Pain Signs

Portuguesehamstermom · 03-09-2022, 02:56 AM

Hello, everyone
My russian hamster has recently turned one year and a half.
She is my first hamster so I´m still feeling like a new mom even though I have her for more than a year.
I´m from Portugal and here there isn´t a lot of veterinarians that take hamsters. As much I would like to take my hamster to the vet more often, I can´t since it´s far away and the trip may be stressful for her.
So I would like some advice when it comes to knowing if she is okay or if I need to take her to the vet...
She is starting to get closer to being a senior hamster and I can't find information about knowing if she is in any kind of pain. Do you know any signs I should be looking for?
Thank you

cloudy · 03-09-2022, 02:13 PM

Hello and welcome. I am new myself and yet to have a hamster. Other members will reply and offer advice but I just wanted to say hello.

Ria P · 03-09-2022, 02:28 PM

Hi and welcome to HC!

Signs of pain are a hunched posture and flat ears. Hamsters sleep with folded ears but they perk up when awake and active.

What you need to watch out for in russian dwarf hamsters are tumors so i'd do a health check more often now. At 18 month hamsters can start to show signs of aging and some slow down, sleep more and use their wheels less.

Why do you say that you would like to take her to the vet more often? Is she showing signs of illness?

I only take my hamsters to the vet when there is a medical reason or at least a suspected one but don't take them for check ups.

Portuguesehamstermom · 03-10-2022, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Hi and welcome to HC!

Signs of pain are a hunched posture and flat ears. Hamsters sleep with folded ears but they perk up when awake and active.

What you need to watch out for in russian dwarf hamsters are tumors so i'd do a health check more often now. At 18 month hamsters can start to show signs of aging and some slow down, sleep more and use their wheels less.

Why do you say that you would like to take her to the vet more often? Is she showing signs of illness?

I only take my hamsters to the vet when there is a medical reason or at least a suspected one but don't take them for check ups.

Thank you for the advice, she is doing fine. I'm just worried that she eventually wouldn't be and I would not be able to notice it.
I've been checking for tumors but it's hard since I'm in college and my boyfriend is scared of picking her up. I get to see her once a week so she isnt very trained when it comes to be still enough in my hand so I can check.
I have to start to train my boyfriend to be able to pick her up hahaha

Ria P · 03-10-2022, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Portuguesehamstermom

I have to start to train my boyfriend to be able to pick her up hahaha

Good luck with that, lol.

On a more serious note, i think you would know should your hamster fall ill and show signs of pain, even though they are good at hiding it.

We get quite attached and tuned in to our hamsters so would notice a change in behaviour. I understand why you worry though and was the same with my first hamster but your confidence in caring for your hamster will grow.
You could ask your boyfriend to send you whatsapp videos of your hamster when you are away at college so you can keep an eye on her.

Pebbles82 · 03-10-2022, 01:19 PM

Agree you will probably know if she's in pain. They are very good at hiding it. But as mentioned above sitting hunched or ears down all the time is a sign of pain. Another sign is "slitty eyes" - a kind of drawn look on the face as if their eyes are pulled back a bit and looking at a slitty angle. (My vet told me that and said it's a recent thing they've discovered).

All the while your hamster is having normal behaviours and enjoying life there's no real need to take them to the vet - just let them enjoy their lives. But it's a good idea to have one lined up because they can develop issues as they get older and may need pain relief prescribed. If an older hamster gets a tumour then pain relief and seeing how they go is a usual process - but they may get to the point where the pain relief isn't enough and they need to be pts. And for that you need a vet.

Even if it's a long distance (how long?) I think you should check out exotic vets, choose one you get a feel for being agood one (read individual descriptions of the vets in the practice and phone them and ask if they use gas anaesthesia during euthanasia). I wouldn't use a vet that doesn't use gas first - ie puts them asleep before they have the injection.

Sorry if that's a bit too much information, but there can be times when it's a bit of an emergency if they're in a lot of pain and the kindest thing then is to rush them to the vets to be pts.

A hamster is fine travelling in a pet carrier for a couple of hours.

Portuguesehamstermom · 03-10-2022, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Agree you will probably know if she's in pain. They are very good at hiding it. But as mentioned above sitting hunched or ears down all the time is a sign of pain. Another sign is "slitty eyes" - a kind of drawn look on the face as if their eyes are pulled back a bit and looking at a slitty angle. (My vet told me that and said it's a recent thing they've discovered).

All the while your hamster is having normal behaviours and enjoying life there's no real need to take them to the vet - just let them enjoy their lives. But it's a good idea to have one lined up because they can develop issues as they get older and may need pain relief prescribed. If an older hamster gets a tumour then pain relief and seeing how they go is a usual process - but they may get to the point where the pain relief isn't enough and they need to be pts. And for that you need a vet.

Even if it's a long distance (how long?) I think you should check out exotic vets, choose one you get a feel for being agood one (read individual descriptions of the vets in the practice and phone them and ask if they use gas anaesthesia during euthanasia). I wouldn't use a vet that doesn't use gas first - ie puts them asleep before they have the injection.

Sorry if that's a bit too much information, but there can be times when it's a bit of an emergency if they're in a lot of pain and the kindest thing then is to rush them to the vets to be pts.

A hamster is fine travelling in a pet carrier for a couple of hours.

Thank you
I already told my boyfriend the signs you all told me.
Even though he is afraid to touch her he will be more alert to any pain signs.
She is doing fine by now, still full of energy
I only pretend to go to the vet in case of an emergency or a big difference in her behavior. Unfortunately even the exotic vets here rarely take hamsters, but I will try to find one as close as I'm able to

Pebbles82 · 03-11-2022, 04:58 AM

Yes. We all hope that when they go it is peacefully in their sleep in their cage - which in itself can be a shock if they’re just gone in the morning. But unfortunately this doesn’t always happen and when it’s clear they are really suffering (or taking a long time to die and suffering) then the kindest thing is to help them on their way and this can only legally and humanely be done by a vet. Believe me I looked into possibilities of home euthanasia at one time and it clearly convinced me that it is not possible to do safely and humanely.

I hope you can find an exotic vet who has some experience of hamsters abd has a policy of using gas anaesthesia first.

As well as pain signs, another sign they are suffering is when they become unable to do normal hamstery things like actually being able to walk far enough to get food or stop eating and drinking.

There is a certain amount you can do to make it easier for them for a while - like remove and shelves or ladders, keep everything at floor level and move the food bowl and water bottle closer to their nest. Some just keep going and still come out for food and water until they just can’t any more and then you know they’ve had enough (this is when they are old - if younger you’d need a diagnosis and treatment).

The other reason to find a vet just in case is they can have diseases or emergencies that need antibiotics or pain relief (eg an abscess or eye problem ). Then it’s a welfare issue.

Just wondering if there are any online vet services who could point you in the direction of a practice in your region. Even if a vet isn’t particularly hamster experienced they will know enough about the euthanasia process if needed. And you should be able to ask them to do gas anaesthesia.