dwarf hamster not using his legs

[charlieqhel]

Hello. I just got a hamster today and I've noticed that he's not using his legs, whether while he's running on his wheel or walking. I picked him up to inspect his legs and he can move them... Can anybody help me?

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome. I'm so sorry to hear your little boy has leg problems. Where did you get him from and how old is he? Assume he wasn't like this when you went to get him?

Is it just the back legs as presumably if he's running in his wheel his front legs must be working? If it's back legs he may have had some injury - a fall can sometimes affect a spinal nerve which affects their legs. If he's particularly old it might be something else.

What cage is he in? Sometimes if it's tall and they climb at night they can fall. Has it just happened. If he's the same tomorrow then he'll need to see a vet really to see what's going on. If it's just a shock aspect from a fall then they may just come right again next day.

 

[charlieqhel]

Thank you Very sad to say that the place I got him from wasn't taking care of them really well... The people at the place didn't know about his age at all, but I'd say he is about 2 to 3 months old. I did a research about them before getting one. And he's been like this since I put him in his cage, which was like an hour ago or two. While taking him home, he didn't fall or something like that, I held him very carefully. I'll see next day if he is using them fine but if not I'll try to find a vet that treats hamsters, thank you for helping!

 

[Maz]

Aw. It's so lovely you took him and got him a home. I wonder if he had been in a fight with other hamsters if they weren't treating them well. If he's young then I think the usual cause of legs not working is spinal damage from an injury of some kind. But the leg use can sometimes come back again if it's just pressed on a nerve that then recovers a bit.

Which country are you in? An exotic vet is the best option as they know more about hamsters. Is it just his back legs? He can probably manage perfectly well with some adjustments to his set up.

 

[charlieqhel]

I'm in Turkiye and yes, it is just his back legs. He is definitely an active boy and seems to be doing well for now. I'll be sure to bring him to a vet. I'm still checking if he needs more for his enclosure... Thank you for your help, Maz !

 

[Maz]

You're welcome. If you have a photo of his enclosure we could give some tips.