just rescued a dwarf hamster

Jen Pigs Fly

I have rescued a dwarf hamster a few days ago, and just wondering if anyone has any tips.
Backstory - I work in a pet shop and a customer came in with a paint tub containing a Roborovski dwarf hamster. the customer said that they had the hamster for around a year and when they came back from holidays they noticed she had a lump and decided they no longer wanted her ... Said it didn't looks nice :mad:

So me being the kind hearted fool took the poor thing, I feared what the customer would do otherwise ... Should mention she had her young daughter with her, great life lesson - if it gets old/sick you can pawn it off someone else.

Anyway I take a closer look at the poor thing, the lump is huge, around the size of her head and is located on her stomach just before her back legs, I'm suspecting its a tumour that is cancerous. I first thought it was a prolapse.

She is very active. I have her in a 2 foot wide fish tank but with no platforms, don't want her to catch the tumour, she has a piece of bog oak for chewing and climbing on safety, knawing sticks, sensitive hamster food, vitamin drops for her water, fluff for bedding, sensitive treats and supplementary insects for her food. Im basically trying to make her last few weeks/months comfortable.

I have never kept a hamster and thankfully I know their basic care, but I'm just wondering if anyone could have any tips for this poor girl. She's out and about a lot (at the moment having a good chew!) and likes to move around and explore so I've been changing up her home with toilet rolls, cups, sticks (hamster friendly!) etc and she's very inquisitive. I don't have a wheel as I don't want her to catch the tumour, I'm considering getting a small hamster ball to allow her more freedom, would this be ok for an older hamster with this large lump?

If she was in any way listless, dull, unresponsive I would have brought her to the vet to be euthanised over letting her suffer, but the little thing is full of life, she does sleep a lot but she is older (guessing 1 and a half years old) so she's very active for her age.

So can anyone recommend some other care tips for this poor old girl. I will take her to the vet to be euthanised if her overall disposition and outlook changes, but for the moment any other ways to make her comfortable?

Not tooting my own horn but since she's been with me and been eating the vitamin supplements, insect supplements ad sensitive food she is looking a lot better, is becoming even more active and her coat is better and eyes brighter. I personally think she's happy (told you I'm a kindhearted fool!)

baby and crumble

She's gorgeous op! I'm afraid I don't know much about Robos but it sounds to me, thinking of what I have read as I researched my own Syrian, that you're doing great with her. Would you consider going to a vet to get it checked out properly? Bairbre o'malley is a vet I've heard of as being great for small exotics. You're right, she is old enough, although I have heard of Robos getting to 3+!!!

Would you think of maybe getting a digging area set up? I believe Robos are diggers and tunnellers so you could make up for the lack of the wheel that way...

Jen Pigs Fly

baby and crumble wrote: »

She's gorgeous op! I'm afraid I don't know much about Robos but it sounds to me, thinking of what I have read as I researched my own Syrian, that you're doing great with her. Would you consider going to a vet to get it checked out properly? Bairbre o'malley is a vet I've heard of as being great for small exotics. You're right, she is old enough, although I have heard of Robos getting to 3+!!!

Would you think of maybe getting a digging area set up? I believe Robos are diggers and tunnellers so you could make up for the lack of the wheel that way...

I'm considering bringing her for a check up once the next pay check comes through! I'm planning on a sand bath for her ... Think tunnelling would be a brilliant idea! She's not much of a digger, tends to build her nest where I leave the fluff. But maybe allowing her a system when she should make tunnels would enrich her live and maybe she will become more inventive with her bed placement!

anniehoo

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

Anyway I take a closer look at the poor thing, the lump is huge, around the size of her head and is located on her stomach just before her back legs, I'm suspecting its a tumour that is cancerous.

It could be just a massive cyst or a lipoma (fatty lump) that's just an annoyance to her and not causing her pain OR it could be what you said above.

There is literally no way of knowing (as you know too well) until you bring her to a vet.

wrote:

I'm a kindhearted fool!)

The best kind to be ...:D

Jen Pigs Fly

anniehoo wrote: »

It could be just a massive cyst or a lipoma (fatty lump) that's just an annoyance to her and not causing her pain OR it could be what you said above.

There is literally no way of knowing (as you know too well) until you bring her to a vet.



The best kind to be ...:D

She will be brought to the vet come my next pay check, had to pay my equine vet with the last one wasn't expecting my new little friend! So I'll bring her for a checkup to my vet clinic next friday

Knine

A year old is not actually that old. We have kept these and ours usually lived about 3 years, very similar to our Syrians. She may have been older then a year when the original owner got her.

