Is there something wrong with my hamster?

Question

Well ive had my hamster for about 6 -8 months and he eats mainly all his food and doesent drink as much. he sleeps alot and doesent come out very often and i never see him on his wheel anymore. and also he is wobbling back and forth ..please help ;D and my hamsters name is Hammy

Answer 1

8 months is not a really old age for a hamster but some hamsters are known to age faster and show symptoms of old age faster. Your hamster seems to be doing that.

But wobbling back and forth is making me suspect a sickness. If you feel he is "dragging" himself, he could probably have a hind limb paralysis that could cause him to be lethargic and inactive.

There are a number of problems that can cause hind leg paralysis -

1. Spinal trauma due to falling down from a height

2. Muscle degeneration due to old age

3. Nutritional deficiency - lack of vitamins in food

4. Genetic / Hereditary problem

5. Bacterial or viral infections

6. Cage paralysis

Best is to take him to a vet for opinion.

For reason 3, you can add vitamin drops to his food and he would get better. For reason 5, antibiotic treatment is known to cure hamsters in a fortnight. For reason 6, you will have to buy a larger cage and take him out to play more often.

Answer 2

Hamsters are mainly dry animals, so they dont drink as much water as other animals. Some hamsters just are not interested in wheels, but if your hamster is wobbling, he probably wont want to go on his wheel.

Hammy could have a leg issue of some sort. im no vet, but it could be paralazation- back problems, too small of a cage, a broken leg or not enough vitamins. You can go to a store to buy a vitamin snack thing for hamsters.

I adivse you to go see a vet. They will take it from there

hope that helps :)

Answer 3

If your water bottle has a little ruler on it, your Syrian hamster should drink 15 ml a day and a Dwarf 10 ml.

Take him to the vet immediately, these are signs of serious problems. Keep in mind they are nocturnal and will only run during the night... If he is dragging a limb he may have broken it or he may have back problems. As for the swaying, he may be aging early, but take him to the vet as it may be a symptom of a more serious problem. Make sure his cage cleaning standards are very high and his diet is a good mix of commercial feed and vegetables.

What kind of habitat do you keep him in? He may have cage parialysis. This happens if the cage is too small. The symptoms are dragging his limbs, uninteristed in his surroundings, and sleeping too much.

Answer 4

here's some prob you could have

1. the cage is too small.

2.you dont play with it enough.

3.your feeding him too much.

i recently got a new cage for my hamster and its too small for him. (oops) when i did that he started eating all the time never running in him wheel and sleeping alot. then we played with him more often and hes looking better.

Answer 5

do you know how old he was when you got him? he may have been up to 2 years old, so he might just be getting old. you might want to check if he has been having dierehia or maybe he has wet tail (you must treat it within 24 hours) but, if he doesnt have a sickness you may want to give him some fruits or veggies for water they have vitamin drops to give your hammy also you might want to get him something new and exciting also like a new cage, playpen, wheel, or toys they love toys! make sure to check if there is something wrong with his leg also ...

hope I helped!!!!

arianna

Answer 6

My hamster didn't go on his wheel much and he slept alot.  Just leave him alone.  If he gets worse take him to the vet OK?  Karen

Answer 7

I don't think his name matters, lol. I have hads hamsters before, but if you only have one he prolly depressed/bored all day. Your cage is probably too small too so he feels trapped. Well that sucks for him.

Answer 8

Hamsters are noctournal, so maybe he's just waking up during the night and you don't notice him? As long as he is eating his food and drinking his water, he is probably OK. If he doesn't move much during the nighttime, though, you should probably take him to the vet.