hi, i have a pet hamster and, basically today i went out shopping at around 3pm, its now around 11pm and i just saw a blur of white fur run past, i caught him safely but im worried! his cage must not be secure enough , he escaped hrough two bars which were wider apart than the others. the problem is that i live in a large farm house/restaurant! luckily we had no customers in tonight but i have just had to clean our house/dining areas/kitchen as punishment for being 'irresponsible' (father's words) he says that either the hamster has to go or i have to go with him and that he cant risk our family business for a cute little rodent. i dont earn enough to afford rent where i live so i promised i'd get a more secure cage, lock my bedroom door and get something to block the gap in the bottom of my door.
the main thing im worried about though is that he might have been in many dangers. my room is in one end of the house and to get to the kitchen he would have had to go out the cage, fallen from the shelf to the floor ( the cage is on a stand with shelves and cupboards, there is no way he could have got down unless he jumped, im worried about internal injuries or anything broken?) got out my room, across the landing and down the stairs (our house is VERY old, the steps are steep!) through two large dining rooms into a long corridor and then into the kitchen. even more dangerous than that we have a feral cat we adopted 5 years ago as a kitten when his mum died on the road, he hunts anything that moves and im amazed my hamster hasnt been killed for dinner! we also have two young jack russells which my brother takes ratting every fortnight, i am so happy that he didnt run into them, he would surely have been a goner, but im most worried about the amount of steps and falls he has encountered-how would i know if he had internal injuries? would he show any signs of illness? (eg when i put him back in he ran straight to his water and had a drink, then went into his bed, he's making little sneezy noises and im really worried he'll die, my mum says im over reacting and he looks fine, he certainly seems himself, he came out a few minutes ago to raid his food bowl and hide it in his log toy, he does it every night, but this time he's still sneezing, what if his lungs are damaged? or they're filling up with blood? shhould i watch out for any limps or bruises?
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
i work full time, long hours and monday is my last day off now until sunday comes around, it would be too late for him to see a vet by then and my mum isnt able to take him, my dad could but wont. he hates my hamster and wants him dead.
could he have injuries which arent apparent now but will get steadily worse as time progresses? i know he seems fine at the moment but animals are good at hiding signs of pain arent they, is there anything i should ewatch out for? should i leave him alone tonight or get him out to check him over?
The good news is that hamsters are physically tough as nails. They can put up with A LOT of physical trials without being any worse for wear. I've seen hamsters jump down an entire flight up steps, landing on their face with each jump and being just fine. If something is wrong with him, you'll be able to notice it right away.
It sounds like he's carrying on with healthy behavior so I wouldn't be too concerned. I would be very careful with keeping him in the cage since it does seem like there are a lot of hazards about. They're great at hiding though, so it's no surprise to me that he avoided the cat and dogs.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com If you're very worried, you should simply watch him for at least a half hour and make sure he's acting normally. If you see him limping, sneezing, coughing, or washing his mouth or nose more than ever, keep a close eye on him for the week to come. Vets often can't do a lot for small animals if there aren't very obvious symptoms, so unless something is seriously wrong, don't bother bringing him in.
More than likely he's just gone for a rough little adventure, but he'll be just fine in time. Try and relax about his health, and be more worried about finding a way to secure his cage for the future. Regards,
Hamster's are very funny little animals
I am sure he will be fine, My Old hamster Star (lived to the age of 4) Fell from the top of her cage to the wooden floor i didnt find her till the next morning and she was fine, she didnt have a broken leg , but if you leave the hamster this will cure itself,
Hamsters can take ALOT of pain more than any human, I Am sure he will be fine tho, if you are still worried take him to the vet in the morning,
