hamster lifespan- what am I doing wrong?

[guffaux]

My little female syrian hamster has just died- she was only 23 months old; my previous hamster, also female syrian, died at 19 months

No illnesses, my first girl went very quickly- one day didnt come out for her veggies (out of chararcter)- she died that evening

My second girl has slowed down since April, became thin, though was eating, and active Was very wobbly on Friday, only ate a few mouthfuls of porridge, and died that night

Enclosure is a medium eco-green habitat- 750 sq inches, 8-10" deep substrate, lots of enrichment, sandbath, litter corner, spot cleaned with a full clear out 2-3 months, and daily 'floor' time, with toys/tunnels.

Diet- Rodipet gold organic hamster futter-junior at first then senior, plus fresh variety of veggies, sometimes some fruit-all within the recommended limits

Odd shred of fish or chicken, spoonful of egg as a treat maybe once a month

Hamsters bought from an independent petshop, who source from a registered breeder

Everything I read says 2-3 yrs (exceptional 4-5yrs) lifespan- what am I doing wrong

I love the little beasties, and just want to do my best for them

@guffaux - I'm volunteer in rescue and you'd pass every home-check with flying colours with your set up and care. Our recommended minimum enclosure/cage size is 80cmx50cm and the medium eco-green habitat is 102cmx63cm. Ok I could be fussy and say upgrade to the Ikea Detolf 163cm x 45cm for extra space, but your housing is good. Lots of enrichment, substrate, burrowing, sand bath, free roam time, premium food etc.

I'm always going to push Rescue, but you're not going to Pets at Home, and we've had posters here who have worked at P&H telling us the appalling state animals arrive from their Rodent Mill breeders (content warning for anyone that googles). Could it be the Independent Pet Shop is not being entirely honest about their breeder source?

The only thing I can think to ask is what substrate are you using? We advise people never to use sawdust or wood shavings as both cause respiratory issues. We recommend (dust extracted) Finacard for example finacard.co.uk/

2-3 years is around average so your Hamsters are short of that, but you may just be incredibly unlucky that their genes were never going to give them a long life, despite your great care.

I am sorry for your loss.

Thankyou Silent Hedges - I've been using Kaytee clean and cozy natural bedding, and some torn up loo-paper for her to collect for her nest.

We live in the NE, not sure if Rodent Mill operate here (dont want to google after your warning) the independent pet shop seems trustworthy- how could I check?

I would be interested in rescue hamsters, but my DP thinks we would be heartbroken too often as they would come to us as adults, so already a big part of their lifespan gone already.

I used to breed and show Syrian hamsters and over the years I’ve had hundreds of them. The oldest I ever had was 2.5. Most got very old and doddery around 23 months, plenty died sooner. And bear in mind these were hamsters bred for health from robust “stock” not the usual breeding mill animals you get in the majority of pet shops.

so you’re not doing anything wrong, in short.

If you’re interested in buying from breeders not mills, get online and look at the National Hamster Council or your local club.

Sorry for your loss, it's horrible when a pet dies.

Did you take your second to a vet when she started loosing weight? I don't have hamsters but with other small furry pets this can be a sign something is wrong and would warrant a check. Maybe worth finding a good (recommended for hamsters) exotic vet for future if you don't have one lined up, even if it means travelling as I would assume most vets would not be experts on hamsters and may miss things. As pp said above it could just be the natural age and with any average some will live longer and some shorter.

According to the RSPCA 'Hamsters usually live for up to two years, although some may live for longer'. So in that basis, both yours had a normal lifespan. Of the total of four hamsters and 2 gerbils we had growing up, the shortest lifespan was a Syrian hamster (7 months) and the longest was a gerbil (2.5 years); the others were all somewhere between 18 months to 2 years.

My male hamsters growing up lived long lives 3-4 years but the females I’ve had all died before 2 years old 😢

Sorry for your loss. My hamster is visibly aging and it's sad. How is it best to find a hamster that has had a good start in life?

First hamster hadnt needed vet at all- no signs of illness

I took my last one to the vet when she was about 1yr old to have her teeth checked- (I thought front ones were twisting) teeth were ok, but she was traumatised- it was during covid so vets took her in and we had to stay outside- they brought her out and said she hadnt handled well- eyes bulging, heart racing,panting, she didnt come out of her nest for days, and then only to gather her food, took me two months or so to retame her- she went from being a confident, brave little hamster to a shy, not wanting to come out of her enclosure little beastie- she had bags of energy and personality, but it took a long time for her to recover.

I asked for telephone advice, and provided a water sample (just wet bedding from her litter tray) but they couldnt suggest anything except keep an eye on her- after her last experience, she would have to be sedated to examine her properly, and at her age they didnt think it would be advisable.

