My hamster has died?

Question

i have only had her since last summer and found her laying still this morning, i was told at the store they live for around 2 1/12 years
im so upset it was my first pet, i know it sounds stupid 23 and crying over a pet but i loved that little thing,
i had to go out while my boyfriend sorted it out i just couldnt do it
why did she die so suddenly?
i fed her right cleaned her out properly gave her all the toys she could ever want

bootang you are an idiot, and anyone else who says summit nasty why bother answering if you just going to tkae the mick if you wanna laugh go to the jokes section i like a joke same as everyone but thers atime and place for it d.i.c.k

Answer 1

This is a question you'll probably never have the answer to. Could have been so many things. I doubt it was anything you did or didn't do. All you can say is you loved that little girl, cared well for her and she had a good life with you. Your best is what you have to offer. You did a fine job! Get another and spoil that one just like you did this one!

Answer 2

I'm really really sorry about your hamster- you're not stupid for crying about a hamster when you're 23- I'm 28 and one of mine died just before Christmas, and I was really genuinely upset and I cried loads. People think you can't get attached to hamsters and gerbils and pets like that in the same way you can a cat or dog but that's not true. They have their own little personalities and ways about them, and things that they do, and you see them and care for them every day and they become a part of your life as much as anything else.
Hamsters do live an average of about 2- 2 1/2 years but sometimes they don't and there isn't always an obvious reason. A couple that I've had in the past have just gone like that, when they haven't been ill or anything. You clearly really cared about her so I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong. People buy hamsters and forget about them, or get bored by them and dump them at animal shelters all the time but you gave her a nice, happy life, so I hope you feel better soon.

Answer 3

its perfectly normal to be upset, im upset if anything happens to my animals too, pets are apart of the family, it doesn't matter how old you are, pets are your loved ones, and its upsetting to see them go, but im sorry it suddenly passed away. As long as you know she had a happy loving life and got everything she needed, then just keep hold of the memories you had with your little hamster, some live shorter lives than 2 1/2 years, for different reasons, Abscesses: these are pockets of infection caused by scratches and cuts, Respiratory Infections: hamsters can get respiratory infections that can lead to pneumonia. Signs include sneezing, discharge from eyes or nose, wheezing ,Wet Tail: also called proliferative ileitis and regional enteritis. This is a highly contagious disease, and most common in recently weaned hamsters. The cause is uncertain, but a bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni may be involved, and in some cases the disease is associated with stress, crowding, and diet changes. Affected hamsters may die very quickly, hope this helped your question, once again sorry about your loss

Answer 4

I sympathise with you I had 2 of my pet rats put to sleep (due to tumour's) Friday and I also cried I'm 23 as well and even my mum was in tears and she is in her 50s the girls were well loved so that's what i focused on and it helped me get over their death. It is hard when you lose a pet no matter what size or age and how they died, Your hamster could have been around 1 year old when you got her because some pet shops do lie. If you plan on getting another small pet I would like to suggest getting a male Rat or 2 they are wicked animals and so intelligent and loving & they can live up to 3 or 4 1/2 years old and unlike the female rats they rearly get tumors. My oldest male rat is 1 year and the only time he was sick (he had a small cold) was when he was 4 wks old due to been removed from his mum to soon and he has never been ill since him and my other 2 boys have never been ill iver and they love nothing more than a cuddle and kiss.

Answer 5

Awww! the same thing happened to us with my daughters hamster and she is 23 as well, she was on holiday at the time and i was looking after Mitzi, she was well looked after and a beautiful little thing. The problem is you never know how old a hamster is when you buy them from a pet shop. Please get another we did in fact we got 2 from the local pet shop, 2 girls or so we thought babies were born Christmas Eve 2006 and i have found good homes for them apart from 1 that was born with only 3 legs, he is staying here he's called 3p.So with so much love give another hamster a home. Oh! and good for you answering back some of the morons who answer these questions with stupid answers.

Answer 6

I'm sorry for your loss. Crying over a hamster isn't silly at all. Anyone who says pets are disposable, no matter what pet, based on their size, intractability, or price is just heartless.

Did you notice any illness? Wet tail is hamster diarrhea and can be deadly if not treated. If you used pine, cedar, or any wood shaving for bedding, it could have caused an allergic reaction, or if you used any of those or corn cob, it could have been from respiratory infection or complications. Those are the first things that come to mind, but they're susceptible to so many things. http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/MNAALAS/Hamsters.html#Disease is a link I found just browsing for info for you, but there are so many possibilities, it's best you check them out for yourself.

It could have also been a diet thing, where you can look up the dietary needs farther up on the page. Most hamster foods are plain old seeds or colourful seeds (which are pointless since hamsters have such terrible vision to begin with), which lead to obesity. When my hamster of almost 3 years died in my brother's care, he told me he wouldn't leave his bed for two days before his death. Why he wasn't taken to a vet, I'm not sure... But what's done is done. You can take the body to a vet to see if they can do a postmortem check, see if organs were failing or anything.

Answer 7

Are you sure of her age when you got her? She might've been in the pet shop a while, so older than you thought.

They are funny little things with very fast heart rates - they 'live fast, die young'! Hamsters can 'go' without any warning & while seemingly healthy.

It is normal to mourn when a pet dies - of course you will feel upset, so don't feel bad about that, allow yourself time to get over it.The best remedy is, in time, to get another one, but I would recommend getting one that looks different.

Re your first answerer, please don't worry she might just have been hibernating - if your room was a fairly constant temperature, and the cage wasn't in a draught, it's unlikely she went into hibernation. I've heard that if they do they can sometimes die because they haven't got the body fat reserves to see them through.

Answer 8

its not wrong to cry...its still a pet, I cry if my fish die...you have to think about how old the hamster was when you bought it...it may not have been a new born then and sometimes things just happen that way. I'm sorry for your loss...just a suggestion, I bought two fancy rats for my children, I know they sound gross, but they are THE BEST pets ever. My daughter has taught them how to do tricks and play hide n seek. They are so clean and funny and really are the best pets we have ever had...

Answer 9

You will live and learn about pets...did you provide a mate for him or her. It could have been bored with his solitary life. The pet shop dealer could have given you a older one. It's lifespan could have been shortened Your friend could have given something it did'nt like. The other facts I could tell you is that...if you had a breeding pair and they had babies put the babies in a separate cage. I knew some that had hamster babies. hamsters have strong jaws and very sharp teeth. They like to eat hard peanuts and they sometimes store them in pouches in their mouths including the babies .Hamster adults dont make good parents. The next day all the babies were dead. Their heads had been bitten off....why is that.....they wanted the babies peanuts as well and the only way the parents could get them is to bite their heads off.

Answer 10

My sympathies for your loss. I don't think it's stupid at all. There is no age limited on caring about animals. Sadly hamsters like many small animals are very vulnerable to a variety of things and can die very suddenly. Remember 18 months is just an average, it's not guarenteed. It wasn't anything you did wrong.