I have an 8 month old short haired hamster that isn't acting like herself.
This worries me because for the first time since i've had her, i changed the kind of bedding she uses last week. The hamster I had before her died a horrible, agonizing death because of a green hamster bedding.
THIS BEDDING IS NOT THE SAME AS THE KIND THAT KILLED MY LAST HAMSTER.
My last hamster showed early symptoms of twitches, which later lead to full out spasms that caused her to scream and throw herself around the bin we kept her in for the last 2 nights of her life.
She also made odd noises and stared intently for hours at a time, which was completely different from her normal personality.
This hamster is showing signs of staring, and also has been scratching and itching a lot more than normal.
I don't know if I am just nervous because I know what happened last time I changed my hamsters bedding brand, or if she is showing early signs of what my previous hamster had ..
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
I do know that I, and my family, cannot watch this hamster suffer like the last one.
That has hard enough for all of us, but I've developed a much closer bond with this hamster, and refuse to let her die like my last one did.
What can I do to make sure she does not have the same illness? Or to keep her from getting worse?
If I take her to a small animal vet, what can they do for her?
Please help .. I can't lose her yet.
She's still my baby!
I don't agree with what the other poster said. I do think you should take her to a vet, if at all possible. It will cost between fifty to a hundred dollars, depending on if you just go for a check, end up getting medicine or a surgery, etc. Hamsters go to my vet office all the time and I often bring my rodents to the vet. If just depends on the animal hospital you visit and if they accept exotic animals . Call or email them in advance to ask.
Here's information about hamster seizures:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6742114_hamste ... pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
You can feed her things like cranberries, baby food, and tiny pieces of soy products. It's good for them when they're sick. Make sure she has a lot of water, by the way.
I thank you for your kindness to this little being and I wish you the best of luck with her.
The vet will not do anything for your hamster. If you beg them they might do an examination and then charge you a lot of money for it. I have some friends who work as vet techs and they hate it when people bring hamsters in. Mostly because they cannot do anything with a hamster. I would avoid changing the bedding all the time. I used regular shavings and my hamsters have always been comfortable in them. I would always put Kleenex in the cage, because they love to tear them up and sleep with them. Just make sure that you are feeding it the right food, and not stressing it out. Hamsters can die very quickly if they are stressed. Don't poke your face in at her every 10 minutes. Also, keep her somewhere quiet and let her sleep during the day. Make sure she has enough room in the cage with a wheel. I bought one of those balls, and later in the evening I would let my hamsters run around the house in their balls. They really like space and freedom, not tight cages. Make sure you feed her the pelleted food, not the seeds. They also like bits of hay, vegetables, fruit, etc ... You can also buy vitamin drops to add to the water. Check her butt to, because hamsters are very prone to "wet tail", where they have bad diarrhea and die from it. You can buy medicine for it, even though most hamsters will die if it's not noticed right away. Hope some of this helps.
