Old hamster, what would you do.

[Partyfops]

Syrian hamster, approx. 2.5 years. Sleeping all day, dry sticky eyes (I bathe them each night). Lost a lot of weight. Not interested in doing much.

Shall I leave her to leave be out her last days in her cage or take her to the vets to be pets. I dread the thought of her being in pain poor girl and want to do the right thing.

Any advice please.

I have had to make this decision many times. if they still seem to have some quality of life then i think help them enjoy their last few days. If not then best to pts as they wont know anything about it and you are just keeping them alive for your own benefit. Then after a while to get over it, get a replacement because there are so many more pets needing a loving home

She seems so much better today, her eyes have cleared up.

Won't be getting another. Was for dd but she lost interest

We went through similar the last few months, male hamster aged over two years old was losing hair and weight, he was still moving and eating etc so we thought as long as he's happy and still getting excited about food etc we'd leave him.

He passed away this week in his sleep, I was gutted but at least he went peacefully and not in obvious pain.

When mine got to that age he staggered a bit, was dishevelled and wasn’t eating so for his last few nights I laid him on a fluffy towel over a warm water bottle and mushed some plum on the tip of my finger so he could lick the flesh and juice. He died in his sleep

Having had a lot of hamsters, once they get to that stage they seem to go downhill very quickly and just pass away in their sleep. IMO I think it’s better for them to die cosy and warm in their nice, familiar bed than be taken to a vets full of scary noises and strange people.

Obviously if you think he’s really suffering and in pain, it would be best. But chances are he’ll pass quietly fairly soon.

Sorry, just seen it’s a she!

We were in a similar situation before Christmas.

It was a no brainier for us - if there was a slight chance the hamster was suffering then we knew we had to take her to the vet to be PTS.

Very sad but without a doubt the right decision. I would have hated to think we were prolonging her suffering.

for you.

I nursed ours for a longtime, giving her meds to try to clear up a skin condition she got suddenly. She would seem to perk up a bit then go downhill again. I wish I’d had the courage to have her PTS, I think it would have been kinder really. But I hoped she’d recover and she kept looking like she would. It’s difficult to know what to do for the best. She died in her sleep, in her cosy bed in the end. She was a total character & I still really miss her.

If she’s just sleepy and slower than she used to be I’d just spoil her and make sure she’s warm & cosy. Hopefully she’ll just go peacefully in her sleep.

She seems fine now, certainly showing her age still but her eyes have cleared up completely. She used to be quite fat, so I had stopped giving her too many treats. Now I'm just going to spoil her rotten (within reason).

If she was in distress I would take her in.

My hamster is 2 and a half too. I took him to the vet 3 weeks ago because he’s got sticky eyes and it cost me £42 for some eye drops. TBF it has cleared them up. She gave him a full examination and said he’s in excellent health.

We’ve bought some vitamin drops, on her advice, to put in his water and he’s perked up loads. He’s still sleeping quite a lot, but he’s eating more and has put some weight back on.

He’s like a little old man now. He’s getting very spoilt. I wish they didn’t have such short lifespans.

I know he was a mouse but this thread makes me think of the immortal Mr Jingles in the Green Mile