Is My Hamster Sick, Dying Or Is My Hamster Hibernating?
on November 2nd, 2011 at 11:23 PMWe had an unexpected experience with our pet hamster that we would like to share because many hamster owners may not be aware that these animals are afraid of the cold and can go into hibernation. The sad thing is that many people may think their hamster is sick and just allow it to die, without understanding why they go into hibernation and how to help them get out of it.
We recently adopted our female pet hamster in mid October without any knowledge about the animal. All we knew was that this little one was at least 8 months old and is a female. She goes on the treadmill wheel constantly, even thought her body was a bit too big for it, but that’s what she enjoys doing every day. We gave her plenty of food and water and ensured the bedding for her cage is kept cleaned.
Last Saturday afternoon, we noticed she was not waking up as she usually would when we try to pet her. We knew hamsters are nocturnal but she usually wakes up to see us but today was different. Her eyes were slightly opened and when she did try to walk, her body was shaking. She kept trying to dig her head into the bedding. When we picked her up, she didn’t try to wiggle free like she normally does.
At first we thought she was sick. We did a lot of research online and thought she may be dying. But how can she be dying? Last night, she was constantly on her wheel, riding away having fun and was fully alert. What could have happened between this morning and 2PM?
When we picked her up, we noticed her body was very cold and limp – it was not hard like a dead body would be. Her breathing was very slow and shallow. Her eyes were now closed. We took her back to the pet store and they were not sure what could be wrong with our hamster. The assistant manager suggested keeping her warm and watch her over night.
After we got home, we wrapped our pet hamster in a towel to keep her warm. Her limp body was so frail and cold. Finally, we came across some helpful information online that was very helpful and we followed all the suggestions to bring her back to normal.
Fact is, hamsters needs to be warm all the time. Any sudden change in temperature for a period of time can cause these little animals to go into hibernation mode at any time, especially if they are hungry. Their body will shut itself down to preserve energy by hibernating. Therefore, it is very important to have plenty of food and water for your pet. That Saturday morning was quite cool and we didn’t have the heat on, so by 2PM, our little hamster’s body decided to switch to hibernation mode.
To help bring her out of hibernation mode, we took our hamster into a smaller bedroom with the heat turned on. We placed her on top of a heating pad, made sure it was not too hot and still had her wrapped up in a towel. We let her warm up that way for 30 minutes, then we started rubbing her body vigorously but not roughly – DO NOT shake your hamster. This is to keep her warm by helping her blood circulate plus it helps to wake her up. We kept this up for approximately 30 minutes at which she started twitching her nose and whiskers. This was a good sign. We continued calling her name and rubbing her, to wake her up. By this time, almost 1.5 hours have passed since we started with the heating pad. Her eyes started to open slightly and more twitching of her entire head. This was a very good sign.
We heated up the heating pad again and made a mixture of sugar water to give her some energy and to keep her hydrated, since she probably haven’t had any water for a long time. We put 1 teaspoon of sugar with 1 cup on water and stirred until it is fully dissolved. We used a small eye dropper to force water into her mouth. (If you do not have an eye dropper around, use a small straw. ) She drank a bit of water and became more awake.
Then, all of a sudden, she started wanting to walk out of the warm towel, so we gave her more sugar water. Within the next 15 minutes, her eyes were fully opened and started kicking when we picked her up. After another 15 minutes she seemed more awake but still weak. As soon as we placed her into her cage, she went straight for the food and started eating. We gave her a small piece of carrot to eat as it is sweet and easy for her to consume.
Another hour went by, she went on her hamster wheel a bit and then back to her food. At this point she was getting more awake and strong again. Overnight, we noticed she’s been gathering bedding and stuffing them into her little plastic house to keep warm. We placed her by the heater and she’s been back to normal every since.
Keep in mind, if your hamster doesn’t wake up after 1.5 hours, it is a good idea to call a Vet for assistance.
Should you worry about your sick hamster?
Should you worry about your hamster hibernating?
Should you worry about your hamster dying?
You decide!
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my hamster is dying
Thank you so, so very much!!! I really thought my hamster was dying; she wasn’t moving and was very cold and limp. I was on the verge of burying her when I read your article and as a last attempt followed your instructions (which I really didn’t think would help her) and within 10 minutes she moving! I kept her warm and stroked her and to my amazement she quickly got better and was able to walk around. I’m so happy she’s well now and I can’t tell you how grateful I am 🙂
Same happned to me , last night i saw her slowing down hardly moving ( she is 3 years old ) and I couldn’t know what to do I put her to his cage she was breathing but not moving I give some food just near her so her water too . when I woke up my hamster so cold , tuff as a wood then I think she is dead ( she survived colder weathers and the room she was staying not that cold but I can’t say its too warm ) … From last night I think her heart just stopped by the way she is
3 years old ,I go to barry her … I was crying but I had to barry her . then I come home I read the hole hibernation think then I scared … Did I barry my hamster a live ? when there was 2-3 hours past last time I barry her I go get her . her eyes was red when she was alive I toke my hamster and she was still to cold and black eyes … She was like a zombie and 2-3 hours how the hell can she breath … But in hibernation hamster breaths once in 2 min and I didn’t dig too deep.. Still a stupit hope I look her carefully , no not breathing still tuff and cold … I think like if she is hibernating and alive why is she so cold aftet waiting 3 hours inside of the ground ( still so stupit no one can live 3 hours in the ground ) .. Then I think like she saw really colder weathers why hibernate now … I wanted her alive after 3 hole years she was like my own dougther I wanted to believe this I wanted to see her little hands moving but looking her dead body was hurting me … I m so sure I didnt barry my hamster alive hope God take care of my little friend up there
( sorry for my English )
Amazing! Same thing happened to my daughters hamster last night. We all thought he was dying. There were a lot of tears from my kids. Then I read your post and tried all the things you recommended. In fact, I set my alarm throughout the night to give him more sugar water and food if he’d eat it. To all our surprise, he’s alive and doing well! He’s weak but eating and drinking. So we’re thrilled beyond belief. Thank you sooo much for posting!
I had this last night and thought she was dying. I warmed her up by putting her under my jumper and gently rubbing her then put her on a heating pad with a blanket. After 20 minutes she seemed to come round eyes open and started eating and nose and whiskers twitching. I left her all nice and warm. I just hope she hasn’t gone into hibernation again, or will she be ok as she was grooming herself and moving around her cage. Just a little worried about her or am I just been silly and she will be ok?
My hamster was active yesterday and this morning and I just noticed he was asleep….his eyes are halfway closed and his body isn’t stiff like a board, it’s limp…is he hibernating
I woke up this morning and my little sister’s hamster was cold and limp, my dad tried to rub it and warm it up but there was no response, I gave it some sugar water and kept it warm, it’s fine now, just a little shaky, it took about an hour or so to help the darn thing, but she’s good now, I’m watching it throughout the day to make sure nothing happens