Hamster breathing fast while sleeping

NickNack · 01-06-2021, 07:05 PM

Hey Everyone,

I have a Djungarian named Nick Nack and recently he has been very normal except when he sleeps he breathes pretty fast. I have a vet appointment set but the soonest they could get me in was 1/21. Just to ease my anxiety I figured I’d ask here.

Any insight is welcome!

Ria P · 01-07-2021, 11:57 AM

Hi and welcome to HC!

Does your hamster normally breath at a lower rate?

Pebbles82 · 01-07-2021, 12:36 PM

Hello. How old is your hammy? This kind of thing can happen with age.

NickNack · 01-07-2021, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Hi and welcome to HC!

Does your hamster normally breath at a lower rate?

Looking back at videos he seems like he’s always been kind of fast, he also has been active and drinking water, eating, running etc. I’m wondering maybe if he is cold?

NickNack · 01-07-2021, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Hello. How old is your hammy? This kind of thing can happen with age.

Tough to say, I adopted him in September of 2020 so he could be anywhere from 5-7 months old? He is still very bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Ria P · 01-08-2021, 12:17 PM

Have you been able to compare his breathing with other previous hamsters you have had?

I would have thought that being cold would slow everything down rather than speed up.

How come that you are able to observe him while he is asleep? Does he not sleep in his nest in a house or buried under lots of substrate?

I have six hamsters and wouldn't be able to tell how fast they breathe when they're asleep because they're all warm and cozy in their nests and out of sight.

NickNack · 01-09-2021, 10:44 AM

I had a robo before him and they both seemed pretty fast, but the robo died from tumors so suddenly I think I’ve been a little paranoid with Nick Nack. He would sometimes rest in the corners of his tank after running around a lot so that’s when I observed him. Other than that he usually sleeps in one of his two hideouts and gets very cozy. I was looking at videos from right after we brought him home and it looks like he’s always been a sort of fast boy. I called the vet and they said to monitor, but as long as he is eating, drinking, active, and has no other physical symptoms he should be fine until his check up.