Sick Hamster - Hamster Health - Common Hamster Illnesses
82Hamsters
Although hamsters are pretty hardy pets, they are very small which means that injuries and illness can quickly become a serious matter. Hamsters are actually pretty good at hiding their illnesses until it's nearly too late, which is why it is important to keep a close eye on any changes in your hamster's regular diet or routine.
If you notice any signs of illness in your hamster, you need to see a veterinarian as quickly as you can.
If you think that your hamster is sick or injured, try to keep it warm. If you notice that it is not eating on its own, encourage it to take food or water by a dropper, until you can see a veterinarian.
Hamster Signs of Illness
- Loss of appetite
- Inactivity
- Huddling in a corner
- Ruffled or unkempt coat
- Sneezing
- Discharge from the nose or eyes
- Wheezing
- Wetness around the tail
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Humped Back
Common Hamster Illnesses
- Abscesses: Pockets of infection that can form from minor breaks in the skin. In many cases abscesses occur in the hamster's cheeks from cuts causes by food. If the hamster looks like it constantly has food in its cheek pouches, it may have an abscess, to which a vet will need to drain.
- Respiratory Infection: Respiratory infections can lead to pneumonia. You should watch for sneezing, discharge from eyes or nose, wheezing and labored breathing. Don't worry about occasional sneezing unless there is loss of appetite, decreased activity, wheezing or difficulties breathing.
- Wet Tail: One of the more common hamster illnesses. It is most commonly caused by stress, crowding, and diet changes. Although, it can be fatal if not noticed soon enough, it is curable. Watch for signs of diarrhea (causing wetness around the tail), lethargy, loss of appetite, humped back, and ruffled coat.
- Diarrhea: Not all hamsters who suffer diarrhea, will have wet tail. The most common cause of diarrhea in hamsters is the overfeeding of fresh vegetables. Unlike Wet Tail, there is not loss of appetite or decreased activity; for the most part the hamster will appear as normal. Do not let diarrhea stay for prolonged periods of time, as dehydration becomes a big concern. You will want to withhold fresh foods for a few days and resume only if the diarrhea is completely resolved; you can start giving fresh produce again but slowly.
- Skin Diseases: Mites, ringworm, allergies, and skin infections, are the most common skin illnesses associated with hamsters. Watch for flakiness or redness of the skin, hair loss, lesions on the skin, or if the hamster appears to be scratching more. In these cases you will want to see a vet to determine the exact cause of the skin concern. Pine and cedar bedding can cause skin irritation, as well as, lung problems, so avoid these beddings.
- Hibernation: Watch the room temperature where the hamster's cage is. If the temperatures fall below normal, the hamster may go into a hibernating state, where they can appear very still and breath slowly. Your hamster is not dead or dying, in this case, but you will want to rewarm the hamster.
Hamster Illnesses
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. The methods outlined above may or may not work for your pet. If you have any concerns, you should consult a specialized reptile veterinarian.
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (29)
- Funny (7)
- Awesome (8)
- Beautiful (7)
- Interesting (6)
CommentsLoading...
My dwarf hamster was acting lonely when i gave it back to my friend, the other hamster i gave to her had died. My friend came to my house the other day and the hamsters stomach opened and a green seed came out with a white tube. The next morning my hamster had died. Do you know why my hamster died? Sick? Lonely? It was dropped? Please answer as soon as you can.
My hamster is.sqweaking out of his.nose do you know why what should I do about.it
my baby hamster wont drink , is it somin to worrie bout ? she only drinks like once ina few days n i dunno wht to do , she also sits in the corner of her cage quit alot n sleeps alot ... ive experienced a hamster dyin before n i dont want anythin bad to happen to my babby bella :( if u know whts goin on with her , plz tell me .
Ok you people all need to take your hamster to the vet if they are sick. Alice, you really need to get the hamster seen to, he must be in so much pain. I can't believe people sometimes, they seem to think just coz it's a tiny animal that if it's sick they don't need to give it proper care. It still has feelings. If it was a dog or cat you'd take it straight to the vet wouldn't you? Well if your hamster gets sick - TAKE IT TO THE VET!!! Otherwise it's cruelty.
Hi
My dwarf hamster is suffering from blindness and a puffy eye and it looks like its eye is going to pop out help me
My male Dwarf Hamster has a big lump between his right back leg and arm, it is closer to his leg. I only noticed the lump today because it's not bold though part of it is and the skin there is very red. He doesn't behave different because of it and can walk fine and is eating and drinking like before. Thank You
my sisters my hamster has huge balls and they were there this morning and now they are gone i mean gone no cuts and he has his own cage he is 1.5 years old and my mom said that its fine but she is worried and we serched the internet all over but no answer... we might take him to the vet but could some one tell us if it happened to you too thanks
My dwarf hamster was acting lonely when i gave it back to my friend, the other hamster i gave to her had died. My friend came to my house the other day and the hamsters stomach opened and a green seed came out with a white tube. The next morning my hamster had died. Do you know why my hamster died? Sick? Lonely? It was dropped? Please answer as soon as you can.
