2 yo Syrian change of house/sudden weight gain/stress/sad

[hamsterplayguitar]

Hi all, this is my first post.
My golden Syrian, Porkchop, is 2 years old. I had a night Angel wooden 3 compartment shelter for his hideout up until about a month ago. Since I changed his hideout, he has gained a significant amount of weight, become fidgety, waddles and flops.
I changed his hideout bec he was using his toilet where he was storing his food (always has done that) and the walls were becoming moldy. I change his dirty bedding regularly, but always leave the “not dirty” bedding as to not freak him out. It was becoming more of a challenge bec he potties on his food stash and the wooden walls of his hideout were growing mold. I would use vinegar to wipe everything clean and then dry it with a hair dryer. It was becoming quite the task and just more and more mold. His entire enclosure is a glass terrarium.
I replaced his hideout with an extremely similar acrylic one with a wooden top. He didn’t not scream, he did not show any signs of stress… that is until about a week after I notice he was panting and body movement was wobbly.
I was holding him and he just went and played dead out of what seemed like nowhere. Then my husband picked him up and Porkchop started screaming. We put him back and he waddled back to his hide out. He then came back out and was begging to be picked up again. (Standing on his haunches in his sandbox where we normally place our hand for him to crawl on).
Ive kind of left him alone since… but not completely. I feed him, talk to him and gently pet him while he’s still in his enclosure.
Today I noticed that he has gained a significant amount of weight. He has rolls. He cannot climb on low level platforms or ramps he used to easily conquer. He flipped off and rolled at one point. Also, his balls used to be obvious and visible at all times and they have seemed to disappear.
I tried placing him in his exercise ball. He mostly cleaned himself and walked a little bit, but no running around. After about 8 minutes I placed him back in his enclosure. Also, he does not use his nite angel wheel. He never has.
I what do I do? I feel like I am failing as a hamster mom. He’s my baby, I adopted him from a humane resource with the intent of giving him the best quality of life and I’m afraid he is stressed and unhappy. I have got a temperature regulator for his enclosure bec it has been extremely cold lately and I was worried about him being cold.

Any helpful input is welcome. Thank you

P.S. Pictures were taken when he was healthy

 

[hamsterplayguitar]

Not so happy

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome to the forum.
I’m really sorry to hear Porkchop is so unwell & unlike his old self.
Regarding the wooden house you do need to paint them with a non toxic paint before use, most of us use Plastikote water based enamel paint which is safe, if you do consider getting him another wooden house which he might be happier in then painting it would resolve the mould problem.

He is a really good age so it may just be coincidence or the stress may have perhaps added to an existing age related problem but I would suggest getting him checked out by a vet just to see if there is anything else going on as the change in weight along with the behavioural changes seem a bit unlikely just from changing his house.

It is difficult when you have to make changes that can’t be avoided but they do usually get over things quite well, it maybe that there is just something about the acrylic house that really doesn’t suit him.

Other than taking him to the vet & maybe trying to replace his new house with something more like the old one I’m not really sure what to suggest.

You mentioned an exercise ball at the end there, these should never be used as they aren’t suitable, are very stressful & potentially dangerous for hamsters.
For out of cage time or just for doing health checks then an enclosed safe area like some kind of playpen is best.

 

[Maz]

Hello - such beautifuly photos of Porkchop. I'm sorry he is having these difficulties. It seems to have all started when you changed the house - although that could be coincidence. It is more difficult, with glass tanks, to avoid condensation or humidity which means things can get damp or mouldy easiermaybe - and it's possible that an acrylic house (assume you mean the clear plastic type) could have similar issues as it's not breathable like wood. Or that he just developed some minor respiratory issue being in a plastic house.

Whatever it was he doesn't sound too good at the moment. When you say he seems to have put on weight - does it seem like bloatedness? They can get bloatedness or fluid retention when they're older - usually organ related.

If he's toppling over doing things then he is not feeling well or has had some kind of incident - maybe back legs weakening, which can happen when they get to this age.

I think I would do a few things now. Maybe swap the acrylic house for a cardboard shoe box house - putting the litter tray in one corner. If you have a bendy bridge to put over the door that helps make it dark inside. So you just cut the base out of the shoebox, so the house is open underneath, keep the lid as a lift off roof, and cut a hole for a door. I usually cut the hole on one of the long sides of the box - near one end - this makes the other end darker inside. And put the litter tray at the end opposite the door as they usually nest in the darker end.

This should be a bit healthier but also I think he'll prefer it as it's dark inside. Although it's just one larger room he may be better with that at this age.

Also maybe lower any levels so there's nothing he can fall too far from.

Aside from this I think you do need to take him to a vet because he might need antibiotics and/or pain relief. They often do start needing Loxicom at this age, for pain relief and to keep them comfortable. They can get arthritis, toothache and all sorts.

How is his breathing now. My heart melted when I saw that last photo as he looks adorable, if slightly fragile.