Is my hamster dead or hibernating??

[BB8sm8]

Our little robo hamster is probably about 3 (rescue so we're not 100% sure), has been normal and active, bright eyes etc. This morning however I've found her curled up in her food bowl...thought she was asleep...could she be hibernating or has she sadly died? 😭

If she doesn’t move when you touch her I’d say she’s died I’m afraid ..... 3 is a very old age for a little hamster

Has she gone stiff?

Unless it has become very cold it is very unlikely that she is hibernating.

There isn’t much to a hamster so they go hard quite quickly. Pick her up and see

Since it isn’t winter and I’m not sure domestic hamsters hibernate, I’m afraid she’s probably dead. Three is a very good age though. Sorry

I thought they usually hibernate in their bedding? So yes, sadly she's probably died. 3 is a long life for a hammy.

While i suspect your little robro has passed away, it's one of those where you would definitely want to be sure.

Put her somewhere warm, check in a few hours. She should wake up if she is trying to hibernate.

If rigor mortis sets in, then she has died.

You can always just pop her in her bed until you are 100% sure.

Thanks everyone, I've gently poked her and she's not moved so I think she's pretty stiff 😭 our 4 chickens were taken by a fox last week, the kids are gonna be upset 😭

When my friends hamster died, they put it in a shoebox next to the door to bury the next day, for some reason or another they didn't get round to it and 3 days later it was alive again. Really hope yours has not died, when I had one it really slowed down for a few weeks prior, stopped eating and kept having seizures the day he passed.

Oh! So perhaps I shouldn't bury her just yet then? I remember my Mom putting my beloved Syrian in the airing cupboard in the hopes of reviving him. It didn't work 😱

I just wanted to update for all the kind people who responded to my original post...Sadly Dotty had indeed died...the house seemed very quiet at night without her wheel going so I contacted my local rescue who said they were bursting at the seams with robos who apparently get left on the shelf cos they're look don't touch types of hammies really. Anyway this pair had been waiting for a home for months...how could I resist?! They're settling in nicely ❤️ they're mother & daughter, any suggestions?!

Sorry you lost the little one.

New furries are very cute.