We killed 3 hamsters in the space of 6 months, so gave up on any furry thing smaller than a spaniel. Went by all the nest guidelines for cage size etc etc but they just refused to live!

Just seen post uptrend and now following National Hamster Council :-) thanks.

From your subsequent replies, I agree you are doing nothing wrong and everything right, unfortunately the life spans of small ferries are unpredictable.

Rodent Mills operate everywhere sadly (think mass unselected breeding, and plastic trays). Its awful. Many pet shops use these. Beware.

I wish breeders would stop, as there are far too many perfectly good pets out there needing homes, so if I could persuade you, it's very rewarding to give an animal a second chance, which you're well set up to do. I specialise in Gerbils and prefer to give elderly ones a special retirement 🙂

I wish breeders would stop, as there are far too many perfectly good pets out there needing homes, so if I could persuade you, it's very rewarding to give an animal a second chance, which you're well set up to do.

while I don’t disagree with you in relation to cats and dogs, the main problem for rodents and small furries are the breeding mills supplying pet shops. In the time I bred hamsters, myself and other breeders - who bred to show and also to ensure strong, healthy, friendly and happy animals, not to sell - were really the only people committed to promoting welfare standards and health in animals available to the public. My animals were often twice the size of the poor little runts in pet shops. We often held our shows at bigger public events which really helped to educate people about small animals. As a member of the NHC there are strict rules about selling hamsters to the public including not making a profit and taking back any animals needing rehoming.

There are also few of us really, so if breeding mills were banned and it was all regulated through NHC there wouldn’t be any hamsters needing adoption.

Our longest lived hamster was 2y9m, the others have all been just under 2. I think gerbils live longer, Dd's are at least 3.5 years & going strong.
Rats break your heart at about 2 years.

Many thanks for all replies -its just so desperately sad when you see a much loved member of the family die

We first got a hamster after our well-beloved dog died- she was the last of a long line of dogs we've had, all lived to 15-16+ years, plus cats who have lived 14-19 years- we felt that at our age (60's plus) we shouldn't commit to another dog or cat, but losing two at such seemingly young ages is taking its toll- I simply cannot contemplate not having a little love to take care of- I just want them to have their best life.

Have joined NHC, thankyou

It's been a long time, and I'm sure someone will say if I'm wrong. But aren't you supposed to have 2-3 girls, whereas boys are okay on their own? It might be worth trying a boy anyway if you get another.

It’s sad but it’s just one of those things with hamsters. We’ve had a few over the last couple of years, our first lived for 2.5 years, others much younger. We currently have 2. Eldest is nearly 2 but visibly a bit more frail, the other is only a few months old and markedly more lively than the other!

Strangely in the wild hamsters natural life span, illness and predators aside, tends to be longer than domestic pets. I think it's to do with poor pet breeding. So I actually think you've done really well and they've had a good life span.

I'm sorry for your loss.

No - Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and will fight to the death if housed together.

some dwarf hamsters may live together but often not harmoniously and can turn on each other quite suddenly.

I know this is history now, but I'm so sorry your hamsters passed. They really do fill our hearts and become part of the family. We've had a few. All our Syrians have all had fairly long lives (2 years 3 months to 2 years 8 months) and that is about average for a Syrian hamster. They start showing signs of ageing at around 2 usually or slightly over - maybe stiff back legs, or a bit of fur loss. They are officially at the start of old age at around 18 months although think of it as about 2 years old really. Ours have all been male. It is pot luck really - just as it is with humans :-) I've had rescue hamsters (probably from bad starts) as well as pedigree ones from an NHC breeder and they all had a similar lifespan.

Female Syrians can get things that males don't though, like pyometra (womb infection) and although it's not that common, it does happen and that can shorten a lifespan - you'd probably know if it was that though. Some hamsters are born with a weak heart and even hamsters from pedigree litters, one of them can just die suddenly (maybe born with something). So it's very sad, especially if it's happened twice and I hope you found another one that is having a long life :-)

Dwarf hamsters do tend to have a shorter lifespan if they are hybrids (which most are) - maybe a year to 18 months sometimes, and they can get diabetes sometimes which can also shorten their lifespan. But I've known some dwarf hamsters live to age 3 as well :-) So as with us humans - I think some of it is just pot luck. Best wishes.

My only advice is get your hamster to gain as much weight as possible, I've had ones that spent every waking hour eating that have lived to almost 3, but dainty eaters not last a year. My oldest one Harry was an absolute gannet, he ate all the usual stuff but was partial to custard creams & ginger nuts, he loved treats & would happily spend hours with his biscuits. Carrying extra weight helps them to be able to fend off minor illnesses, Harry was bigger than a baby guinea pig, he had a very happy life of eating, playing, sleeping & escaping.