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Original poster

Please can someone reassure me about our brand new baby hamster

27 replies

thritbies · 03/06/2008 00:01

Because I am stressing out about whether he is ok or not.

We got him on Friday. He is 8 weeks old. When we put the little box he came home in into the cage, he seemed quite brave and was happily sniffing about. We were advised by the man in the shop not to handle him for 2 days, and the book says longer. I went away sat am to fri pm and noticed he seemed more jumpy when I got back. DH said he had been fine. Now I know they are nocturnal, but I've been in the vicinity of his cage pretty much all day and he has hardly been out. I am worried he isn't happy, does this all sound normal? He's a beautiful thing, I would hate for him to be scared or ill. [sap emoticon]

Any advice/opinions? TIA

OP posts:

Original poster

thritbies · 03/06/2008 10:21

pathetic bump. Sat up till v v v late last night, no sign of hammy!

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littlelamb · 03/06/2008 10:26

You didn't get him from Pets at Home did you? We got a lovely little hamster from there last year that promptly fell down dead within the week Apparently not that rare either.

northernrefugee39 · 03/06/2008 10:37

thribies, they do spend an inordinate ammount of time curled up asleep; ours hardly appears much. I hope he's ok tho'

Original poster

thritbies · 03/06/2008 12:03

Crap ll- I did! We will see. thanks for your replies, I am ashamed to report I sat up until 3am waiting for him to make an appearance I could see him moving about a bit by the bedding moving, but was worried that he was ill because he was lying down so much. PAH have put the fear of god into me about wet tail. Anyway he did come out with some coaxing, didnt seem all that interested in being held. Maybe he is just timid and still getting used to us. Am going to clean his cage out tonight, so will try and handle him then. Will keep you informed!

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littlelamb · 03/06/2008 12:08

Honestly, I would take him back and get a hamster from somewhere else. I have a friend who works at Pets at Home and she says she sees it all the time- I think they get quite a lot of diseased animals They were happy to take back my little hamsters corpse and refund all the equipment and everything- I wasn't going to risk keeping a cage that had had a sick animal in. It's worth a shot.

littlelamb · 03/06/2008 12:14

Actually thinking back my hamster was exactly the same- didn't like coming out and was very very quiet. I woke up one morning and he was limping about and by the afternoon he was dead. He was just too quiet to have ever been healthy. The hamster we got to replace him was completely different- noisy, messy and smelly! They will have given you a reciept - I think its valid for a week against disease or something

Original poster

thritbies · 03/06/2008 13:58

oh nooo

I'll cross my fingers that he is ok. Where did you get the new hamster from?

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mumoftwo37 · 03/06/2008 14:04

Thritbites that doesn't sound right at all. We have 2 hamsters which we bought from a local pet store that had handled them from tiny and they are really happy little souls, although one thinks it is a dog and licks everything. We had a chinese hamster from pets at home and it got wet tail, fortunately the vet could save him and I sent PAH the bill, as I did when they sold me a guinea pig which developed a sticky eye within days and then promptly gave it to our older guinea pig.
You do know that it is important to "scoop" them up in your hands and not sort of put your hand in above them to pick them up as they think it is prey. Also, we never paid any attention to the don't pick them up for 48 hours brigade, we just let them settle in a bit and then they were quite happy to be handled. I really hope he is allright though.

Original poster

thritbies · 03/06/2008 19:09

Blimey what a fraught afternoon I have had!

After reading the last few posts I decided to investigate hammy and took lid off cage. He got out of his bedding box and ambled round, but when I picked him up he leapt from my hands...my fingers were wet and sticky- uh oh. He also was slower than usual, eventually he got out of his cage and onto the carpet but didnt leg it away. I rang the nearest vet and got in pronto- oh also he made a high squealing noise when I went near him. But didnt bite, bless him.

So sat in vets with ds, crapping myself that it was game over for hammy. Vet had a good look and said he has an infection. She cleaned his fur and bottom, poor thing was squealing away but eventually let her get on with it and didnt bite. Vet said most people wouldnt notice it till too late [proud emoticon] which was one in the eye for dh who said I was being paranoid She also said she has seen much sicker hamsters so he should be ok.

So we now have antibiotics for Indy, and a bill for £25 which I am tempted to send to PAH but someone said they may say I should have gone back to them first- I just got to the vets asap.

So thanks everyone for helping to save Indy! [fingers crossed]

OP posts:

flipflopper · 03/06/2008 22:00

Little lamb- exact same story as you- got hamster from pets at home. It hated being handled, v timid, not lively at all, died within 2 weeks. Would never get an animal from there again.

flipflopper · 03/06/2008 22:03

Sorry thritbies, didnt read your last post. Glad he is ok, but I think you shouldlet pets at home know he was ill when you got him, even if they dont do anything. They shouldnt be selling ill aniumals, and the ones that are still in the shop might be ill too, so they need to know.

Wallace · 03/06/2008 22:06

Do let pets at home know.

We have a hamster from there (bought 3 months ago) and she is doing fine.

Original poster

thritbies · 04/06/2008 00:50

Oh thank goodness Wallace- a happy ending! Thanks ff for your reply too. Indy has perked up no end tonight- even before his medicine, but our attempts to bathe the crusty poo [bleurgh] off his bottom were disastrous as he legged it under the sofa and we had to get behind it and use a spatula to kind of ladle him into his exercise ball! All the while crapping ourselves that he would find a hole to disappear down.

