I reckon my hamster has had a stroke

[Inghouls2]

It's gone all lopsided and is slow and looks odd... well.. just like a human who's had a stroke really.
Is this possible or am I being completely barmy?

[Milliways]

No, I had a gerbil that died of a massive stroke (head burst!)

[Inghouls2]

OMG! That's terrible

[Milliways]

Yep! Didn't realise how bad it was until I picked him up - he was sort of stuck to the bottom of the cage

Mentioned it to the vet who said it can happen in small rodents.

[Inghouls2]

poor thing...

can someone please come and reassure me now that my hammie will recover

[teameric]

thats awful!! hope that dosn't happen to my hammy

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

This exact thing happened to dds hammy. The hamster clearly had a stroke andfor a while was v lopsided and wobbly. I remember taking the water bottle and giving her a drink as she couldn't get there. It was v sad. She did make some recovery but it was towards the end of her life. She did make 2.5 years. She was so cuuuuute

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Make sure she can get water - hold it to her mouth if necessary!

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Sorry HE

[Blondeshavemorefun]

aww ingles or should i say inghouls2 (bloody good halloween name btw)

yes sounds like a stroke - happened to one of my ex hammys

kept walking round to the left

tbh there isnt much a vet or you can do if they have had one

if eating/drinking and coming out then they are ok and may live for many more months

if hammy doesnt come out/eat then may be time to take to vet and see what they say and possibly be put to sleep

[Inghouls2]

Thanks blondes.. I thought it was good too..
Well she's still reasonably lively... she's eating and drinking climbing her tubes, albeit slowly. She's not on her wheel, but maybe she'll get a bit better.
She's only just 1 and is a winter white dwarf.. no one else in this house is fussed

[teameric]

hope she gets better soon Inghouls

[BoffMonster]

We had a guinea pig who had a heart attack one lunchtime. DH discovered him wedged upright against the cage door, stiff as a board. Of course he still rang me at work to see if I thought he was dead. FFS, rigor mortis had set in!

[BoffMonster]

FWIW if she is eating and drinking that sounds pretty positive, I reckon.

[Inghouls2]

Thanks everyone... I'll be secretly gutted if she pops her little clogs

[BoffMonster]

It would only be about £30 to get the vet to see her and there may be some medication that would benefit her, like for humans who have strokes perhaps? Just a thought.

[bebeBOO]

at DH Boff

Hope a quick recovery happens Inghouls. But if the littlun is moving about the cage then it sounds likely to me...physical therapy is good for stroke victims. (maybe a little hydro-therapy in a bowl of water too? dunno. Is that going too far?)

[Frrrightattendant]

Sorry to hear this.
We had one whose eye fell out, that's common too according to vet. High pressure little beasts are hamsters.

You can syringe feed water if she stops drinking. Sadly ours went like this towards the end. Be prepared.

[teameric]

Blimey! (sits waiting for pet hamster to explode)

[Inghouls2]

aw...come on now Frrright... you're just freaking me out now

[Frrrightattendant]

No it did! It cost £1.62 for the vet to stitch it up.

Our other hammy died when Our Mutual Friend by Dickens fell on him. That was a way to go.

[teameric]

[Inghouls2]

no.. sorry..sorry... poor hammy squashed by Dickens...
and poor hammy with the popped out eye...
my heart is breaking for small rodents tonight..

[Milliways]

Seems a lot of them survive

Inghouls - I too am snorting at this thread now (sorry).

[Frrrightattendant]

Hard hearted people

It was actually amusing I have to admit, not at the time, my poor sister was devastated..she was 17, room filled with A level books, all piled up on the floor.
He had the run of it. Not entirely surprising he got killed that way.

I think it was the eye one who dug a hole through the concrete under the toilet and had to be lured out with a little heap of hamster food at night.

Bloody mad, the lot of them.