hamster

[musicmummy]

hi, think my hamster might have died, not sure thou, he might be hibernating, how can i tell?/

[B00]

Pet hamsters don't hibernate, though they are nocturnal, so during the day he/she will be asleep.

I'd have thought that by gently uncovering him/her will determine whether it's asleep or not. If yours is anything like mine he'll be mightily offended if you've woken him up and will squeak irritably at you.

[musicmummy]

mmm its not looking good boo, ive just decanted him to clean him out and he aint moved at all. : (

[B00]

Stiff and cold??
If so, yes i'd say the prognosis wasn't good too!

How old was he?

[B00]

well bu88er me!

It seems they do hibernate, have a read here.....

http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_hib ernation.htm


God I hope you havent gone to bury him in the garden yet, i'd never live with myself if you have!!

[CheekyChops]

Yes, I threw mine in the bin once and have since discovered that he was probably hibernating as he lived in the shed outside which was cold...

[Billy-Hunt]

pmsl well done BOO !

[B00]

Oh no Cheeky, I've got the chills now thinking that musicmummy has thrown Hammy out with the rubbish on my (possibly wrong) diagnosis that he's karked it!

Mine's never hibernated, but then again he's in my kitchen which is never cold.

Please tell me musicmummy that you haven't binned him.....

[SazzyC0]

I used to have a hamster when i was younger, we used to keep them in an outhouse and it has happened to me a couple of times where he has gotten very cold, even stiff. I warmed him up next to the fire and he thawed out and was ok!
Has he been somewhere cold? If so I would try this.

[B00]

Dont billy hunt- I feel bad enough as it is :-(

[Billy-Hunt]

Hamstertill standing yeah yeah yeah
Hamstertill standing yeah yeah yeah

[musicmummy]

No ive wrapped him up in lots of cotton wool the hamster friendly type and loosley and ie positioned some food so i will know if hes still with us, it was minus eight here the last few nights so maybe he is in a deep hibernation. I have a chipmunk too and keep finding him cured up in his foodbowl stiff and freezing but a wee bit of hand warmyh brings him round. i will keep uz posted. thanks xxx K

[4getmenot]

if he starts to smell really bad after a week he's dead

[mrs.chappie]

I bet B00's breathing a sigh of relief.

[:o)

[Schutzengel]

Musicmummy, the cotton wool would only warm him up with his own body hear. He needs something more to bring his body temperature up. Perhaps you could put him (still in his cotton wool wrap) on a hot water bottle covered with a single fold of towel. If he is still alive, this would gradually bring his core temperature up slowly. Best of luck. Schutz.

[musicmummy]

was gonna put him in his ball with cotton wool and put him near the radiator but not sure if thats a good idea

[echokilo]

Surely you can see if he is brething or not!!!! Hibernation is just a deep sleep not suspended animation!

[China Doll]

I have to say musicmummy you're a much nicer person than me, I'd have told Boo I burried him! ;0)

Seriously though, if you're in the same room then what about putting him in a shoe box near the radiator with lots of cotton and warm lining? That way if he does come round you'll be in there to stop him running off?

[musicmummy]

thanks yes i will try that, hes two years old now so its about his time to go, but i can hope xxx

[yogasun]

musicmummy when my sons were small we kept hamsters. We thought ours had died overnight during one winter. You just couldn't see any breathing. We left him in a warm place to perform a burial at a convenient time and when I picked him up he had started breathing and came back to life! He lasted another few months and a similar thing happened again but this time he had gone to the Great Wheel in the Sky :o(