Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

AIBU to ask for help re hamster....

46 replies

MollysMummy2010 · 10/02/2020 22:06

My daughter, by accident, kicked her hamster in its ball into the wall. It didn't move for a minute. We put it back in it's cage and it got up and went to its favourite spot. I am scared now it might die. I can't check it as cage is in daughters room.
It is our first hamster and I don't know how fragile they are? Do I take it to a vet tomorrow if it is alive? I feel horrible that it might be suffering but genuinely don't know what to do.
It has been running round in the ball itself and ramming into walls itself so not sure if this is different but my daughter is in pieces as she kicked the ball.

OP posts:

whysthepoweroff · 10/02/2020 22:07

Oh, what a horrible thing to happen, OP. I hope he’s OK. It might have been the shock more than anything, but I think it might be good if you can check now.

Whynosnowyet · 10/02/2020 22:08

Ime - my hamster'died '3 times - they are very robust!!
I would assume you will know one way or other by tomorrow if it's gonna make it!!

Belle89 · 10/02/2020 22:11

It may have been in shock, make sure it has plenty of food and water maybe move it towards its sleeping spot. Out lil hamster is currently speeding in it's wheel. Sneak in and check you may find it's up and about now the room is quiet. It'll be wanting to sleep during the day tomorrow which may just add to your stress and worry.

TaighNamGastaOrt · 10/02/2020 22:16

aww, wee soul. likely just in shock. Shock can kill wee creatures but they're fairly hardy. He's probably away for a nap and will feel much better. Pop in to the room and give him a bit of carrot-cheer him up!
I've accidentally kicked hamster balls before-felt awful but no damage done luckily!!

Original poster

MollysMummy2010 · 10/02/2020 22:26

Ah thanks - my daughter is distraught. She was sweeping up the bloody sawdust from its cage and stepped backwards!! She has only had it for two weeks as it was her 10th birthday present and is such a cute little thing.

Food and water had literally just been changed as that was why it was in the ball and the cage is cleaned. It is a Russian Dwarf so so small.

I don't even like the bloody thing much as it is nippy!!!

OP posts:

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 10/02/2020 22:27

If does turn out to be ok please don't use a ball. Hamsters use their whiskers for a large amount of their navigation. By putting them in a ball you're depriving them of knowing what they're doing and it's stressful for them.

Hoik · 10/02/2020 22:30

They're a bit more hardy than their size would make you believe and a kicked ball isn't as bad as directly kicking the hamster, what an awful fright for your daughter though.

Hammy will more than likely be fine but stress can bring on a condition known as wet tail so I'd keep an eye on him and make sure he has a stress-free couple of days with minimal handling and disturbance. If he does start showing signs of illness then head to the vet.

Hoik · 10/02/2020 22:32

And yes to not using a ball. If you want him to have a run around and explore outside the cage you can buy play pens, a toddler's pop up ball pit is ideal, or if you just use it while cleaning him out you can put him in the empty bath tub to keep him contained while you do a clean. Generally speaking, if their cage is large enough they don't particularly need to run around the floor.

Original poster

MollysMummy2010 · 10/02/2020 22:37

Hamster doesn't seem to have whiskers?? Am I missing something??
I will look into a run now.
The guy in the pet shop sold me the ball as we also have a cat??

OP posts:

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 10/02/2020 22:37

They're more resilient than they look. Mine regularly runs around the roof of her cage, hanging upside down from the bars and then just drops. Or runs like crazy on her wheel and just stops which either flips her upside down a few times or sends her flying across the cage. Within half hour she's over the shock and doing it again.

If he'd fallen down the stairs in it I'd be worried but if he wasn't actually hurt and just froze in fear (reasonable, he's only a baby) then I wouldn't be too concerned, he's likely fine.

stormciarathegale · 10/02/2020 22:38

He will likely be fine! DD tripped whilst holding her Syrian at that age and dropped her. She was stunned like that but came around as we were rushing to the vet. And yy to not using a ball.

TaighNamGastaOrt · 10/02/2020 22:39

Ah, i love the dwarves-bloody hard to catch though! When I had a dwarf, he hated his ball. So we bought a large plastic under bed box, filled it with sawdust and toys and that was his wee playpen. he was too wee to get out and had a lot of fun! we used to hide his food for him-bit of natural behaviour!

Howtotrainyourhamster · 10/02/2020 22:39

My dd of same age has a hamster, and I accidentally kicked its ball once when it was on the kitchen floor. This was a while ago. It was fine, and still is.
(We don’t use the ball much, in response to previous comment, just let him run around in a small space when out - strangely he never tries to escape!)

Whynosnowyet · 10/02/2020 22:39

Well it's certainly been Rushin' tonight!!

Hoik · 10/02/2020 22:40

Pet shops, especially chains and in particular one chain which rhymes with Schpets At Home, don't particularly care much about animal welfare. They care about shifting stock and up selling on the extras.

Join the FB group Hamsters UK, they have loads of good information and advice on caring for small furries.

Rebellenny · 10/02/2020 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

MollysMummy2010 · 10/02/2020 22:41

@Hoik my daughter my daughter has been putting her in the bath but I didn't know if it could be enough exercise?

OP posts:

Hoik · 10/02/2020 22:43

The bath really is ideal for them, especially if they're still getting used to being handled as you can sit in the tub with them and they climb all over you. The bathroom is easy to hamster proof for free roaming too, so long as your suite is all sealed in with no gaps then all you need is a rolled up towel against the gap at the bottom of the door and you can let them run all around the floor too.

Original poster

MollysMummy2010 · 10/02/2020 22:43

I did not buy from Pets at Home....

OP posts:

FelicityBeedle · 10/02/2020 22:44

Does the hamster have a 20cm wheel? And a cage 80X50Cm? If so it’ll get plenty of exercise. Unfortunately pet shops give awful advice about hamsters

stormciarathegale · 10/02/2020 22:45

We've had 3 Syrians from Pets at Home and they've all been lovely. Our present little chap is 2-years-old and still going strong. His nails started to overgrow (hamsters sleep more as they age) but a strip of sandpaper on his wheel sorted him out.

DimplesToadfoot · 10/02/2020 23:01

Just to give you an idea how robust they can be, mine managed to escape his cage, dropped down off the table with a thud onto laminate flooring, the dog was faster than me at getting to him so she quickly gobbled him up, I screamed at the dog, the dog spat him out and he must have flown 4ft across the room landing with another thud. I thought 'omg he must be dead' but he got up and tottered off, I did take him to the vets and he was fine, still is :-)

As others have already said balls aren't ideal for hamsters :-(

Lalala205 · 10/02/2020 23:03

Also if the ball is the click together kind they can pop apart. Hamster will likely either end up in the sofa or the cat 😳

Cheeserton · 10/02/2020 23:21

Very cute indeed but yes, Russian dwarves are very, very bitey.

Nat6999 · 10/02/2020 23:53

One of ours used to regularly let himself out of his cage on the sideboard, somehow get to the floor & take himself off missing for up to a week. We found him upstairs in one of my drawers once. We never worked out how he got down off the sideboard but he would toddle off, have his adventures until we found him & put him back in his cage. He lived to be nearly 3, we came to the conclusion he was a free spirit who loved to explore.

Flip

1 2