Hammie is getting old?

[Veer]

Hammie is from a petshop, born somewhere january 2023, not that old yet, but i think she might be showing signs of old age. She is my first hamster and i am not sure what to look for and if her routine changes are normal due to age.
Before this started she was up and about multiple times during the day, and active almost all night (i have a camera in her tank).
Since acouple weeks she started to sleep more during the day, and i don't see her out her nest between 7:00 till 22.00, unless i feed her early evening. So no camera activities during the day at all.
She used to wake up around 20:00, but now she only comes out that early when i feed her, and returns to her nest after that, to wake up somewehere between 22:00-23:00.
She then will be awake for about 2 hours, and then takes a rest again until 3:00, to be out for an hour, go to sleep again, and then awake for an hour between 5:30-7:00.
She still runs in her wheel, and when she is awake she is just as active as always.
In the last week she did loose some weight, around 6gr, and not only the scale mentions the weightloss, but she also "feels light" in my hands.
She is eating and drinking as always.
What do you think?is this old age showing?
I hope she will stay with me for a long time, but i worry about lossing her soon.

 

[Socks' Mum]

I think the change of season might affect hamster activity levels as hormones in Spring are designed to motivate nest building and the search for a mate. Socks' routine has also changed, with shorter activity sessions and an early morning session that he used to display late last Winter. It is a good idea to monitor weight as this can be the first sign of problems. But if Hammie is active and eating and drinking well, he should be OK. Rodents sometimes need to have their teeth checked, which a vet could do for you. The age of two years is quite old for a hamster, although many live active lives until about two and a half. It is rather sad that they don't live for as long as a dog, cage or rabbit.

 

[Maz]

Hammie is from a petshop, born somewhere january 2023, not that old yet, but i think she might be showing signs of old age. She is my first hamster and i am not sure what to look for and if her routine changes are normal due to age.
Before this started she was up and about multiple times during the day, and active almost all night (i have a camera in her tank).
Since acouple weeks she started to sleep more during the day, and i don't see her out her nest between 7:00 till 22.00, unless i feed her early evening. So no camera activities during the day at all.
She used to wake up around 20:00, but now she only comes out that early when i feed her, and returns to her nest after that, to wake up somewehere between 22:00-23:00.
She then will be awake for about 2 hours, and then takes a rest again until 3:00, to be out for an hour, go to sleep again, and then awake for an hour between 5:30-7:00.
She still runs in her wheel, and when she is awake she is just as active as always.
In the last week she did loose some weight, around 6gr, and not only the scale mentions the weightloss, but she also "feels light" in my hands.
She is eating and drinking as always.
What do you think?is this old age showing?
I hope she will stay with me for a long time, but i worry about lossing her soon.

So she'll be about 20 months now Old age is considered to start around 18 months, so it sounds like she's just behaving normally for her age along with winter coming along as well as Socks Mum says. It's also normal for them to feel thinner and lose a little bit of weight as they get older. She will probably stabilise but if she does lose more weight then she could well have tooth problems as Socks Mum says. This might not be visible - it might just be toothache or jaw ache. Or something else going on. But at this age, unless there is something visible or she's showing signs of pain, then there isn't a lot to be done except keep them comfortable and pottering along. If you think she might not be eating her hard food (eg due to toothache) then you can introduce softened food (but still keep putting the hard food out as they still like to pouch and hoard it as usual even if they hardly eat any). But I would wait a bit longer and just check that her weight has stabilised. If she keeps losing weight then start the soft food. I usually give:

A few pellets of softened science selective
A pinch of hemp seeds (for calories)
A tiny bit of baby food daily (no real calories but they like it and lick it up). Maybe half a teaspoonful.

I put these on baby food jar lids One lid for each.

To soften the science selective you just put a tiny drop of boiled kettle water on it (doesn't have to be boiling) and wait 10 mins or so until it's soft. That does actually work with cold water as well but it takes longer to go soft.

But keep putting her usual mix out in the same place as well so she can continue with her normal foraging, pouching and hoarding habits - and she might enjoy nibbling the odd bit.

Part of normal ageing is some organs don't function as well (but don't worry this can go on for a very long time), particularly the kidneys - so they may drink more or pee more. Some it's more noticeable than others.

If she seems happy and healthy I wouldn't worry - they can be quite mellow and less fast in older age. 20 months isn't that old but she is heading towards two. So it's more about possible special care and accepting she is slowing down at this age.