Your setup for her looks great.

Dwarfs can be prone to diabetes so I never gave mine much fruit or sugar laden treats.

Jen Pigs Fly

Knine wrote: »

A year old is not actually that old. We have kept these and ours usually lived about 3 years, very similar to our Syrians. She may have been older then a year when the original owner got her.

Your setup for her looks great.

Dwarfs can be prone to diabetes so I never gave mine much fruit or sugar laden treats.

Oh right didn't realise that so thankfully I got her sensitive food and treats that have lower sugar levels! She doesn't get any treats handed to her, just her sticks that are lasting her longer than a week.

aonb

OP aka Kind Hearted Fool - how nice you are to rescue the poor little mite.
As you say, that owner is *%$£"*~@ to dump an animal cos it doesnt look nice anymore and, what a lesson for her small child :mad:
People really repulse me increasingly often

Jen Pigs Fly

aonb wrote: »

OP aka Kind Hearted Fool - how nice you are to rescue the poor little mite.
As you say, that owner is *%$£"*~@ to dump an animal cos it doesnt look nice anymore and, what a lesson for her small child :mad:
People really repulse me increasingly often

I know it really annoyed me, I'd have loved to have said no to show them that they can't pawn a living thing onto someone else, but the guilt of knowing that they may have flushed her or something instead would have killed me!

fredweena

I had one of these. He got a tumour and I brought him to the vet. The vet said let him be and keep an eye on him and when his quality of life was reducing we'd put him down. He didn't seem bothered by the tumour for a good while. I was amazed. Eventually he went downhill but I was surprised how little the tumour bothered him for so long.

baby and crumble

Hey OP. I just realised ave a bunch of old hammie toys here from my hamster who's just not bothered with them- some wooden houses, ramps, that kind of thing (Some of them are actually too small for a syrian anyway!!!). Are you based in Dublin, and if so would you like them for this little guy? They'd give him something to do that isn't a wheel, might be good for him...

baby and crumble

Also OP I just reread your post and it looks like you're putting in the hamster fluffy bedding? That's really bad for hamsters, it can get wound around their feet and get stuck inside their guts if they eat it. I swear by Tumblefresh (more expensive than wood shavings but lasts way longer smell wise between cleans and since it's made of paper it's less likely to have little sharp bits that might hurt or poke at the cyst) and torn up tissues.

Jen Pigs Fly

baby and crumble wrote: »

Hey OP. I just realised ave a bunch of old hammie toys here from my hamster who's just not bothered with them- some wooden houses, ramps, that kind of thing (Some of them are actually too small for a syrian anyway!!!). Are you based in Dublin, and if so would you like them for this little guy? They'd give him something to do that isn't a wheel, might be good for him...

Yea I'd happily take them! I'm based in maynooth but can travel! Send me a pm!

baby and crumble wrote: »

Also OP I just reread your post and it looks like you're putting in the hamster fluffy bedding? That's really bad for hamsters, it can get wound around their feet and get stuck inside their guts if they eat it. I swear by Tumblefresh (more expensive than wood shavings but lasts way longer smell wise between cleans and since it's made of paper it's less likely to have little sharp bits that might hurt or poke at the cyst) and torn up tissues.

Oh dear I didn't know that! :eek: luckily I only got a tiny bit if it! I'll go back to torn up tissue for bed, she doesn't seem to make s bed though, she just sleeps wherever she lands doesn't use any bedding ... Wonder if she was ever given any! I'll have a look into tumble fresh!

baby and crumble

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

Yea I'd happily take them! I'm based in maynooth but can travel! Send me a pm!

Will do, we'll figure something out! No point them sitting around here and I was going to donate them to a rescue place but this little guy sounds like a good recipient! Plus I know how expensive it gets to kit out a cage decently!!

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

Oh dear I didn't know that! :eek: luckily I only got a tiny bit if it! I'll go back to torn up tissue for bed, she doesn't seem to make s bed though, she just sleeps wherever she lands doesn't use any bedding ... Wonder if she was ever given any! I'll have a look into tumble fresh!

Yeah, it doesn't always happen but I'm on another hamster specific board and one owner had a real horror story that made me change. Plus it's cheaper in the long run!

I reckon if you built up the substrate enough he'd start to burrow, you're right he may never have had bedding before. Although its also been quite warm and he looks like a right little fluffster! Maybe you could give him something to make a bed in, like a box with a roof or something? And make him a nest to show him?