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My ageing hamsters are fed a baby food lid full of prepared baby cereal and two pureed vegetables. I tend to use one green and one orange vegetable in each serving to provide the widest selection of vitamins and minerals in each feeding. I use carrots, sweet potato and squash for my orange veggies and green/yellow bean or peas for the green veggies. For cereal I use flaked oatmeal baby cereal from a box and prepare it as suggested. The elderly hamsters very much enjoy the oatmeal when it's still warm. I feed this meal once to twice a day depending on the individual's appetite. I also offer a portion of crushed/hulled seeds but I find that once the hamsters have lost teeth they are no longer very interested in the hard foods even when they are crushed almost to a powder (using a hammer). Adding a powdered vitamin to the food or soluble vitamin to the water is also an option.
Increased Sleeping: Again it is perfectly normal for your hamster to increase the amount of time it sleeps as it ages. Your hammy is just slowing down. The exercise level slows, the metabolism slows, the appetite slows and your hamster will appear more tired. Provide him with a little extra nest material now as he may not be quite as warm as when he was young and he will enjoy this extra comfort measure. Plain white toilet tissue torn into shreds is perfect and safe for a hamster nest. You should still stimulate your hamster's interests while he is awake though. Get him out as much as possible and show him a good time during his waking hours. A stimulated hamster is a happy hamster no matter what the age.
Silvering or Greying of the fur: Silvering of the fur is totally normal and can start to occur long before your hamster becomes elderly. It has been thought that silvering is linked to the black gene however in my hamstery I have had non-black hamster silver just as significantly as black or black based coloured hammies. Silvering is not indicative of the health of hamster and in some cases you will find that silvering can be bred out of a line of hamsters which will produce colours that do not silver at all. Here is an example of a non-black hamster who silvered quite a lot as he aged:
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You can see that as a pup his whole top of his head was a blue-grey colour but as he got older much of that colour was replaced with silvering, the white band over his shoulders became wider and the colour on his back became peppered with white.
Stiff Gait/Walk, Changes in Muscle Tone and Spine: As your hamster ages you will start to notice that they become a little more stiff than in their youth. This is a normal part of the ageing process. You may also note that the spine becomes a bit more arched as they age. This too seems to be a normal part of the ageing and there is no treatment for it. Some hamsters will develop this arch to the spine while others will not, it all depends on the individual. Campbell's hamsters also seem to eventually lose muscle tone in their hind quarters as they age. If your hamster starts to become weak in the hind quarters or unsteady on their feet, move them to a cage that has a low wheel and either low, easily accessed balconies or no balconies at all. Moving an aged hamster to an open bin with good floor space and toys/huts on the bottom of the bin will provide your elderly hamster a variety of stimulation and exploration without the risk of falls or tumbles from high levels. Lower wheels, water bottles and other items so they are easily reached by your older hammy.
Weight Loss or Gain: Again it is normal for your hamster to gradually change their body shape as they get older. Generally, the hammies who sleep more may gain some weight while the still active older hammies may become a bit thinner with time. Always watch out for any rapid weight gain or loss and seek veterinary assistance with any dramatic change. Watch teeth for any abnormal growth or loss. Trim teeth when necessary and change the consistency of the diet to soft/puree when the hamster can no longer handle solid foods.
Decreased Visual Acuity: Dwarf Hamsters have quite poor visual acuity to begin with. They are better suited to a night time vision and short sighted with poor depth perception. As a hamster gets on in age there are several things that can affect their poor vision, even more. Diabetes can slowly cause blindness, Glaucoma can cause cataracts and blindness, cataracts can develop just simply from normal ageing or visual acuity can slowly be affected due to age. As your hamster's eye sight decreases he may become more jumpy so you should talk to your hamster as you approach his cage so that he knows you are about to handle him. A hamster who's vision is declining can become jumpy and suddenly start nipping or biting simply out of fear. Alerting your hamster to your presence and allowing him to sniff the back of your hand before you attempt to handle him will prevent startle to the hamster and accidental bites out of fear.
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Chico had Glaucoma. If you look closely you can see how the eyeballs are enlarged and protruding due to the higher than normal pressure in the eyeball. Due to this high pressure damage is done to the eye and the optic nerve. Chico developed cataracts in both eyes, lost one eye to rupture and was completely blind in the other eye. The glaucoma did not affect Chico's health and he lived to a ripe old age, dying of natural causes.
Decreased Hearing and Deafness: As with humans, hamsters can also lose hearing as they age and even become deaf. Keep yourself in tune with how your hamster is doing with his hearing and if you notice a deficit then teach your hamster to pay attention to vibrations rather than voices. Tap hard on the side or bottom of your hamster's cage in order to let him know you are approaching. A deaf hamster can become nervous, jumpy and even bite if he is frightened by your approach. Our deaf (and blind) hamster learned to feel for our tapping when we were wanting to pick him up. We would tap first until he stirred and then we would hold the back of our hand near his nose so he could identify our scent before attempting to pick him up. A deaf hamster is still a very good pet, you just have to find a new way to communicate with him so that he is not frightened.
Fur Loss: Most times gradual fur loss is normal during the ageing of a hamster however there are instances where fur loss is due to a disease, allergy or infestation. As hamsters become older their ability to fight disease and pests lessens as their immune system becomes weaker. If fungal skin infection or mites take over the immune system then vet care is needed for proper diagnosis and treatment. If in doubt as to the reason for the fur loss, then please 'do' take your hammy to the vet for a check-up to make sure everything is ok. An allergy, although less likely at old age, may also be suggested by a vet and a change of food or bedding may be necessary. If disease or infestation is not the cause then thinning or bald spots on an elderly hamster 'can' be perfectly normal. David Imber has an excellent article on the California Hamster Association website regarding non-disease related fur loss in older hamsters which is here.
Deciding "when it's time" to Euthanize: As your hamster ages it's also important to keep in mind that unlike humans, we have the option of euthanizing an ailing animal. Euthanizing is a kindness that you can offer your ailing pet and not have to feel guilty about. Sometimes it is much kinder to allow a pet to "go" with dignity rather than suffer from untreatable diseases such as cancer/tumors, drug-resistant lung infections, stroke/paralysis and other maladies that rob the animal of their dignity and quality of life. Know your hamster's health and decide for yourself if it is the right time. If you can't make that decision on your own, take your hammy to the vet to get an unbiased opinion and often if the vet feels that it's time to let the pet "go" the vet will offer the euthanizing services on the spot or make arrangements for you to come back when you feel comfortable to do so. Our family has reserved an area of our garden to bury our hammies who have passed on. We have a small memorial at the time we bury the hamster and then the kids mark a large flat stone with the hamster's name so that we can remember where each hammy is buried. The children visit the area often and we remember each of our hammies who have passed with pleasant memories of their previous lives. Preparing children for the imminent passing of a pet is important as well. Talk openly with children. Let them know that ageing and death are a normal process and help them to prepare if you are aware that your pet is nearing it's time to pass on or be euthanized. Children can prepare a box (very inexpensive unfinished pine jewelry boxes are available at dollar stores) to serve as a casket for the deceased hamster and decorate it to memorialize the hamster's personality. The family can have a small service and burial in the yard/garden and mommies and daddies can give the children a hand-made condolence card or just exchange condolences on the pet's passing. Children are very resilient and will understand death as a natural process when the issue is discussed openly and emotions are shared amongst the family with a little special attention given to the pet's passing.
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| "The Rainbow Bridge" |
A note from PKK: Bunsey wrote an article about Syrians and Cushing's Syndrome. At the end there is a very good description of what happens when you take your pet for the final visit to the vet.
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Care of Ageing and Elderly
