Poorly Hamster

[Babyboonie]

My 3 year old hamster, Harriet, has suddenly become very poorly overnight. I went to her this morning and she was breathing very fast and looks very sleepy. I have my worries that she is very old for a hammy and that this is possibly the beginning of the end. I don't know what to do for her, I've tried giving her a tiny piece of grape (her favourite) and she doesn't want to know, she's not drinking and she looks unhappy. As it is Easter weekend, my local vet isn't open and our emergency vet is miles away...has anyone got any suggestions on what I can do?

[Whisk_Luva]

Look on the internet see if ou can find her syptoms and how to help... but it might just be old age, she is 3..

[Christmas_Hamster]

I would just make her as comfortable as possible. She has a lived a long happy life. Three years is very old for a hamster. Just keep her happy and comfortable.

[Babyboonie]

Thank you for your replies. 3 years is old for a hammy and she is currently still hanging in there. I have made her as comfortable as possible but am concerned that she still isn't eating or drinking and is also still breathing rapidly. I did some research on the internet but didn't really find much useful information apart from that her symptoms show she may have suffered a stroke. At the moment I don't think she is going to make it through the night...but she is a little fighter, so I have my fingers crossed.

[Whisk_Luva]

If she has had a stroke I would drive those miles to the emergancy vet, it might be the only way she will survive.

[Christmas_Hamster]

May I ask what kind of shavings and bedding you are using? If it is pine, cedar, sawdust or some sort of scented shavings you really should get it out of her cage right away. These shavings can cause respiratory and skin problems. If you cannot get to a petstore right away toilet paper will work just fine.

If it is a stroke then you may want to take the trip to the emergency vet.

[Babyboonie]

To be honest, I don't think she has had a stroke - or believe me I would have taken her to the emergency vet pretty pronto! Although she has the heavy breathing and sleepiness, there were quite a few other symptoms listed that she isn't showing.

She decided to try and eat some of her food last night and I managed to get her to drink some water. Because of this she seems a little brighter this morning - and her breathing doesn't seem quite as heavy.

I do use sawdust as a ground cover for her home, but I always buy the dust extracted, non-scented stuff. Her bedding is shredded paper, again dust free and non scented. The only thing I have done differently is move her home. As she is getting on, she seems to be suffering with the cold more, so I have moved her to a slightly warmer part of the house....although not much warmer as I was concerned about heat stroke. Apart from, that everything is the same.

Unfortunately I do believe that she is just getting old and at the moment she doesn't seem to be in any pain. The moment that changes or her symptoms get worse....it will definately be a trip to the vet.

[Christmas_Hamster]

If it is pine or cedar it wouldn't matter how dusty the bedding was it is the phenols from the shavings.

[Whisk_Luva]

How is she doing today?

[Babyboonie]

Thought i'd sign in and give an update on Harriet seeing as though you've been kind enough to offer advice. I went to her first thing this morning (dreading it as I have done every morning for the last couple of days) and thankfully she was still going strong....and actually seemed a lot brighter. She had eaten some more of her food overnight and her water bottle level had gone down which was a positive sign. She even decided to get out of her bed and go the top of her home...where she normally sits when she gets her treats!

Her breathing had settled down quite a bit and she just generally looked a lot better in herself, so I am wondering wether she had picked up a cold - especially as my husband has been poorly with the flu.

I checked the sawdust bag and unfortunately the part with the description label had been cut away (we buy BIG bags as we also use it for the two rabbits and two guinea pigs). However, as it is getting low I will definately check out the content more when I go to buy the next lot in a couple of days time.

Thank you for all your help, it is appreciated. I just hope she is now on the mend and will continue to stay with me for a while longer.

[Christmas_Hamster]

I am glad she is doing much better