He had a great home, pleanty of food & water. I noticed he was very slow moving when we got him but I had no idea he was sick. His slow movement was the only symptom he showed. Does anybody know what it could have been? What kills a hamster who looks fine, just moves really slow and deliberate?
2006-11-16 03:34:41 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Looking at you other qusetion shows that you bought two at the same time and this is a no no for hamsters, they need to be housed singly. Perhaps the other one was the more dominant one and kept him away from the food and water. Please go back to the store you got them from and ask about how they should be kept.
2006-11-16 03:58:28 · answer #1 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be the stress of the new home. It could be he wasn't that healthy to begin with.
I know it's a long shot, but is there any chance it was something in his environment? What kind of food was he getting, and was it free of contaminants? Was his cage cleaned with anything that might've left a toxic residue? Was his water bottle new and clean?
To avoid this from happening again:
- try to get your next hamster from a good breeder, not a petshop
- minimize the stress on him the first few days. Make your kids resist the urge to keep picking him up, chasing him around the cage, or moving his hideout. Make sure he does have some place he can hide in for safety.
- hamsters need vet care like any other animal. Take him to the vet the moment you think he is a little "off". Don't wait ... in an animal that small every day counts.
2006-11-16 05:26:03 · answer #2 · answered by Funchy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most pet stores have at LEAST a 7 day guarantee on their pets (including fish, reptiles & rodents). The larger chains often have a 14day or longer guarantee. You might at least see if they'll replace the animal for free. If the next one dies, you'll know the petshop does not have good hamsters... but it could have just been a sickly one and maybe nobody noticed. Hamsters typically sleep during the day, so it would be easy to miss if the only symptom was slow movement. Good luck.
2006-11-16 04:55:49 · answer #3 · answered by kittikatti69 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a vet but I would suggest taking him back to where you bought him cause there should at least be a 9-10 day window for you to return him for a new hamster or a refund, and i would suggest a refund (and get a new hamster elsewhere) because I've noticed with small animals like that if one in the cage is sick they all tend to be sick or get sick! Good Luck!!
2006-11-16 03:39:30 · answer #4 · answered by jillybean 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I breed hamster for a living. There are a few creeping illnesses that come along to claim the beloved hamster. One of the ones I come across more often is "wet tail". Once this is noticed it is very often too late for the poor critter. When we have an outbreak in our "pens". We immediately quarantine the whole "pen" then we separate the animals in the pen to degrees of notability. We remove the obviously infected to non-infected into their own pens and then we watch to see what is wrong. From what you described it sounds as if yours might of suffered from Hisotriafluima it is not that uncommon in hamsters quite prevalent in gerbils and mice. Shop a different store as this is a very transmittable disease.
2006-11-16 04:31:30 · answer #5 · answered by Casca 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Age could have been a factor. I have had four hamsters over the course of my childhood, and all of them died of cancer and old age as well as developing blindness. We took my first hamster to the vet and he said that hamsters only live a few years and it is extremely common for them to develop cancer and blindness. My hamsters eyes got cloudy and we noticed little moles on his skin. Also, the hamsters moved like elderly humans. The vet said it is normal and common. Perhaps you got a hamster that was at the end of his time.
2006-11-16 03:44:33 · answer #6 · answered by Big Biscuit 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its too hard to tell with that kind of pet it could have beento stressed in the move or sick befor you get him was he moving alot at the pet store dont blame yourself too much thesse things happen but since you got the whole set up cheer up and try again just at a differnt store maybe and ask them questoins about age and where their from
2006-11-16 05:38:16 · answer #7 · answered by pamalishious 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Was his cage near a window or a door with a cold draft? I remember my hamsters being very temperature sensitive.
If not, it could have been a number of things - a parasite, disease, etc.
PS were you sure he was indeed dead? hamsters can go into a 'slumper' like sleep sometimes as a survival mode. I'm not making fun, I've seen this before, once, I thought one of my hamsters was dead, but he wasn't.
2006-11-16 03:38:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
those kind of pets are really fragile. he could have had something wrong with him before you got him. i had gerbils when i was a kid and we must have had at least 4 or 5 because they didn't stick around too long...i'm sure you were taking care of it fine. time for a new one!
only other thing i can think of--make sure it's not too hot or too cold. they are sensitive to that kind of thing.
2006-11-16 03:38:06 · answer #9 · answered by KJC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're not supposed to touch him for at least a week after you get him. Something about the move to a new place that they have to adjust to.
2006-11-16 03:44:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