Hamster Health - Sick Hamster
84Hamsters
Although hamsters are pretty hardy pets, they are very small which means that injuries and illness can quickly become a serious matter. Hamsters are actually pretty good at hiding their illnesses until it's nearly too late, which is why it is important to keep a close eye on any changes in your hamster's regular diet or routine.
If you notice any signs of illness in your hamster, you need to see a veterinarian as quickly as you can.
If you think that your hamster is sick or injured, try to keep it warm. If you notice that it is not eating on its own, encourage it to take food or water by a dropper, until you can see a veterinarian.
Hamster Signs of Illness
- Loss of appetite
- Inactivity
- Huddling in a corner
- Ruffled or unkempt coat
- Sneezing
- Discharge from the nose or eyes
- Wheezing
- Wetness around the tail
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Humped Back
Common Hamster Illnesses
- Abscesses: Pockets of infection that can form from minor breaks in the skin. In many cases abscesses occur in the hamster's cheeks from cuts causes by food. If the hamster looks like it constantly has food in its cheek pouches, it may have an abscess, to which a vet will need to drain.
- Respiratory Infection: Respiratory infections can lead to pneumonia. You should watch for sneezing, discharge from eyes or nose, wheezing and labored breathing. Don't worry about occasional sneezing unless there is loss of appetite, decreased activity, wheezing or difficulties breathing.
- Wet Tail: One of the more common hamster illnesses. It is most commonly caused by stress, crowding, and diet changes. Although, it can be fatal if not noticed soon enough, it is curable. Watch for signs of diarrhea (causing wetness around the tail), lethargy, loss of appetite, humped back, and ruffled coat.
- Diarrhea: Not all hamsters who suffer diarrhea, will have wet tail. The most common cause of diarrhea in hamsters is the overfeeding of fresh vegetables. Unlike Wet Tail, there is not loss of appetite or decreased activity; for the most part the hamster will appear as normal. Do not let diarrhea stay for prolonged periods of time, as dehydration becomes a big concern. You will want to withhold fresh foods for a few days and resume only if the diarrhea is completely resolved; you can start giving fresh produce again but slowly.
- Skin Diseases: Mites, ringworm, allergies, and skin infections, are the most common skin illnesses associated with hamsters. Watch for flakiness or redness of the skin, hair loss, lesions on the skin, or if the hamster appears to be scratching more. In these cases you will want to see a vet to determine the exact cause of the skin concern. Pine and cedar bedding can cause skin irritation, as well as, lung problems, so avoid these beddings.
- Hibernation: Watch the room temperature where the hamster's cage is. If the temperatures fall below normal, the hamster may go into a hibernating state, where they can appear very still and breath slowly. Your hamster is not dead or dying, in this case, but you will want to rewarm the hamster.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. The methods outlined above may or may not work for your pet. If you have any concerns, you should consult a specialized reptile veterinarian.
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my hampster was ok till a few days ago and noe she is just laying around all the time dosent eat and dont drink alot i got the hoyse real cool and i HAD A FAN BLOWING TOWARDS HER CAGE I HOPE I DIDNT MAKE HER SICK
One year is getting old for a hamster. They average abotu 1-2 years. A vet could best diagnose the bump. Is it squishy or hard? It may be a tumor.
My hamster(a chinese dwarf), seems ok however shes drinking alot throughout the day (more than usual) and i've noticed she has a big lump at the top of her back, she only about a year old, i'm a bit worried bout her, any ideas?
Was the worm coming out of the blood? That doesn't make since? Was the hamster bleeding? Or did a worm attach itself to the hamster? The hamster may have parasites. Consider a vet for a fecal.
Otherwise, what does this "worm" look like?
i really neeed help my hamster(male) yesterday morning he was fine i feed him some grapes the =n at night he started to walk so strange then a worm started comming out his blood and it stuck there and he still alive . is taht a worm or not and he was bleeding alot
omg i didnt know any of these signs when my hamster was getting sick now i know thanks
I'm sorry to hear that.
Thanks a lot for the info but unfortunetly Lonely has gone his own way but thanks for the help really apperciate it :)
RIP
Lonely march 27,2009-september 1,2009
It's not really recommended to use dri-tail in the water bottle. It's best used when administering through the syringe that is provided. If the hamster is ill and not drinking, then it's not going to get the recommended dose. Common sense should tell you that.
It could also be age, depending on how old the hamster is. They don't live forever. The heat can definitely kill him, as well.