So on the plus side he is a bit livelier, and has taken some water with AB in and eaten a bit too, but my GOD I am stressed to buggery over him. He seems so fragile, I am frantic thinking I will wake up and find him dead

Off to PAH tomorrow with bill, antib's and a stern face. Most of all I am cross that they are potentially keeping animals who are sick and in pain and discomfort and not doing anything about it. Also I am worried as he STILL won't be held- perhaps understandably atm- but if this goes on does it mean he won't let us handle him at all? Am I making it worse by persevering, will it stress him out even more? I can tell when he is upset- he tries to dig and gnaw his way out of the tunnel, exercise ball, cage etc. I don't want to give him a heart attack!Poor wee thing.

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frisbyrat · 04/06/2008 04:33

I think exercise balls are generally considered rather cruel as they are very disorientating for the animal. Maybe get a wheel instead (solid, not wire, though, or little feet can get stuck and legs broken).

I hope Indy gets better soon.

hennipenni · 04/06/2008 18:11

We have recently got a hamster from PAH approx 6 weeks ago who is fine and dandy, we have handled him from day one and he is very tame now.

Re the handling thing, I know this will sound strange but you could try sitting with him in your bath? That way you don't have to stroke him straight away but he will get used to you being near him and you could then try to gently handle him knowing that if he does struggle to escape he will only end up in the bath. You might find it easier to wash his bum in the bath too.

Sammy is our 3rd hammy from PAH and the previous two were very healthy and died of old age.

Bridie3 · 04/06/2008 18:13

I did the sitting in an empty bath thing with our latest hamster and it really helped to get him used to us. He was very timid at first but after about a fortnight was happy to come out and play.

sullysmum · 04/06/2008 20:02

I used to handle the ones i bought as soon as i got them, then i also used to breed hamsters years ago and handled them when very young they were all tame and never got bitten by any of them.

flipflopper · 05/06/2008 20:49

How did you get on at PAH thritbies?

Original poster

thritbies · 06/06/2008 01:01

Hello, thanks for asking

Took Indy to PAH last night, to their in-store vet. She thought he was doing ok, cleaned his bottom up a bit, he was very good and quite lively. She changed the dosage of ABs and generally gave me some advice. Both me and Indy felt much better! PAH covered both this consultation and the one with my vet, and reimbursed me in cash.

Last night at vet's suggestion me and DH constructed an elaborate pen consisting of tables, boxes and the cage, with tea towels and magazines stuffed into the cracks to prevent escape. I got Indy out and let him run round, which he did manically at first. He let me handle him, though wouldnt actually get on my hands willingly himself- but quite happy to perch on it to reach a bar he wanted to chew on the outside of his cage! When I put him back in he ran round a bit, ate some food and played in his wheel.

Repeated the above tonight- he is just as lively but when I inspected his bottom he is a bit poo ridden again. He was really good and let me clean him up. Still eating lots and climbing etc. My main concern is that he doesnt seem to be drinking much if anything- I know this is normal but he needs the ABs. So I will repeat again tomorrow- have been advised to start handling him a few times a day anyway so will check tomorrow and if necessary return to the vets.

Does it sound like he is doing ok? Am complete hamster novice, but absolutley besotted with him already and hoping for the best. I can tell he is a good natured hamster, he has not once tried to bite me and seems to have adjusted well to being held and messed about with.

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Bridie3 · 06/06/2008 08:31

Sometimes mine don't seem to drink for days and then they're drinking and drinking. I suppose they're desert creatures: used to going without fluid for a day or so (as long as the water's there all the time for when they are thirsty).

he sounds very perky now!

Original poster

thritbies · 09/06/2008 00:45

Oh farking hell, the saga continues....

Friday am when I cleaned up his bottom he bit me! Was gutted that he obv felt threatened and afraid. Also it really bloody hurt!

Anyway, LOADS of poo came off, I think the problem was that it was getting crusty and then subsequent poos were not able to come out

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Original poster

thritbies · 09/06/2008 08:20

morning bump

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Lovesdogsandcats · 09/06/2008 17:39

i think you're doing great
You will have the worlds most pampered hammy, and in a couple of weeks he will be really tame, as long as you keep up what you're doing. A few bites are normal along the way in the early days but from what you have said you are further along than that and he is getting to like being around you.

Original poster

thritbies · 11/06/2008 18:24

Latest Hammy update...

He's been doing great, really perky, eating and drinking, zooming around, on wheel, etc. But when we got him out yesterday and I picked him up, his poor bottom was ENORMOUS ie swollen. Took him back to PAH vet within the hour and saw same vet- she said it was very sore and she couldnt clean it up the way she had last time, would either give pain relief and bathe, or anasthetic and remove it

So Indy stayed at the vet last night. Had to ring this am, did so crapping self [big softy emoticon] and was told that he is eating and pooing ok but still v sore so has stayed there for obs another night. Got to ring tomorrow- really really hope he is ok and can come home. I've gotten so attached to him already and have missed him!

Bloody heartless dh said when I told him- "it's a lot of messing about just for a hamster!" After I had karate chopped him in the neck, I pointed out that as PAH are paying for the lot, and it is I who is doing the running around, it really isn't all that much trouble for him at all

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Lovesdogsandcats · 11/06/2008 20:41

Aw poor hammy

god what did vet say is wrong and are PAH negligent or is it something that could happen to anny hamster, regardless of where purchased?

Hope he gets better soon.

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