Hamster worries

[Hamster1234]

Please help….

My daughter’s hamster escaped the night before last, she chewed her way through her cage. We found her under the kitchen units having gnawed away at the plaster behind
(She is regularly played with, has loads of activity outside her cage; have read that the eacaping is caused by under stimulation but I certainly wouldn’t have thought that was the case; I think she’s just a bit of a pickle!)
Her little front paws look really sore where I think she has been scratching

We’ve had to replace her cage, which we have done, but this morning I have noticed that she has a really ‘sour’ smell to her, and also she has a little diarrhea.
Having read a huge amount, I understand that maybe this is caused by stress.

I’m so so worried, we have only had her since April, but she has really become part of the family, and I’m terrified something maybe wrong?

Please, any wise words or help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance xx

 

[Maz]

Hello. I'm really sorry to hear this. I think it would be best to make a vet appointment and get her examined and checked over. The trouble is, after an escape, we don't know what they've done, where they've been or what they could have found and eaten (I dread to think what's under our kitchen cupboards sometimes!). Normally you would just observe and keep an eye on things but if she's already got sore feet and a bit of an unusual aroma then she could need antibiotics. Whereabouts are her feet sore? Underneath? If she got trapped somewhere for a while and was scrabbling to get out she could have injured her paws. They are likely to heal but again could start to be infected. I suspect a vet might prescribe antibiotics. A slight sour smell can be known with a urinary tract infection I believe, but also, female hamsters come on heat every four days, and they can have quite a strong musty aroma then - have you noticed that before?

She is bound to be stressed if she's been on the loose and now in a completely new cage, which is a big change. Some can get a bit wild after some freedom.

The reason she escaped is unlikely to be stress - it's just that hamsters can chew through wood cages! So they do! Especially female Syrians - they are notorious for chewing out of wood cages. I don't know what size it was, bit if it was a bit on the small side as well then that might have been more of a temptation. At night is their most active time and their instinct is to roam. Their instinct is to "get out" - even if she had a whole room to live in, she would soon be chewing at the door to get past it! They always want to go a bit further!

I'm really sorry you've had this. Is the wood cage repairable? Some people have tiled the floor of them with ceramic tiles or reinforced various parts, but that isn't necessarily foolproof. Anyway you have a new cage now.

Which cage did you get for her? I think the main thing now, is make sure she has lots of cosy bedding, somewhere dark to sleep - either under a platform or in a large house that's dark inside, and hide a few treats in various places to distract her a bit and she'd enjoy finding them. If you have any old cardboard egg boxes or toilet roll inners, pop one of those in her cage. Female syrians seem to love ripping up cardboard! It keeps them occupied as well.

Do you have a playpen or hamsterproof area where she can have the odd bit of out of cage time daily? Or even a bathtub. A dry bathtub (put the plug in) can be useful as a kind of playpen for a while. I used to put a fleece blanket on the bottom and a tunnel and hide and a bit of food and a chewstick. They get bored quickly but food or chews help!

And also google "exotic vets" in your region. Exotic vets know a lot more about hamsters and the charges are no different. But there are some good general vets as well.

Make sure she can access water in her cage (if it's a bottle, check it every day by tapping the end of the spout, to make sure it's letting water out ok). She might feel a bit off if she's been chewing at plasterboard, but they tend not to eat it. It's probably why her paws are a bit sore as well.

It's not your fault - many of us have had an escaped hamster! Personally it's why I wouldn't use a wood cage though.