My hamster is anorexic i think -_-...?

Question

My hamster Hannah is a female dwarf. She has had 2 litters (on accident verrrry close together, she got preggers the 2nd time before i even knew sh egave birth to the first litter...that was a mess) anyway, she hasnt been eating much and runs on her wheel a TON. ive noticed she takes all the food and hoards it so when i clean her cage its just a tonnnn of food hidden under the cedar....shes gotten really bony but has been this way for over a month. what could be going on? could the litters have damaged her or something? (she also trips and falls over sometimes, neuro maybe?) she lives in a cage by herself, is about 1 year old, and has plenty of food, water, etc.

please help im worried about her =[

Answer 1

Well duh, take her to the vet if it's that serious! I have guinea pigs, and I heard that when guinea pigs found out they're fat, they go anorexic. Do you think that your dwarf hamster is an average weight for a hamster? That's the main reason why you must weigh your pet once a week.

Answer 2

Weight loss isn't normal for hamsters. She is sick. And I agree with meen queen. If you cannot afford to take care of your animals, don't keep them. Give them to someone that can give them a good life. Not to mention her being pregnant, seprate her from males. Being repeatedly pregnant is taxing on anyone, especially a small hamster. It's not healthy, not to mention thousans of animals are being put to sleep every day simply because no one wants them. And cedar is HORRIBLE for small animals. If using any wood shavings at all use aspen or paper products such as carefresh or softsorbent. Either educate yourself or get rid of your animals. You're very irresponsible.

Answer 3

maybe shes pregnat lol.

Answer 4

you shouldnt  be too worried.

its perfectly normal for hamsters to become skinnier after they give birth.

since your hammy is a dwarf, it should have a friend. its proven that if they get lonely, they are more likely to get depression, obesity and all sorts of things.

you should weigh her to see what her weight is and to compare to average hamsters weight.

if she is really skinny, you can try handfeeding her.

also, why do you use cedar? the phenols and oils in it can cause respiratory infections and problems.

Answer 5

shes depressed and physically worn-out and possibly sick. take her to the vet and spend more time with her. i don't care if you have 8cats and a dog, they're YOUR pets and YOUR responsibility. that's like refusing to take a child with an obvious medical problem to the doctors because your older kids need flu vaccines. and don't say '' its different, shes just a hamster'' because shes alive. all lives are equal. its not her fault that you decided to get more pets than you can financially handle. don't make her suffer for YOUR mistake. take her to the vet ASAP and maybe think about getting rid of a few pets until you can cover ALL they're medical costs.

Also, cedar (and pine) cantain DEADLY scents for small animals. get id of all the  cedar shavings RIGHT NOW, including the ones from the cage[s]... go out TOMMORROW and get some aspen, or, preferably soft-sorbent or carefresh bedding.

Answer 6

The two unexpected litters back to back is hard on a pet. Some things to do, since you can't get her to a vet. (ideally you could get her to a vet).

1. Get her off the cedar bedding. It's REALLY bad for rodents and could be contributing to her condition. Better to use aspen or Carefresh.

2. Get her on a high quality food to see if diet is an issue. With having two litters back to back, I'd probably treat her like she was a pregnant hamster and use that type of diet.

3. Read up on diabetes in hamsters. The weight loss makes me wonder if this is a related factor. Start at http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniver... and then search for more information. If after reading up on diabetes and think this is related, then PLEASE let everyone know who recieved a hamster baby from you about it, so they can take extra precautions with thier pet. Also, tell them NOT to breed those babies under any circumstance.

4. Check her teeth. Any chance they are misaligned (especially if she chews on wire cage bars) or overgrown and having difficulty eating?

You didn't say what type of dwarf hamster you had, but the shortest lived dwarf species live 1.5-2 years (campbells & ww) and the longest 3-3.5 years (robos). I wouldn't consider a 1 year old hamster to be in old age.

Answer 7

take her to a vet. good luck

Answer 8

giv all ur pets away to a shelter since u cant take care of them put pets first

Answer 9

Any time an animal is losing weight and not eating usually indicates sickness. :(

With hamsters sometimes it's best to just wait it out.

Is she still pooping and peeing the same amount? Hamsters tend to get a bit bony and haggard looking when they are old. (how old is she by the way?)

Have you tried offering her different foods? Maybe a bit of peanut butter with some apple, plain yogurt, cottage cheese. (Some things my hamsters love) Fresh fruits and veggies may tempt her into nibbling.

I hope this helps and good luck with your hamster. :)

Answer 10

I think the answer is very simple. Hannah is 1 year old which means she is "old" in hamster age profile. All the symptoms that you have written are surely due to old age.

Between the age of 1 and 3 years a hamster will start to show signs of old age. It will start losing its fur, sometimes leaving bald spots. It will become more apathetic. sleep more, eat less, and may find it more difficult to move around.

She is hoarding the food in the cage since that is what nature taught them to do when they are old and cannot go around a lot to hunt for food in the wild, hence storing food reduces the hunting out!

She trips and falls because she is not as energetic or observant as she was when she was young.

She is getting bony because she is eating less which is again a symptom of old age.

It is possible that two litters in a short span could have made her age faster but is not the single reason for her behaving this way.

At this stage in its life you should leave her in familiar surroundings, greatly reduce risks of stress, and handle less frequently and let her be peaceful and happy.

Answer 11

I may be able to help you, as we breed hamsters, and have several. Hording food is normal for any hamster to do, all of ours do it. It is very hard on their bodies to give birth so close together. Usually, when i've seen hamsters get very thin it means that they are sick, and, usually ours will die soon after, she may be able to make it a few more months. Hamsters only have a life span of about 2 years, although I have seen them make it a little longer. The constant birthing has probably aged her, then again she may be okay. They really do not eat a whole lot anyway, but, usually thiness does indicate sickness. I would not spend money on a vet either. Hope this helped! Just give her lots of love, and be there for her, hopefully she will pull through. Good Luck!

Answer 12

First , I suggest taking her to a vet. It could be a few different things . 1. Maybe she doesn't like the food , if you have a new food switch back to the old kind. 2. Maybe she wasn't ready to have babies and now she is sick and can't eat because she doesn't feel well enough .  3. She could be depressed , she might not feel she is a good enough mother,