Please be careful

[TrW]

Hi

I signed up here specifically to plead with you to be very careful when thinking your wee hammy might have passed away.

My friend's kid found her hamster unresponsive and she thought it was gone. She put the poor thing in a box, ready to bury it in the garden, when thankfully it came back to life! Don't worry, the wee soul is absolutely fine. Thankfully! But it is an important lesson for anyone who has a hamster.

It's not like the kid briefly tried and assumed her hammy was gone, she tried to get a response for some time.

So please, be careful!

And please tell anyone you know who owns a hamster.

Thank you

 

[Socks' Mum]

Thank you for sharing this with us. That is quite scary. Thank goodness your hammy woke up. It makes a lot of sense to confirm death before burying a little hamster. I'm not sure how to confirm death. I think being stiff would be the crucial sign. The heartbeat of a hibernating hamster could be extremely faint and difficult to detect, as would breathing.

 

[Maz]

Hello. What a scary experience for your friend! There is some information below about how to check, which I have put in a spoiler.

Spoiler

There are a number of ways to check if a hamster has actually passed. It's a slightly grim topic but an important one. One thing is to check their toenails because that area goes darker or black. There are breath tests (small mirror) and heartbeat tests also. Giving it some time to be sure helps also, and the usual advice is, if you're still not sure then get a vet to confirm.

Hamsters can be unresponsive for a number of reasons. One is - deliberate - they are hoping you will go away and pretending! Another is torpor - if they have got too cold they can start to go into torpor (some people think of this as hibernation, but it's not quite the same thing), and they need to be gradually warmed up to come out of this and that isn't always successful unfortunately. Sometimes a hamster can be unconscious for a long time before actually passing. This is usually when they are dying unfortunately and it can be for some time.

Stiffness isn't a helpful sign, it can begin within a few hours but then wears off again and there be no sign of it and they can still feel warm. The main way to check is the base of the nails. As they will become very dark coloured.

It is not something to determine quickly sometimes, although other times it can be very clear. It can take about 24 hours or more for the hamster to feel cold.

I am so sorry your friend had this scary experience and I hope the hamster is doing fine. It's possible the hamster may have had a stroke as they can come round from that after being paralysed initially.

Thank you for sharing for others.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Thanks Maz, very useful information

 

[ilguy]

You can also get a stethoscope for very cheap these days.