Possibly, the two times I've noticed in a rodent (one a gerbil with ovarian cysts and one a Syrian with pyometra) it seemed to come on suddenly. One day they seemed to be walking fine and the next their back legs were weak. I've always assumed it's something to do with swelling in the abdomen pressing on nerves but I'm not sure.
M
Member ID2
Hmm, i'm at work overnight but will have a closer look and feel of Lilly's abdomen tomorrow to see if there is any swelling.
It's hard to tell just by looking at her because she's rotund.
It's hard to tell just by looking at her because she's rotund.
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elusive
Lilly sounds as though she’s doing really well in spite of her leg problem, hope you can get her dig box sorted for her, she’ll thank you for that!
They are amazing, I remember when Tinwë temporarily lost the use of his back legs he never stopped trying to get into his wheel1
They are amazing, I remember when Tinwë temporarily lost the use of his back legs he never stopped trying to get into his wheel1
M
Member ID2
Why did Tinwë temporarily lose the use of his back legs?
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elusive
I never figured it out.
He was never a bar climber & his cage wasn’t tall but I couldn’t totally rule bar climbing & possibly falling as a cause even though it seemed really unlikely. There was nothing in the cage to fall off or gaps to get stuck in so an injury of some kind would have been a bit strange.
I saw him in the morning & he was absolutely fine then when he came out later in the day he was just dragging his back legs with no use in them at all so I guess some kind of inflammation had set in somewhere, most likely involving his spine.
I took him straight to the vet & he couldn’t find any sign of anything wrong either.
He was on metacam for about a week, still no change & then one day after 10 days or maybe slightly longer I heard a noise, went to the cage to look & there he was running in his wheel perfectly fine!
It’s still a bit of a mystery.
He was never a bar climber & his cage wasn’t tall but I couldn’t totally rule bar climbing & possibly falling as a cause even though it seemed really unlikely. There was nothing in the cage to fall off or gaps to get stuck in so an injury of some kind would have been a bit strange.
I saw him in the morning & he was absolutely fine then when he came out later in the day he was just dragging his back legs with no use in them at all so I guess some kind of inflammation had set in somewhere, most likely involving his spine.
I took him straight to the vet & he couldn’t find any sign of anything wrong either.
He was on metacam for about a week, still no change & then one day after 10 days or maybe slightly longer I heard a noise, went to the cage to look & there he was running in his wheel perfectly fine!
It’s still a bit of a mystery.
M
Member ID2
I'm glad Tinwë got the use of his back legs back. Hopefully it is something similar with Lilly. She's been more active since i started her on metacam. She also gets this slight inflammation in her left eye on and off which clears up with metacam. I'm going to ask the vet if she can stay on it permanently unless something changes before Monday. Edwina and Ozzy were on it permanently and i'm not worried about long term effects or side efffects considering their short life span. With a hamster with health issues the presence and quality of life counts more.
M
Member ID2
I very much doubt that because both legs are affected.
Unfortunately, Lilly is not a healthy hamster. She's not her usual active self at the moment as she keeps falling over which no doubt, is cramping her style.
She can get in the dig box now and i've made a couple of small adjustements in her cage.
R
RainbowBrite
It is really clever of you to be able to adjust the dig box so Lilly can enjoy foraging for seeds. 
M
Member ID2
Thanks. It still requires to go up slopes but i used different materials for a better grip.It is really clever of you to be able to adjust the dig box so Lilly can enjoy foraging for seeds.
M
Member ID2
Lilly enjoying her scrambled egg tonight....with her back legs sticking out sideways.
F
Frida
Lovely to Lilly enjoying her scrambled egg 
R
RainbowBrite
Aww, Lilly is really enjoying that!
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elusive
Aww she really is enjoying that 
M
Member ID2
I checked Lilly with gynea problems in mind but there is no abdominal swelling or discharge and she isn't getting any worse.
I think there is an improvement in her mobility. I saw her scratching this morning using her back legs and she needs strength for that.
She's responding to the metacam so an inflammation of some sort could well be the cause. I'm really curious to hear her vet's thoughts. Aside from a good hamster knowledge she has an instinct that's usually spot on.
I think there is an improvement in her mobility. I saw her scratching this morning using her back legs and she needs strength for that.
She's responding to the metacam so an inflammation of some sort could well be the cause. I'm really curious to hear her vet's thoughts. Aside from a good hamster knowledge she has an instinct that's usually spot on.
R
RainbowBrite
It is wonderful the metacam is helping her so much. Is it possible she has arthritis?