I'm sorry to hear about this, but when you have a pet everyone in the house needs to be willing to help treat it if it becomes ill. You can't expect to get a pet and it never get sick; sometimes they don't get sick, but you can't go into it thinking it'll never get sick.
Ok i already did and i put it in the water bottle but he is not drinking it and he doesnt eat a lot anymore. He also was very active at night like 2 weeks ago but now he is sleeping day/night and im very scared. I give him a little bit of grapes but dont do much. Also I keep him under a fan cause my mom and dad say to leave him in the garage for the night then i did cause i HAVE to listen to them and dont listen to me so I totally forgot I left him in the garage so when I went to check he had a bald spot a big one so After that he has been in my room for about a week I would say and hes doing ok but im not sure what has happened to him and I know its SUPER hot in the garage but im 13 and I have to listen to my parents and I tried telling my dad that he could have a heat stroke but like I said they dont listen so please help me with this sad problem. :(
Nicolle, if it is wettail, then you need to purchase dri-tail drops to treat it.
ally, how old is the hamster? what is he eating? what is he housed on? how long has he been doing this? it's hard to diagnose or help without more details. Just remember a vet can best diagnose the hamster. Even if i am able to give a suggestion, a vet will be able to 100% diagnose and try to treat it.
i have a teddy hamster he is shaking and cold plus not eating what do i do ?
Oh ya and hea but looks sore cause hne he curls in a ball hes hind legs ad paws are together but hes butt is like out of hes body and i think its wettail so i bought some today and thats it e also has a bald spot on the left side of his body so please help me
ok. thank you very much for your help.
I would consider a vet to check out the hamster to make sure it's ok.
what do you think i should do???
i wouldnt say wheezing. more clicking. its an odd noise, ive never known a hamster to make that sort of noise before, it doesnt sound like squeeking either. and its throughout the day and night.
Sounds potentially like a respiratory concern, which won't just clear up. Is the hamster making wheezing noises during the day or when awake? Russian or Roborovski isn't going to make a difference.
also, tomorrow is the day that i normally clean the hamster cage, i dont know if i should, incase i make him worse, should i wait for him to get better before i clean the cage???
i cant believe i did this but my hamster is not a Russian Dwarf, its a Roborovski Hamster (the hamsters i used to have were russian dwarfs). will this make any difference.
my Russian Dwarf Hamster is about a year and 2 or 3 months old. he hasnt had any problems before this. but a few days ago, i noticed he has started to make this sort of clicking noise constantly, even in his sleep, he has become less energetic and his eyes arent open properly (asthough he is squinting or something), he is still eating, and drinking (though he seems in pain when he reaches for the water bottle). about 2 days before this happened, we changed the brand of hamster food (as the other brand wasnt available in the shop) he ate it quite happily. i wondered if this was the problem, like maybe a bit of food is stuck in his throat or something, the other hamster is coping fine with this change in food. what do you think is wrong??? will he get better??? should i take him to a vet???
It sounds like wettail. Definitely purchase a bottle of drittail or some other wettail treatment.
hey, my syrian hamster lately has been weeing in her wheel and through the night she runs in it, I have been cleaning it in the morning and at night, and through the day if she wakes up and has a wee. Today though, when she woke up her tail was all wet and big, and there was hair loss. I believe her tail looked bigger because of the hair loss. Her poos are also wetter - however I believe thats because i fed her a bit of an apple yesterday. My main question is though, whats wrong with her tail/bum area? why is it all wet? She is still eating and is energetic as she is still running around her cage madly (I've took the wheel off). HELP PLEASE!
It could be something from the bedding. Do you use a wood shaving bedding?
my chinese male dwarf just pulled out what looks like a white worm about 0.5mm long (like something you would get from an ear piercing if it hasnt been pierced in a while) from his genital area (not the anus) what could this be? thanks
I answered your question on the other page. It's a good idea to find a sitter as the hamster shouldn't be left alone for 2 weeks. just make sure to do what you need to in order to reduce stress. There shouldn't be a problem if the hamster isn't sick to begin with and the sitter knows how to properly care for the hamster.
heloo i've wrote to you before but i didnt get an answer so im going to try again im going away on holiday with my family for 2 weeks and i have someone to look after my hamster but in a different house how would my hamster react to that , would she by any chance die and how long would it take for her to come and play with me again am i supose to leave her for 2-3dayss so she can adjust to the house again ? please write back on here quickly this is really important :)
Okay.
