Older Hamster Care

[miltonsmom]

Hello, my hamster Milton is a bit older now and has gotten somewhat wobbly when he walks and has become less active and enthusiatic about going out of his nest since he stumbles in his cage with paper bedding. He is less wobbly and more active though when i take him out of his cage for walks on the tile floor. My vet has advised to give him 3 supplements and baby food. How much baby food do I give him? I also tried mashing vegetables for him to eat but am worried certain vegetables may worse his condition (example: high uric acid, high sugar). Which ones and how much should i give him? He still has a healthy appetite for foods epsecially sweet ones but less of water in general unless it has some flavor. Should i take most of the bedding instead to give him a flatter surface to walk around in? I tried flattening the paper bedding a few times but he likes ruffling it up once in a while which makes the bedding uneven for him to walk on.

[Jeir]

Caring for elderly pets is always hard, especially when they seem to be 'old' for a long time. You can look at this page on the wiki for ideas for looking after little Milton.

Cage: Remove any higher levels/shelves, if applicable. Lower levels, like the tops of houses and the like, are fine, and are needed to help him stay interested in his surroundings. Keep flattening the bedding; the fact he fluffs it up again just shows he's still interested in being active, although in a gentler way.

Babyfood: about a teaspoon every 2 days, alongside his normal mix. Make sure you avoid any that have tomato or anything from the onion family (onion, garlic, leek). You can also give porridge and hardboiled egg for softer, healthy foods. While some people here might disagree with my choice, I've been giving my hamsters the Aptamil Multigrain porridge every 1-2 weeks, due to porridge being good for them, and that this one is full of extra vitamins. They love it, and my previous syrian lived in good health for 32 months, so it didn't seem to do any harm.

Veggies: Offer cucumber for the water content, and if you need to avoid very sweet veggies, look at the recommendations for diabetic hamsters, although I note that part of it conflicts with the safe/unsafe food lists (potatoes that are cooked are safe, for instance). Some people have said that blueberries and a small amount of apple is okay for them as well, despite the sugar content.