a short amount of time. I was nervous to get a new hamster because I didn't want to watch another one get sick and die, but I did end up getting a new one (a black bear hamster) a little over a week ago and I am so glad I did. They truly are amazing little animals.