My hamster is normaly white his back has a pink circle and its got white dots on it i also noticed that he is losing a bit of fur in that area as well.
Please help me i am 10 years old and have already experienced one of my hampsters dieing and i was heart broken!
My hamster is bleeding in her bottom area and idk why. She is sleeping right now and also if anybody has problems with hamsters fighting separate them. 2 Hamsters of the same gender cant be together even if they are brothers or sisters.
my hamster has red spots under her eyes what shou;d i do
I think my hamster was pregneant now she is got yellow stuff coming out her pee area and a big red buldge on her side
hi its me again im eleven and i need help with my hamster.i just got my hamster from Bob's Feathered Friends on February 29,2012 and he is only a couple of weeks old(well,thats what my mom told me).he is a golden hamster and he is bouncing.does he have the hiccups?i will examine him...ok he has cold ears but there was nothing else i found.hamsters are supposed to live 1-2 years but i just got him!!! please help and thankyou so much to the helpful/nice comments.thankyou and ill c u ppl tommorow("c u ppl tomorrow"meaning ill read ur notes tomorrow).
hi my hamster is bouncing but not jumping off the ground idk whats wrong.will someone plz tell me im very concerned.please help and thankyou to those who reply.
My chinese dwarf hamster has one puffy eye. What is wrong with him ? Also his heart beat is incredibly fast. Is he okay?
My hamster won't move to drink I notice a little lump on her belly and was cold this morning what is it help I'm 12 years old thank you
My dwarf hamster is 1 year old and it has lost all it's hair and has scabs all over it's body. My parents say if we take it to a vet the bill will be to much just for a hamster. Can someone tell me why it is that way? I am 12. Help please!!!!!!!!!
My sons dwarf hamster has lost a lot of weight and has a brown scab looking thing on his stomach. Is that a sign of a disease? If anybody has an answer please email me at PhiladelphiaEagles1992@gmail.com
Thank you
Hi I have a question, I own a 1.5 year old Teddy Bear Hamster and he suddenly got this long grey line of fur down his back and sides of him, and he has been huddling sorta in a corner of his cage and itching himself a little more then normal.
I'm 12 and i don't wanna loose him.Please tell me what's wrong
my hampster is getting really unfit, scruffy and wet hair, grey hair , loss of hair, skinny, and she never properly opens her eyes much. i think she is just getting old and there is nothing we can do but do you think it is something we can cure?
my dwarf hamster is constantly runing around really really fast in her cage, she jumps constantly wen she runs and seemslike she took abunch of crack, and i dont mean to sound innapropriet but it is freaking me out theres no other way to describe the way she is actingits a big cage and a wheel and everything, i have had over a few hamsters in my past but they have never seemed so sparky, and it seems to be getting worse,she constintly rubs her face,and her fur looks greasy, espeshally by her back, i just got her from someone and i dont know if that lady knew anything, but please tell me something i need an answer. its like convulsions or somthing wen she can rest and is jumping in mid air, its creepy,help pleaseeee
the person who has the nickname of erika, i think your hamster may have wet tail
lily 7 days ago
My dwarf hamster was acting lonely when i gave it back to my friend, the other hamster i gave to her had died. My friend came to my house the other day and the hamsters stomach opened and a green seed came out with a white tube. The next morning my hamster had died. Do you know why my hamster died? Sick? Lonely? It was dropped? Please answer as soon as you can.
My hampstet has Orangy brown stuff coming from his behind. And his butt looks very strange!! Hellllpppp!!!
my hamster had pups and i think ones sick there old enough to eat solids there arond 15 weeks and one has a puffy eye thats swollen shut can u tell me why?
Hello everyone,first the user that wrote please help me as his/her nick,did you try warming up the hamster first?As it is possible he was just sleeping really deep (hybernating) and as it may appear dead it's actually do to being very cold.Anyway my question would be my hammy althou very healthy n all seems to have some brown stuff on his belly (where his gland is) ofc he won't let me check,as he bites when i try to see what it could be,so does anyone have any idea what that is and if it's dangerous?
My sisters hamster died the other day. It had dry blood on it's face, it was breathing fast, and was twitching. What happened?
My hamster has a big red thing coming from his mouth what is it? Can you help me?
