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welcome | facts | choosing | feeding | looking after | care | links | leaflets To be able to make a decision whether or not your hamster is well, you need to know what is “normal” for them. Like children, behaviour in hamsters can be inherited or learnt. Some behaviour is instinctive, such as suckling their mother as soon as they are born. The rest of a hamster’s behaviour is learnt from parents and by observation, and then becomes instinctive. Animals continually learn throughout their lives. They rely heavily on sight, sound and smell. Verbal signals are avoided as they could result in detection by a predator. The functions of behaviour are to eat, to avoid being eaten, and to reproduce. Click on a link below to find out more: |
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In hamsters, alertness is their first line of defence;
they will spend the majority of the night looking out for predators
and dangers. Hamsters rely heavily on smell and constantly sniff
the air looking for an indication of who or what is around them – and
whether they are friend or foe.
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Syrian Hamsters sometimes squeal if frightened. Once
your hamster becomes used to you and more confident in his environment,
this will normally stop. Squealing in groups of Russian Hamsters
can occur when two are fighting to be dominant. The submissive hamster
will squeal and turn on his back to let the dominant hamster know
he has given up fighting.
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A sign of annoyance and you should leave him alone.
Sometimes your hamster will do this if he has just been woken up.
Don’t try to handle your hamster whilst he is doing this as
you may get bitten.
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Syrian hamsters should be housed alone. If introduced
to another hamster they will fight, sometimes to the death. Mating
Syrian hamster has to be done very carefully to avoid injury. Dwarf
hamsters are sociable animals, but will have occasional fights. Often
these are play fights and don’t result in injury and are nothing
to worry about. Separation should only be considered if there is
a likelihood of injury. However, once separated, it is not always
easy to re-introduce them to each other.
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Hamsters will often rub their sides against places
in their cage. This is normal as hamsters have scent glands on each
hip and use these for marking their territory. |
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Sudden drops in temperature may cause your hamster to go into hibernation. Hamsters may appear to be dead but, on closer inspection, their whiskers may twitch, but often vital signs are undetectable. They must be woken up so they do not get dehydrated or starve. Place the hamster in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard, or warm them up in your hands or pockets, or on a heat mat. Do NOT put the hamster next to a radiator or fire. The hamster may shiver as it wakes up, but it will stop as it becomes
fully awake. They should be fully conscious in 2-3 hours. Food and
water should be freely available.
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If you provide the correct care, diet, environment, exercise and attention to your hamster it will normally stay fit and healthy, and will be bright, alert and eating and drinking normally. Younger and older pets are often more susceptible to illness due to lowered resistance. Handling your pet every day gives you the opportunity to examine him for signs that may indicate illness. Any change in normal behaviour may indicate an underlying
problem. eating or drinking more or less than normal Hamsters do not often become ill but, because of their
size, they can deteriorate very quickly if they do become ill. Hamsters
should be bright and alert. Monitor their food intake as if they
change the way they are eating or drinking this may indicate an underlying
problem.
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Overfeeding with green food is the most common cause
of diarrhoea. You should stop feeding green food immediately if your
hamster has diarrhoea and allow it only to eat its hamster mix. If
the diarrhoea persists, your hamster should be taken to the vet.
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Conversely, if there is a lack of droppings in the
cage and your hamster is walking with a hunched appearance, it may
have constipation. Feeding with a small amount of green vegetables
may relieve your hamster, but if there is no improvement it should
be taken to the vet.
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Wet Tail is often confused with diarrhoea, but is a bacterial infection that can cause extreme diarrhoea, with a distinctive smell. The anus and tail area of the hamster appears wet and sticky. The hamster may walk hunched up as it is in pain. Take your hamster to the vet immediately if you suspect Wet Tail, as it can be fatal. It is often brought on by stress, such as weaning or separation from siblings, as stress can cause the bacteria in the gut to multiply and affect the good bacteria, resulting in diarrhoea. Hamsters with Wet Tail should be isolated from other hamsters as
it is highly infectious. You must wash your hands thoroughly before
you handle any other hamster.
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Hamsters can catch colds from humans, so if you have
a cold you should keep the handling of your hamster to a minimum.
If he has a cold, your hamster will have a runny nose and sneeze
and should be kept in a warm room. If you have any concerns, take
your hamster to the vet.
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Like all rodents, hamsters teeth continue to grow throughout their life. They need to be provided with hard material to gnaw. Special wood gnaws can be purchased form pet shops to encourage gnawing. Also apple wood, seed sticks (add link to corporate site – treats), crunchy biscuits, dog biscuits or treats (add link to corporate site – treats) all encourage gnawing. If there is a chipped tooth, or their teeth do not meet properly, this may cause overgrowth and pain, and your hamster will find it difficult to eat. Regular clipping of the teeth may be necessary to prevent any problems associated with overgrown teeth; your vet will be able to do this for you.
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Nails can also become overgrown and should be trimmed by a vet to ensure your hamster is comfortable.
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