Hamsters are desert animals, so they've evolved to function on very little water. It is not at all uncommon for them to drink just a few drops every few hours. Actually in hamsters, drinking a -lot- of water is a sign of illness (diabetes, for instance), so her drinking very little is a good sign!
How old is she that she's stopped running in her wheel? If she's 1.5 years+ I'd say that's also fairly normal. Take her out to play more often (or put her in a hamster ball if she likes it) to try and stimulate more movement if you think she's getting overweight. But stopping exercise as she ages is common.
The falling asleep while eating thing also sounds age-related. As long as she's eating enough and appears aware of her surroundings, I'd say she's probably okay, just old. I've never heard of narcolepsy in hamsters.
hi, im crashing this post to reply to your comment :p harriet is about 19 months and she doesnt go in her wheel anymore. i have been so worried about her because she has lost some weight and a lot of fur and she just sleeps all the time but your comment made it sound like that could be normal?
she does drink tho, sometimes a lot at a time, so do you know what are some signs of diabetes to look for?
oh ok thanks. she doesnt drink all the time, just comes out of her igloo at night once to drink for about a minute straight. no change in tinkle or anything else.
Losing fur (as long as the skin is not scabby/scratched), losing weight, and stopping running in the wheel are pretty standard things for aging hamsters. My hamsters slept a -lot- when they were older, and when they weren't sleeping they were grumpy and looked like they wanted to be sleeping, lol
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yeah harriet is a syrian. her skin is dry and flaky like dandruff on her lower half and she is nearly bald on her lower half as well. the vet said it was allergies so i changed all her bedding and food like 3 times but it hasnt improved. i finally went back to giving her tissues cuz she seems to prefer that to the carefresh (and the carefresh stank!)
i lift up her igloo to check on her every day and she wakes up but doesnt get up like she used to. when i take her out and offer her food she is responsive tho and she takes her food from her bowl and hides it in her treats corner. it just makes me so sad seeing her like this. i miss when she was active and running in her wheel and exploring her whole cage and when she looked healthier weight and fur wise.
Ugh, the dreaded bedding hunt. I went through that because Carefresh was consistently giving my animals mites (stupid things didn't even die when I froze the bedding), and the only Aspen I could find was so dusty it made my lungs hurt when I changed it out. I will suggest the only bedding I have ever found that brings no bugs or allergies-- Eco-Bedding. It's basically shredded cardboard paper, though it doesn't have the wet paper smell that Carefresh always had.
I know what you mean about missing the young energetic hamsters when they get older. :/
thanks for the recommendation! i will try to find it. the carefresh smelled so bad! like mold, sour wet mold. harriet likes the tissues because she makes a big nest and gets inside, and pringles seems ok with it too so i think im going to go back to that. harriet was fine with it for a year and hoots never had any issues so i think her dry skin/fur loss is just from old age.
and nancydelilah sorry for taking over your post with my questions! :>
ohh thank you for discussing CareFresh! I was torn between getting that or sticking with my old Aspen bedding the last time I bought a new bag but I just couldn't give up the nice smell of the Aspen on my Michael's fur. I'd heard that Carefresh was really good, but I don't think I'd want it if it doesn't smell all that nice. *hugs her Aspen bedding* And hey, Michael seems to like it too, so I'm sticking to what's already working ^_^
for her dry skin, you may also try rubbing a little bit of olive oil (with a cloth or paper towel) on her bald areas. This can give her a bit of relief from the skin being dry and flaky and possibly itchy because of it. :)
How old is she that she's stopped running in her wheel? If she's 1.5 years+ I'd say that's also fairly normal. Take her out to play more often (or put her in a hamster ball if she likes it) to try and stimulate more movement if you think she's getting overweight. But stopping exercise as she ages is common.
The falling asleep while eating thing also sounds age-related. As long as she's eating enough and appears aware of her surroundings, I'd say she's probably okay, just old. I've never heard of narcolepsy in hamsters.
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she does drink tho, sometimes a lot at a time, so do you know what are some signs of diabetes to look for?
thank you!
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i lift up her igloo to check on her every day and she wakes up but doesnt get up like she used to. when i take her out and offer her food she is responsive tho and she takes her food from her bowl and hides it in her treats corner. it just makes me so sad seeing her like this. i miss when she was active and running in her wheel and exploring her whole cage and when she looked healthier weight and fur wise.
thanks for the info though! much appreciated.
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I know what you mean about missing the young energetic hamsters when they get older. :/
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harriet likes the tissues because she makes a big nest and gets inside, and pringles seems ok with it too so i think im going to go back to that. harriet was fine with it for a year and hoots never had any issues so i think her dry skin/fur loss is just from old age.
and nancydelilah sorry for taking over your post with my questions! :>
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thanks :)
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