My dwarf hamster was acting lonely when i gave it back to my friend, the other hamster i gave to her had died. My friend came to my house the other day and the hamsters stomach opened and a green seed came out with a white tube. The next morning my hamster had died. Do you know why my hamster died? Sick? Lonely? It was dropped? Please answer as soon as you can.
my hamster elephant was energeic the other day and had 5 babies .today i went to check on them they all had white spots on thier bodies . most of the babies died and only two survived but still had white spots on them the mother had died too and they still kept drinking her milk. she was loosing the fur on her butt area and she died an hour later. why did she die im 11 yrs old and i am crying my eyes out please tell me what she died of
eveyone who has a hamster its a really good idea to take them to a vet when they are ill if u want them to be healthy just pay pet insurance sometime its just £3 a month
Last Tuesday, I checked on my hamster in the morning, but it wasn't moving. So I picked it up for a while but it still didn't move, and it usually doesn't let me touch it.It wasn't moving or breathing and when I got it it was perfectly fine,but it died 3 days later. Whitney, Can you PLEASE tell me why he died? I am very sad and confused right now and don't know what to do! PLEASE REPLY!
im so sad i think my hamster is going to die because he just lies up the corner of his cage and he has a brother but thay keep on fighting im so worryed help pease my hamsters are rush-en dwaf hamsters PLEASE HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my hamster keeps losing fur does she have an infection
My hamster has like a nasty indected scab on his belly. He has had it since he was a baby. I watched him be born and grow up. He also has two diffrent color eyes. Are these things to worry about? He has always had the same hay and food since he has been able to eat.
I have a Winter White Hamster and she isn`t drinking enough water. I am conserned. What should I do to make her better? I looked to make sure that she was healthy when I bought her. Now she won`t drink alot. What should I do?
My hamster keeps on kicking around and eating the hay and I just bought him 2 days ago. He also has a slide where he carries the hay and puts lots of it. He isn't very active becuz he stays up in the slide for the whole day. I can only gethim down with showing him my finger. He eats and drinks by himself and he doesn't use his wheel.
Please tell me if anything is wrong with him plsss.
I'm 11 and I don't want to lose him.
My hamster, Dylan, keeps getting a swollen eye and a bald spot on his head which is light pink and wrinkly. It's gross but I need to help my hamster. HELP!!!
Hello
I have been reading many comments on here and it saddens me to realize how sickly hamsters can get. My beloved hamster, Sammy, died after a long illness. He had tumor's coming out of his back bottom and bleeding. He died after getting Sepsis-and died in my hands. I have to say don't hesitate to take your hamster to the vet. It isn't as expensive as many of you think. Many times hamsters are prone to getting infections and for only ten bucks the medicine helps.
Why does my dwarf hamster have a white hole on her stomach
i dont know if my hamster is ill but she has a bald spot and its at the bottom of her tail and it is yellowish but the yellowish isvery light almost like white
My hamster named Chester is sleeping all the time and tries to bite me he is also breathing very slow and I'm scared I am very Young and just got him i don't know what to do!!! HELP
I need help my hamster is 2 and a half and I have just went to check on him and he was just lying there I have him in my hands holding him in a towel as he has lots of greeny creamy colored stuff coming out of his bum and his balls seem to have gone he is breathing and keeps having large twitches but isn't moving is he dying?
My hansters is about 6 months old and has lost the use of her back legs! She seems perfecty active and is eating and drinking fine. What is wrong and what can I do???
i feel bad because it seems that my hamster is dying..wat will i do? pls help
My hamster is a male syrian, he is about 2 years and 4 months, he has no fur and the vet said that hamsters have little teenie tiny mites already in their fur when they are born and they get out of control and that causes fur loss, my hammy is bald and scratches himself lots, try using sunflower oil to oil up the skin. This works as it losens up the skin so it allows the skin to move, my hamster has fallen very ill recently and we've wrapped him up in 2 small towels and we are leaving him in peace as we know he is going to die, we are letting him pass in his sleep as he is too old and it is the best thing for him.
hi my name is keekee and my hamster is lying around and not eating today and she is really agrressive she bit me two times what two do.
Hello,I`m Makayla.My beautiful syrian blonde hamster died a few days ago,his name was Tyler.Tylar,out of nowhere,gets these horrible symptoms on saterday.He was looking paralyzed on most of his right side-I knew because he walked,dragging his left side-,he was so thin that the veins were popping out soo much,one eye was swollen and stuff was dried on it whitch prevented him from opening his left eye,the other eye squinting,his tail was pretty damp,but just a little,and he was 2-3 years.I loved Tyler so much,and now I have a gorgeous new baby grey hamster named Mayflower.May is just a few weeks old,and she has almost every symptom of wet tail,but a vet is too much out of my budget.I`m not sure how my Tyler died,and it breaks my heart.I do cry as I write this,the vet I took Tyler to didn`t tell me much,and I want to know how he died,please.And to all of you poor hamster owners who are considoring taking your hamsters to the vet,I assure you the vet will do everything he/she can.I am indeed very young,but I have been in your shoes and I know how it feels.
Please try to tell me how my little Tyler died,I`m begging everyone who reads this.
Megan 2 weeks ago
My hamster is not drinking much he is only drinking 5-6 times a day.is this normal ?? Im only12 and I don't want to lose my hamster! Help