Yes, I would suggest a vet.
oh, yeah. i forgot to tell you, she's not breathing like, really slowly. she's breathing just fine
hey, whitney! my hamster's body is cold, and whenever she wakes up, she's shaking. i don't know if she's in a hibernation or not. do you think that i should take her to the vet?
Again bc you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Dwarfs are better in pairs, but I've seen and heard of a number of them turning territorial. I'm not sure what to tell you other than separate them and seek assistance of a vet. Continue and antiseptic if you can.
You want ot keep the area clean as possible.
Hey
No, she is not a syrian. Both of them are dwarf hamsters and they've lived together since they were babies. I try to use antiseptic to help with the wounds, but she squeals and struggles and I am afraid it will hurt her and traumatize her. I don't think they its bullying either... I see them cuddling togather when they sleep everyday. My maid observes them as well and she says they don't fight. ): Is it likely to be just an external problem? or could it be the symptom of an underlying internal sickness? ):
Separate them. You should not house syrian hamsters together. Even if you don't seem them fighting, that doesn't mean that they don't fight when you're not around. Could be a case of bullying. Separate the two hamsters, disinfect the current cage and accessories, and change the bedding. Have you changed anything recently- food, treats, bedding? If not, then it's probably not an allergy. Try to use a dab of antiseptic or antibiotic ointment to heal up the wounds.
HeyMy hamster is currently 1 year old, and she has some kind of skin problem. She has lost the fur on her belly and part of her face. the parts where her fur is gone is red and inflamed... I dont know what is wrong with her! She lives with another hamster, but they do not fight. The other girl is completely fine, so I dont think it could be mites/parasites/anyth contagious. I've no idea what else it could be! Its quite bad, she is scratching obsessively, it bleeds sometimes. I am hazarding a guess at an allergy? How do I treat her? Do I separate them? Should I disinfect her and change her bedding? Please help!!
If the hamster is housed individually, it's probably just scraching and causing the wound. Keep the area clean. Make sure that the hamster doesn't have mites, as that could be the cuase of the itching.
My hamster is only a few months old but he has a bald patch between his ears and it appears to have a scab on it, im not sure how it happened. The vets are closed just now as its a bank holiday and im not quite sure what to do.
Is it coming from the butt? It could be a prolapse.
ok my hamster is a teddy bear and he like has a lump by the tail area and he is a male do u know what it is???
There's a big difference between a hamseter and a dog.
my hamster might die so i will get a puppy mabe
That's good to hear the one is doing better. Just remember that 2 years old is really old for a hamster. Don't expect a miracle.
Both of my hamsters are two years old, I got them when they were babies!
And just to update, I've been giving the hamster that was losing his hair some vitamins for small pets and he's looking much better. The hair's almost completely regrown!
Betty, it sounds like potentially a sign of old age then, but in any sense, it's not a god sign. A vet would be able to best diagnose the hamster.
The hamster is about a year and a half old.
I'm sorry to hear that. I don't think it would have been a stroke, but it could have been something underlying. Typically, hamsters don't show signs of illness till the end.
Must have been something else - she died about 2 hrs. after I sent the email to you. The symptoms she had didn't match up with anything I read anywhere on the internet. Not sure what happened. Came on so suddenly and within 12 hours she was gone. Definitely not wet tail. The only thing that was at all similar was a stroke, but she was only 6 months old. Who knows. Guess we never will.
Marg, I would consider a vet. It may be an inner ear concern. I'm not sure though since it's also lethargic.
Danielle, It could be a prolapse if it is coming directly from the hamster's bum. Otherwise, possibly a tumor or infection under the skin.
Amanda, it is good to keep them separate. I thought that you said the hamster was 2 years?
Betty, it could be an infection or potentially something else. I'm really not sure. Is the hamster still eating and drinking fine? Could it be wettail instead of blood? It could be a parasite or fungus. How old is the hamster? How long have you had it?
My daughter's hamster has lost some fur around it's tail and the tail has been bleeding. Is it a skin infection?
Whitney05 says:
2 months ago
You don't want to direct a fan at the hamster ever, or any pet. You want proper ventilation, but you don't want things too cool or warm. Never point a fan or put the cage directly in front of a fan or air conditioner.
You may need to seek assistance of a vet in order to rule out any other health problems, but just try to warm the guy up. He may be in a hibernation state.