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Old 05-25-2023, 06:37 PM   #1
Moss
 
Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 1
Exclamation Hamster Health Question!

On may 13, 2023 Cheddar (syrian) fell from the second floor of my house. I have him in the Rubbermaid Roughneck Jumbo Storage Box and he managed to push the tissue box that i was using as a hide (im a broke college student so i make do with cardboard enrichment) and climbed into the little handle holes and chewed through the plastic. I'm not sure how long he was out before he fell, I only heard the impact of him hitting floor before I realized it was him.

I took him to the vet ER right afterwards and they told me his left hind leg was broken and the only thing I could do for him was either put him down or give him antibiotics and hope he healed on his own. I went with the antibiotic option and he seemed to have gotten better. He's dragging both back legs though and I'm not sure why, but the last two days he seems to be trying to use his feet so I'm assuming that means its healing ok.

The last 2 weeks he hasn't really wanted to come out, I have had to push the bedding aside and wake him up myself and hand feed him food and water. And I noticed he's stopped cleaning himself. His entire bottom half is wet and I want to clean it but I'm not sure how to go about it.

Is there any advice anyone could give me? I'm not sure if its too early to handle him since he still isn't using his legs 100% but I don't want to leave him drenched in his own pee and possibly get an infection.
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Old 05-28-2023, 07:44 AM   #2
SyrianDream
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Join Date: Apr 2023
Posts: 30
Default Re: Hamster Health Question!

Sorry about what happened to your hamster. I wouldn't handle him for now if it were me, and I'll remove the platforms and wheels. For now, don't use food bowls or water bowls that are too high for him; I would probably just put the food on the floor near his nest, and the same goes for the water bottle and put velcro tape so that you can adjust the height accordingly where doesn't have to stand while drinking. I'd put it near his nest, too. I hope he will recover soon.
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Old 05-29-2023, 07:37 AM   #3
souffle
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Location: Yorkshire, UK but my heart lies in Scotland!
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Default Re: Hamster Health Question!

This does sound like he has no control of his legs or bladder indicating a damaged spine. I really would take him back to the vets if he is so wet. He will suffer urine burns and the skin will break down. You have given him a chance but he really does sound to be very disabled and is not getting the use of his back end back. It's a hard choice to make but you need to consider his life quality now.
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Old 05-29-2023, 11:03 PM   #4
Lemon
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Join Date: Jul 2020
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Default Re: Hamster Health Question!

There’s a chance he’s not cleaning himself because it hurts the broken leg to bend down that way to clean it. He might be sleeping a lot to heal the injury and because it hurts him so he doesn’t feel like getting up

When I was a kid I had a hamster who sprained a back leg and wouldn’t walk on it for a couple weeks, so a broken leg is probably gonna be considerably longer

I wouldn’t pick him up but you could try gently wiping the dirty area with a damp paper towel maybe once a day if you can reach it without hurting him. Also bring the food and water close to him so he doesn’t have to walk on the leg a lot to reach them

If you think it’s really hurting him, there is pain medication you can get for hamsters in very small doses. You could ask the vet if that’s an option too

Did the vet say how badly his leg was broken? And can they or any other vet do anything to help it heal faster, like immobilizing it for a few weeks? I know that’s done sometimes but isn’t always an option

Hope he feels better

Last edited by Lemon; 05-30-2023 at 01:16 AM.
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