I have a hamster who i think is about 3-4 years old.
I have had several instances in the past when he has got too cold and his organs started to shut down. At the time i thought he was dying but it turned out once i had nursed him in fron the fire he was ok. Since then his cage has been moved to a warmer place.
Got a phonecall at work today to say that the hamster was very cold and staggering around. I went home (i know its silly but i am very upset over my little hammy) and he looks as though he has had a stroke. very doddery and staggering, skaing and laboured breathing. I took him out and put him in a shoe box in front the fire with lots of bedding but he has not changed at all. I adapted his cage so its all on one level and put him back in with lots of bedding to nestle in. When i touched him and picked him up he screeched like he was in pain. he doesnt seem to have eaten much and isnt drinking.
my question is, do i just wait for nature to work or shall itake him to the vets to be PTS. I am so upset and dont think i can bear waiting for him to pass on, but i dont even know if you can have a hamster PTS
Please help.

So sorry to hear this Freds Mum and of course it's not silly so don't worry about that.  If you think he is in pain, I would say go to the vets.  I had a budgie pts once so would think any animal can be administered to.  Hugs from me. xxx

Thats what i am thinking but i sort of want others opinions. I'd hate to do the wrong thing. I am crying just thinking about it.
How can something so small make you feel so sad?!

Size of pet has nothing to do with how much you love it and it is always dreadful to see any animal we care for in pain or distress. :(  If you are undecided, you could always phone the vet and ask their advice, though they will almost certainly suggest you bring him in.

Thank you so much Annie. I have just asked my mum to phone vets, i cant actually talk at the mo.

If he was mine I would probably leave him to let nature takes its cause as long as i didnt think he was suffering. If you are concerned at all about him being in pain take him to the vet and let them see to him. It will be quick and painless and you might feel better to knowing you have helped him.

They will have a method of putting him to sleep differently to a dog becauce of his size bit dont worry they will be able to do it.

When the kids hamster died last year I was in tears to. The kids had got fed up with him and it was me who looked after him, what a character he was. I am so tempted to buy myself another one but I think I have enough pets. But yes I can understand why you are getting so upset about him.

So sorry about your hammy :( He sounds just like all our hammies when their time has come. Some we've held in our hands, some have passed in their sleep and some weve had to leave in their bed as they didn't want us to touch - all have passed at home. My girls loved their hammies so much throughout all the years we had them, that they even have them now as adults :) such beautiful little bears with their grain of rice ( tail :) )

Hope it wont be too long for your hammy, bless his little soul. xxx

The vets have said to take him in at 4.40pm. Vet can take a look and probably tell me what i already know-he is very old and in the final stages. I dont think there is any more that can be done but i will feel better if i hear it from a proffessional. i dont want to see him suffer and i believe he is in pain. I have had him for years and he was my first "pet" when my ex and i moved into our first flat together and couldnt get anything bigger. He moved back to my parents when i moved home and they grew to love him as much as me too. I have many happy memorys of him and then when i got Fred and They would chase each other. Squish (the hamster) in the ball and Fred behind. :-(
And the day he went missing only a week after we got him. Found him in my chocolate cupboard nibbling through my expensive dark choccie.

How do they put a hamster to sleep? Presumably not an injection?

With my budgie, it was an injection.  Maybe he will slip away before that and you won't have to go.  Sounds like he is a very special pet. :)  I think they are adorable.  Will be thinking of you. xx

I'd just leave him as it is kinder than the injection. At 3 or 4 he is of course EXTREMELY old and he should pass soon. They're not usually aware of much. I've had hundreds upon hundreds of hamsters but only ever taken a handful to the vet to be put to sleep.

Yes it is an injection, but obviously not done in such a way as they would with a dog or cat into the vein, I believe they inject it into a major organ. It seems quick and painless, but they may not want to do it in front of you. I don't know if gas is an option?

Sorry to hear about your hamster. I think you can have them PTS, my sister had to have her poor rat done a few weeks ago. Maybe you can take him in his cage if it fits in the car, so he won't have too much upheaval. I know it's not much comfort but he has had a great long life. Good luck at the vets.

Sorry to hear about your Hammy.  Hope all goes OK at the vets.  If you can opt for the gas, it's a bit kinder than injection straight into heart.

hugs,
Sarah.

