Hamster's eye - pic attached

[ChilliMochaCoco]

Hello
Our lovely Syrian's hamster's been shut for a few days. Can anyone advise? Is it am infection? I have never had a pet but DH is warning that the vet cost would be very high. I called Pets at Home but they didn't have hamster eye drops.

Have you tried using cooled boiled water on a cotton pad to gently wipe it?

Gorgeous little friend there!

Maybe try bathing it with COOLED boiled salt water applied with Colton wool. A vet once told me to do this with a kitten that had conjunctivitis.

Sometimes they get stuck like that when they first wake up. It happens more frequently when they get older too. I would try to very gently bathe it with cooled boiled water too and see if that resolves it

Please take your hamster to a vett. Yes it can be costly but this is a pet you care for. And how dare your pig ignorant husband put the cost above the health and welfare of the hamster. If you take on an animal you are responsible for its welfare. Living animals are not toys where you can ignore a damaged part.

Just use a clean piece of cotton wool for each wipe to not contaminate the water.

You need to get it seen by the vet, it could have a corneal ulcer and could be in a fair bit of pain

Is it a bit crusty? (I can’t tell from the photo). Have you tried VERY gently dabbing/wiping it with a soft cloth dipped in warm water? Just gently press the damp warm cloth against the hamster’s eye for 30 seconds or so. That is often enough to soften any crustiness (from discharge) and the hamster will be able to open its eye again fully afterwards.

Failing that, try using Beaphar Eye Gel for pets - you can get it from Pets at Home or Amazon. That usually clears up any minor eye infections in hamsters within a day or two.

If neither of these work, you need to see a vet. And tell your DH to get lost. When you have a pet then you’re responsible for its wellbeing so you pay whatever it takes. Tight bastard.

Aww, I love a wee hammy! Take him to the vet, usually very simple to fix.
Vets are expensive but for small pets, medication is fairly cheap.
Give vets a call, your wee pal will appreciate it!

My hamsters used to get this you have 2 options. Cooled boiled water or renasan eye drops which are for all mammals and cleanse and disinfect the eye. But use with cotton wall not as a eye drops. And if still doesn't go you may need a vet visit.

Thank you. We will do the cooled boiled water and also I'll buy the gel today. I'll go to the vets if it doesn't clear up in a couple of days. Our friend said he is going to ask his vet sister too.
He is a very cute hamster and DH will of course pay for any costs. 🙂

Update:

He got better the next day but in the last few days, he has really gone downhill. Today he is walking so slowly and struggling to reach his water bottle spout. His eyes are both closed. I have been doing the cooled boiled water on his eyes.
We took him to the vets yesterday who could feel a mass around his stomach. They believe it's a tumour but because our hamster is old, they don't advise surgery.
They gave antibiotics and a painkiller.
Today, he really looks ill.
When do we decide to have him pts or do we let nature take its course?
Please be kind- he's my first pet (as well as dc's first).

No, please don’t let nature take its course. Poor little thing is obviously in pain and you need to let him go painlessly. Euthanasia is a very easy death and if you love him then this is the last loving act you can do for him.

The animal is obviously distressed and if it has a tumour I'd be asking vet to PTS. It's cruel to make it live in pain until it dies what could be a slow and painful death.

I think he has gone but I'm taking him to the vets this afternoon as I sometimes think I see a flicker of movement.
I am so very upset and I've been crying all day.
What do you do with your pet after they die?
The cremation with ashes returned is what I would like but it's over £300.
We have lots of foxes around our garden so I can't see how i would want them even finding a box that he is in and bringing that to the surface.
I need advice pls.😥

My DDs have had about 8 hamsters between them over the years (they’re 20 years old now)When their hamsters have died we’ve bought a wooden box to bury them in and interred them in a large/deep plant pot. We’ve held a burial ceremony and planted the container with flowers. None of them have been dug up by foxes

You can buy small plain wooden boxes in Hobbycraft if that's any help. Sorry for your loss. X

Oh gosh, poor little love.

We had our cat cremated and beautifully 'packaged up' for want of a better term for £240 so it might not be £300

But agree a lovely box and a nice plant pot with a nice plant/little tree would be good.

Aww bless him 😟

OP when we buried hamsters we put them in a biodegradable (cardboard usually) box and put a paving slab over the area to deter foxes etc. it worked really well - despite living in the countryside and having loads of foxes around

Sorry to hear about your little Syrian friend

He has definitely gone- the vet confirmed it.
Dds will be home soon and will be devastated.
Can I ask about the box idea. Do you put that into a big flower pot?
Then what do you with the flowerpot? Do you keep it in the garden or do you put that in the ground too?

Oh no. I'm so sorry to read this 💐

I had to look after my adult DS's gorgeous hammy and she passed under my care. I put her in a box with lots of bedding, a flower, and tucked her under the lawn next to my passed turtle.

I've always put my small pets to rest in my garden and mark their space with a stone with their name and date on.

Poor hammy. Poor you! They are such gorgeous creatures but never live long so they are heartbreaking. Sending you a virtual hug x

Sorry to hear about your lovely hamster. We put the box in the flower pot and left it outside in the garden. Told our daughters that if ever we moved we could take them with us. We have a bit of a collection of pots now in our ‘hamsters’ paradise’