Toni’s Thread

They love those don't they? :-) Raffy had one and carried the ball head off somewhere but didn't seem that interested in the cone.
 
I have noticed Toni has been less active recently and has lost her appetite a bit too, she isn’t eating as much cucumber, her favourite vegetable. Is this normal for her age (2 in September)? 🙂
 

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That is an adorable photo of her :-) Sorry Toni is not eating properly. Age 2 is really very old for a hamster so sometimes they do have some issues. If she's not eating properly though, have you checked her teeth? The easiest way is to have a look if she yawns. Although sometimes that can be quite a wait! Another way is to give her a larger treat, like a monkey nut (peanut in shell) and see if she can pick it up. If she can't open her mouth enough to pick it up then her front teeth might be overgrown.

If her teeth are fine then you do need to suspect something is going on healthwise. She might be in pain or have arthritis or have something else going on. A vet visit could help - they could check her teeth, give her a checkover and prescribe some metacam (pain relief) and see if she improves on that.

I believe she had mite treatment recently didn't she? How long ago was that now?
 
Maz said:
That is an adorable photo of her :-) Sorry Toni is not eating properly. Age 2 is really very old for a hamster so sometimes they do have some issues. If she's not eating properly though, have you checked her teeth? The easiest way is to have a look if she yawns. Although sometimes that can be quite a wait! Another way is to give her a larger treat, like a monkey nut (peanut in shell) and see if she can pick it up. If she can't open her mouth enough to pick it up then her front teeth might be overgrown.

If her teeth are fine then you do need to suspect something is going on healthwise. She might be in pain or have arthritis or have something else going on. A vet visit could help - they could check her teeth, give her a checkover and prescribe some metacam (pain relief) and see if she improves on that.

I believe she had mite treatment recently didn't she? How long ago was that now?
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No, I haven’t checked her teeth. I’ll see if I can when she wakes up. She seems to be sleeping most of the time too! Normally about 9-10PM she will wake up and then maybe go back to sleep for a bit.

Toni’s mite treatment was the middle of the June, I believe. 🙂 I don’t think the patch of thinning fur has got much better though. The vet did say it could be to do with aging. Thank you for your advice!
 
It does sound like the fur thinning is age related then. It is fairly normal for them to sleep a bit more when they're older. But if she is off her food as well she might have something going on. It's always a difficult decision whether to just observe for a while or take them to the vets to see if some pain relief might help. If taking them to the vets is stressful when they're old and maybe not feeling well. On the other hand, some pain relief might help. If it doesn't then she is maybe slowing down and time to accept she might be suffering from old age ailments.

Is your vet nearby? I wonder if they would prescribe metacam without you taking her in, as they saw her not that long ago. But I'd check her teeth first!
 
Gorgeous picture of Toni. I think as an older Hamster, she will start to sleep a little more. Sorry to hear she does not seem herself.
 
Maz said:
It does sound like the fur thinning is age related then. It is fairly normal for them to sleep a bit more when they're older. But if she is off her food as well she might have something going on. It's always a difficult decision whether to just observe for a while or take them to the vets to see if some pain relief might help. If taking them to the vets is stressful when they're old and maybe not feeling well. On the other hand, some pain relief might help. If it doesn't then she is maybe slowing down and time to accept she might be suffering from old age ailments.

Is your vet nearby? I wonder if they would prescribe metacam without you taking her in, as they saw her not that long ago. But I'd check her teeth first!
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Yes, our vet is quite close by. Just had a look at Toni’s front teeth, they seem fine. One is a tiny bit longer than the other. 🙂
 
Hmm if one is a bit longer than the other then maybe part of one has broken off. It's a common cause of weight loss and not eating in old age if they develop tooth problems. It might be an idea to have a vet check of her teeth and generally and ask for some metacam at the same time. Sometimes the bottom teeth can get a bit too long as well.
 
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