How sad. :(  We had our hamster PTS about 4 years ago, she developed what I think they call Wet Tail & detriorated very quick so to ease the pain the vet gave her an injection to be PTS.  It was very quick & the hamster didn't appear to be in pain, I must say (& I'm not tight) but it cost us £20!  We were going on holiday the next day & didn't want to leave her in the state she was with a friend who was looking after her for us.

are you sure of the age? hammies cant live to be 4! anyway, took mine to be pts once and the vet gassed him first so he wouldnt get bitten! when the injection went in he was already dead. i would let nature take its course, since then mine have slipped into comas and died whilst unaware of anything

You do get the occasional one living to around 3 ½, but it is very rare.

You can get hamsters living past 4.... I have looked after a lot of hamsters..

Sorry to hear about your hamster Freds mum, i cried when my favourite guinea pig died.

Oh sorry Freds Mum about your little hamster, they are lovely creatures and he is a really good age, not that that makes it any easier.
Hope all goes well, bless him

Kim
x

i had to have my rat pts because of a terrible malignant tumour on the side of his face it doubled in size in a week and then he lost lots of weight and couldnt walk well because it unbalanced him. i was crying all the way to the vets and back. it was very sad, plus my other rat died the day before was a very sad weekend. Because they cant get a vein because they are so small they inject into the stomach the anathestic starts they go under, and then slip away. Hope he goes soon to end both your pain, he will be in a good place

Louise

Thank you everyone.
He was a little over 4. I have had him for four years and he was a young adult when i got him so he did extremely well.
I took him to the vets in a shoe box with lots of comfy cotton woll type bedding.
The vet gave him some anaesthetic gas and he slipped away. I wasnt allowed to be there for that-something to do with the gas and insurance. The vet said after he had gone he felt his abdomen which was full of fluid which is why he was making a sqeaking noise and was also suffering liver and heart failure. The reason he was in so much discomfort was because when he moved it was stopping his heart and he couldnt breathe. They said he would have passed on in time but as he was in pain i did the right thing to end his suffering.
Was very upset last night but feeling better today and glad i did what i did. I dont think i could have beared to watch the pain he was in for another 12 hours or so.
I brought him home and had a little cuddle and was nice to see him finally at peace. He is going to be buried at the bottom of the garden. Fred and i are going to the beach in a bit to pick up some nice pebbles and rocks to mark the spot.
It's nice to hear taht other people get upset at such small animals. I never thought i would get that upset over a hamster but i think i am going to really miss him.
RIP squish, go play with all the other little hammy's in the sky.xxx

(((((((HUGS))))))))))) You did the right hing for little Squish and he had a lovely long (pampered I can imagine LOL) life. I cant mention it without getting a lump in my throat, but I lost poor Flossy my gorgeous Dwarf Lop rabbit about eleven months ago. I still miss him. He was only two years old, nobody told us about this type of deadly worm (if not treated). Fortunately Cocoa his pal was saved he's in great condtion now, and I'm read up on every condition a bunny can get (well sort of). Sorry to ramble. He wasn't a hammy but still a 'small animal'.

Sorry to hear of your loss FredsMum :(

Sorry Fred's Mum....thinking of you xx

Sorry you lost your little buddy, I think any true animal lover will feel the same for their smaller pets as they do their larger ones.

When one of my goldfish started to blow up like a balloon I was very upset, I couldn't bash him on the head like the pet shop suggested and ended up taking him to the after hours vet late at night. I was sure they would think I was crazy but he looked in pain and the vet was lovely. I'm sure your little buddy was grateful that you stopped his pain and would thank you for it if he could :)

I'm glad that he slipped away peacefully and you certainly did the best thing for him.

I'm so sorry. You clearly did something VERY right for him to live to such a incredible age -it would be comparable to having a dog live to about 20! I'm glad the vet used gas, very few will do, and it is awful when they stick the needle straight into the heart.

Know excatly how you feel, my daughters hamster, Buffy, lived until she was 4 and the symptoms you describe are exactly the same as Buffy's were, a few times we had to bring her round from being cold then like yours seemed to be in pain so made appointment at vets but she died on the way there.  Both my daughter and I were devastated as she was such a character, she used to chase the poodles around when she was in her ball and just loved to be out climbing all over you.  We still miss her.

sorry about your hamster, I bet he's having a whale of a time now over the bridge....

even when you know you're doing the right thing, it's still hard

take care x x

Oh bless the little chap and all credit to you Freds Mum, you must have looked after him superbly for him to live till that age!