Chewing bars in a big cage

He did it again. It sounds like a piece of cloth getting torn and something like he is crying. Not sure what it is, but after waking him, he seems normal. No injuries, refuses water so I guess he is hydrated (he has also fruit and vegetables), body temperature seems ok (it's warm as usual).

And before anyone suggests a vet check, we don't really have any for hamsters. They are seen mostly as "dispossable" (yes, it's really sad...) They are barely touching parrots or squirrels (and those are seen as "exotic vets") so yes, a vet visit is not a real option...

And to give you guys an example, the last hamster we had a few month ago had some sand in her eye (or this was my guess at least) and the area around the eye got a big bigger and red-ish. Went to 2 vets, nobody helped. They recommended someone outside town that might help, but they were not sure. I've called, nobody answered. Took her sand out and he was good after 2 days.

I am not sure how to post the audio in here. If you know how, please let me know, I really want an opinion from you.

Also, he only does it in his sleep it seems. When he is awake I can't hear any respiratory problems or see anything else, he looks and feels normal. It might be that the temeprature starts to drop, but he's warm and has enough bedding around him to keep him cold even in winter.
 
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If you want to post a video or any audio you can upload it to Youtube and then post a link here.

I totally understand what you mean about not being able to see a vet. He sounds like he is acting as normal otherwise so perhaps he is having some bad dreams.
 
It scares me a bit. We already lost a hamster this year, I really hope he is just dreaming. If he has any other problem I guess it would noticeable when he's not sleeping.

Here is the video. It sounds like a scared relief sound after a bad dream but not sure. He was clearly still sleeping.
 
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I'm sorry to hear it's happened again. The fact it's happening in his sleep only is reassuring, because that does suggest it isn't respiratory if it's not there all the time. The easiest way to post audio would be to upload a video. You just upload it to youtube. Set it to unlisted then it's not publicly visible and can only be seen wherever you paste the link (ie here).

It's really hard when you live somewhere without vet access. There are a number of basic healthcare things you can do yourself - such as make up a saline solution for eye bathing, if that's needed again. If a hamster ever needs pain relief though, is that available from a vet (it's usually dog loxicom)?
 
Sorry I wrote that earlier and forgot to post and can see you have uploaded a video now :-) To be honest I couldn't really hear much!
 
Maz said:
I'm sorry to hear it's happened again. The fact it's happening in his sleep only is reassuring, because that does suggest it isn't respiratory if it's not there all the time. The easiest way to post audio would be to upload a video. You just upload it to youtube. Set it to unlisted then it's not publicly visible and can only be seen wherever you paste the link (ie here).

It's really hard when you live somewhere without vet access. There are a number of basic healthcare things you can do yourself - such as make up a saline solution for eye bathing, if that's needed again. If a hamster ever needs pain relief though, is that available from a vet (it's usually dog loxicom)?
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Not sure about the pain relief, never had a dog, will have to check.
 
Maz said:
Sorry I wrote that earlier and forgot to post and can see you have uploaded a video now :) To be honest I couldn't really hear much!
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Crank the volume to 11, it's really low otherwise.
 
I turned the volume up full & it’s still a bit hard to make out, over the background noise, I could hear something that sounded like quite a normal hamster sleeping noise but nothing like the screaming tearing sound you mentioned.

It does seem a bit strange but if he seems fine when he’s awake then it may not be anything to worry about.
 
Same here, my computer volume was on full. I tried listening on my phone where the sound is a bit stronger but still couldn't hear much - except maybe the odd squeak or whimper possibly.
 
Try not to worry. They can make noises when asleep. The important thing is, does he seem active and acting normally when awake? Has he stopped the bar chewing? One solution, if you have access to it, is fitting perspex inside the bars. Some places online will cut it to the dimensions you want.
 
Sorry I didn't mentioned. This is basically the after scream/strange noise part. Wasn't really on it to capture the full noise. Maybe I'll be able to catch it if he does it again.

The bar chewing I guess is gone. Didn't really heard. At least, not at an impulsive/aggresive level. If he still does it, I'm not aware and I can't hear at night when he is on the wheel.

Yes, he is active. Running, climbing, eating as normal. Didn't really heard him drinking water, but I guess he does it. The water thing works ok and he used it in the past, but now I'm not really hearing it.
 
It sounds good he's behaving normally then. Does he come out of the cage for strokes etc or play time? Great the bar chewing has stopped.
 
Strokes as in to pet him? We make some noises in the cage to get his attention (small things, like digging or hitting softly the wood) and he 90% of the time comes to where the sound is and usually is ok to pick him up. he doesn't always stay to be petted but at night he is active and when he gets on the couch for example he is very observing, he can stay in one place for minutes, but if not, he climbs, runs and so on.
 
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That sounds ok. So he's interacting with you. Does he seem happy and perky enough when he's out? Sofa time sounds nice.
 
we have a boul for snacks on the table. is the only place where he scratches hes back, i guess marking his teritory. but for the most of the time he's a normal hamster. A normal hamster in a house with people and sounds... it's not the ideal noise level for him, but I guess it's ok. Overall he seems ok, but it's more on the gentle side, a bit shy, non-conflictual. when we got him, he seemed too scared (also because we had that dwarf female hamster that was more lively, had more energy) and scared in a sense that he seems a bit like Dobby from Harry Potter, especially when you see him with that humpback :ROFLMAO:
 
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Aw - so he's like Dobby! I didn't realise he had a humped back :)
 
This is not him, but he stand on 2 feet and eats in a similar position, he looks like quasimodo. if you were refering to dobby having a humpback, sorry, didn't intended to sound that way. only the humble part was associated with Dobby
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My Syrian looks like that when he's in that position too :)
 
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