Droppie lost some weight

[Veer]

I hope she will at least maintain the 36grams. She feels very light in my hands, but doesn't feel or look skinny.

I am curious if there are any other hamsterowners that experience weightloss in their hamsters during fall.
Maybe i can open a new topic about this.

 

[Maz]

It's a good idea to open a topic about. Although oddly we seem to have more Syrian owners than dwarf hamster owners at the moment! It goes in phases. At one time it was mostly dwarf hamster owners.

 

[ilguy]

Get her to the vet already, losing half her weight over the course 3 weeks is not good. Her health matters more than anything said in this thread.

 

[Veer]

Update: she is keeping her weight around 35-36grams. I do see her hoatd a lot of her food, not sure how much she is eating.
She seems active and happy and healthy as usual.
I do not see any signs of her being hungry, to be sure i feed her ground up ss pellets with some water twice a day.
Sometimes she takes some, other times she isn't even looking at it.
I will keep an eye on her closely.

 

[Maz]

That sounds good

 

[Socks' Mum]

Good news The light therapy must be helping. I have been giving my guinea pigs ten minutes of sun in the morning where I can. It makes me happy, I am hoping it has the same effect on them, they seem too enjoy it

 

[ilguy]

How has she been the past week?

 

[Veer]

Her weight remains stable at 32 grams.
I feed her soft food twice a day, such as soaked Science Selective or moistened egg food, but she only eats a few mouthfuls of this and so doesn’t seem to be particularly hungry. Otherwise, she is active, affectionate and looks healthy in every other respect. She has lost a lot of weight, but her weight is now stable. I haven’t noticed anything unusual about her. Her droppings are normal, and she isn’t drinking or urinating any more or less than usual.
Just to be on the safe side, I’ll carry on offering her soft food for the time being.
I’ve also managed to take a photo of her teeth. I think they look normal? but of course I can’t see her molars.

 

[Veer]

 

[Maz]

And a nice treat afterwards She is very sweet. Her teeth look ok to me It's hard to tell from that angle but they are not too long.

 

[ilguy]

Another four grams in a week is still extreme, there is nothing stable about it. Get her to the vet and get her checked out

 

[Maz]

I think Veer said her weight had remained stable A vet check generally might be an idea but if she seems well and isn't losing weight any more then it's weighing things up.

 

[Veer]

I have decided to let her be for now, if she drops any more weight or shows any signs of illness i will take her to the vet.
Problem is that i don't have an exotic vet that has knowledge about hamsters, so i am not sure if a vet can do something for her, and i don't want to give her the stress from traveling and a vet visit, if the vet can not not help her.

I have had rats before and i know the vets that are within an hour drive from my home. when i called them, they said to be experienced with rats, but when you are there, they just don't know much.
I worry the stress might be too much for her and the vet visit wouldn't help her.
Other problem is that vets farther away do not take any new patients or patients from outside there area.

 

[Socks' Mum]

It is difficult. I hope Droppie keeps her weight or puts on more

 

[Veer]

Do you think a normal vet can see and help her if she continues to loose weight? What can and should they check for?
Maybe i can make a short list for the vet?

 

[Maz]

Do you think a normal vet can see and help her if she continues to loose weight? What can and should they check for?
Maybe i can make a short list for the vet?

I think a normal vet "might" be able to help if there is something obviously wrong, like a lump somewhere, but really exotic vets know more about hamsters. How far away is the exotic vet?

It's a difficult one. I think what @ilguy was saying is you had said she was about 35 to 36g just over a week ago, and now said she has stabilised around 32g, so a 4g loss in a week. That is a point and I missed that she had been 35 to 36g a week earlier.

If you're sure your scales are working correctly and reliably - that was my first thought.

 

[Veer]

I will try a different scale next time.
Exotic vet is a bit farther away, but do not take any new patients, or patients outside their zipcode. It is a real problem.
Yes she is around 32 grams now for a few days.

Inwas thinking about putting her in a small tank or duna without deep bedding, so i can better check is she is eating or only hoarding hee food, but i don't want to give her more stress by putting her in a different enclosure.

 

[Socks' Mum]

I will try a different scale next time.
Exotic vet is a bit farther away, but do not take any new patients, or patients outside their zipcode. It is a real problem.
Yes she is around 32 grams now for a few days.

Inwas thinking about putting her in a small tank or duna without deep bedding, so i can better check is she is eating or only hoarding hee food, but i don't want to give her more stress by putting her in a different enclosure.

Yes, she is more likely to eat better in her familiar nest. It is tricky to know what to do. I hope she puts on weight soon

 

[ilguy]

Sorry to break up the emotional support group here but this isn't acceptable at all.

She's lost extreme amounts of weight for 3 whole weeks, and you shouldn't even get a hamster without having a vet lined up in the first place.

 

[Maz]

Sorry to break up the emotional support group here but this isn't acceptable at all.

She's lost extreme amounts of weight for 3 whole weeks, and you shouldn't even get a hamster without having a vet lined up in the first place.

I hear you and agree a vet check is a good idea. The drop from 48 to 36g would depend on whether she was overweight to start with. 36g is a fairly normal weight for a Russian Dwarf. However I agree if she is still losing weight and down to 32g then a vet check is the way to go.