AboutSheila Adby Expertise Syrian hamsters are my specialty, however, I have kept Campbells,Winter Whites and gerbils in the past. I can advise on most subjects associated with hamsters, including housing, bedding, feeding, handling, new borns and catching escapees. I have had some experience of various health problems with hamsters and can offer my opinion and advice on basic health issues, however I am not a qualified vet and therefore cannot recommend drugs etc. My website is www.thehamstersite.com
Experience I have been keeping hamsters and other small animals for more than 12 years. My favourites are Syrian hamsters and I foster litters and 'difficult' hamsters for a rescue centre. My job is to tame hamsters ready for re-homing, which is extremely rewarding. I also enjoy looking after new litters and raising the pups. I have co-written a book on hamsters with my local vet and have a website: www.thehamstersite.com
Publications Hamsters in Sickness and in Health - Sheila Adby and Dan O'Neill ISBN186163218-5 (Capall Bann Publishing)
Education/Credentials Educated to A Level standard in the UK.
Question I have two Siberian hamsters that I got at Christmas. They are in a large 40gal pet tank with a divider in between them. Yesterday I noticed one of them had a sticky eye. She was still friendly so I didn't think anything of it. I thought maybe she just scrached her eye. This morning she was dead. My other hamster appears to be okay. Do I need to be worried that my other hamster will die from being in the same cage? I clean their cage once a week and change the food and water every day.
Answer Hi Jeannie
I'm really sorry to hear about your hamster.
Sticky eyes are very common in hamsters, however sometimes they can represent an underlying medical condition. It is very difficult to know why she died so suddenly especially as she appeared normal apart from her eye. Was there any sign of diarrhea? How is your other hamster? Does she appear to be well, eating and playing normally?
Does your other hamster have diarrhea at all? If the hamster who died had diarrhea, then I would advise against keeping your hamster in the cage for a few days if possible. It would be advisable to soak the cage in a small pet disinfectant for a few days to make sure that any germs have been killed. If you can't re-home your hamster temporarily, or there was no sign of diarrhea, then I suggest you give the cage a really good clean and make sure it is really dry before putting in all new bedding.
If there was no outward sign of illness, then it is possible that she died of something congenital. I have had young hamsters who have died suddenly for no apparent reason and the only conclusion was that they were born with a problem that only came to light when they were a few months old.
Have either of your hamsters been drinking a lot? Diabetes is a very common illness in dwarf hamsters (Campbells especially)and the main symptom is a heavy consumption of water. Usually you rarely notice a hamster drinking but when there is diabetes it is obvious. If her water consumption was high, then diabetes could have been the cause of her sudden death. I've had a number of dwarf hamsters with this condition and some of them haven't shown any outward signs other that the fact that the water bottle level drops quite a lot each day. If this was the case, how is your other hamster? If she is drinking a lot then it might be worth considering this as the problem as it can be hereditary. There is a test you can do if you can get hold of a 'diastix' from your vet. You put the hamster in a plastic container until they pee, then you test the urine with diastix. If there is any indication of raised glucose in the urine then there is a pretty good chance of it being diabetes. If you can't do this but think that this is a possible cause of your hamster's death, then the important thing is to put your other hamster on a special diet. The main thing with diabetes is that you need to eliminate sugar from the diet - this can be found in some of the hamster dry food mixes in the form of dried fruit (in which case a different brand might be needed), but also in some of their treats (honey is often used). Anything that contains sugar (added or natural, such as fruit) should be eliminated. In addition to a standard hamster dry mix it is good to provide a special seed mixture of sunflower, linseed, sesame seed and pumpkin seed. If you buy a small packet of each and mix them up then sprinkle some in the cage daily. This provides essential fatty acids and helps balance the sugar levels. Some of my hamsters with diabetes died very early on with little warning, others were able to get it under control and went onto live a full life. In addition to giving these seeds a good dry hamster mix and fresh vegetables should be provided daily.
If there is no real sign of excessive water drinking, then it may not be this, but changing her diet in the event that it might be won't do her any harm.
Sometimes there is no obvious explanation as to why a hamster dies suddenly and without a postmortem you will never know. It is therefore advisable to keep a close watch on your other hamster for the next week or so.
