Help!! Undernourished hamster.

[lorrained]

My daughter has a hamster, Russian, one of the ones with furry feet. He is a lovely little hamster and just before Xmas, I started to wonder why he doesn't appear to bite, and took him along to ask the nurse to check him out and it turned out he has no teeth - think he has one at the bottom but thats it. He is nearly 2 and she said she doesn't know if he has lost them somehow or maybe has been born with none as he is albino and it could be because of his breed/genetic.
Anyway, last week we were cleaning him and I noticed he was walking funny and was going to get him checked out, but he was very active, eating and drinking etc and to be honest more lively than normal so decided to keep an eye on him, the day after he seemed ok. Yesterdya though my daughter commented he was scrambling to come out/be picked up, but kept rolling onto his back and coudln't get back over, but also he seems hunched when he walks. Anyway I rang the vet immediately but was too late and was given an appointment for tonight. I prayed he'd be ok over night, but also wondered if it could be nourishment and have anything to do with hsi lack of teeth, but he does seem to eat, and seems fine and like I said much more alert than usual. But I made him some porridge and he wolfed it, and again I made him some today and he loved it.
Anyway, took him to the vets tonight - saw the man vet who I never feel satisfied with, anyway he said he is very thin and weak and he clearly isn't getting the nourishment he needs. Said he is geriatric (22 months), so he has given me some liquid feed for him. RECOVERY and suggested crushing his regular food a little but couldn't give me any more ideas on what to give him. Just got him home and tried him, he took a little, but wasn't overly keen (but quite happily took some more porridge). So I am worrying now what if he won't take this RECOVERY, what foods can I give him to help tempt him (this RECOVERY is just grey and bland and not very appealing), what can I give him to give him half a chance? I really want him to get better.
Any tips greatly appreciated

[souffle]

Sorry to hear your little man isn't feeling so good.
He is quite a mature old fella now and is at a good age so is likely to suffer from some of the ails of age.
If he has one front tooth this may need clipped to ensure it does not overgrow as this can put them off eating if the mouth is sore. They do have molars and can still grind food well with the back teeth and against the palate.
Now to build him up I would suggest that yes you should grind a regular hamster mix in the food processer or with a mortar and pestle. Feed smaller seeds like budgie mix as well as sunflower hearts which means he does not need to open the shells.
Porridge is fine and we also feed babyfood like the pasta or grandads sunday lunch. Soft foods like boiled rice, cooked pasta, cooked veg, boiled egg and bits of tofu and chicken go down well. Try and ensure he is still eating hamster food though as this should be his main diet. You can soak the mix to allow it to soften and this will help him eat it.
A small animal multivitamin added to his water would help too.
I hope he builds up soon and is back to good health
Welcome

[lorrained]

Sorry to hear your little man isn't feeling so good.
He is quite a mature old fella now and is at a good age so is likely to suffer from some of the ails of age.
If he has one front tooth this may need clipped to ensure it does not overgrow as this can put them off eating if the mouth is sore. They do have molars and can still grind food well with the back teeth and against the palate.
Now to build him up I would suggest that yes you should grind a regular hamster mix in the food processer or with a mortar and pestle. Feed smaller seeds like budgie mix as well as sunflower hearts which means he does not need to open the shells.
Porridge is fine and we also feed babyfood like the pasta or grandads sunday lunch. Soft foods like boiled rice, cooked pasta, cooked veg, boiled egg and bits of tofu and chicken go down well. Try and ensure he is still eating hamster food though as this should be his main diet. You can soak the mix to allow it to soften and this will help him eat it.
A small animal multivitamin added to his water would help too.
I hope he builds up soon and is back to good health
Welcome

Thankyou so much for your reply. I just want him to get better. I'm terrible with hammies, in fact terrible with all animals, get so emotional. He doesnt seem keen on the RECOVERY stuff, I've just found a little syringe to try and make sure he gets little bits in but want to make sure he is getting other stuff to help him.

[lorrained]

Today I have been and bought some baby foods for him - a pasta one a porridge and another in the powdered ones then a sunday lunch and another cereal type one in jars. N also bought vitamin drops and dwarf hamster mix (with mealworm). Goin to try n tempt him with those tonight but last night n this a.m he has had porridge(ave tried to mix a little of the powder the vet gave in it as he didnt seem to like it) but also ive just made him scrambled egg n he has wolfed it down!!!!! I am prayin he is getting something and gonna start feelin stronger.

[souffle]

Sounds like he certainly has an appetite! Just take care not to overdo things and let him get used to them slowly or else he will get a upset tummy.
Sometimes hammies can get a bit arthritic and this can make them walk rather stiffly. Also as dwarfs age they tend to lose fur especially from the rear end and this makes the bones look more pronounced and as if they were hunched.
A drop of cod liver oil once a week in the porridge can help with stiffness sometimes but as you are introducing a lot of new foods just now I would wait a little before trying this.
You are doing a fab job and trying your best for him xx

[lorrained]

Sounds like he certainly has an appetite! Just take care not to overdo things and let him get used to them slowly or else he will get a upset tummy.
Sometimes hammies can get a bit arthritic and this can make them walk rather stiffly. Also as dwarfs age they tend to lose fur especially from the rear end and this makes the bones look more pronounced and as if they were hunched.
A drop of cod liver oil once a week in the porridge can help with stiffness sometimes but as you are introducing a lot of new foods just now I would wait a little before trying this.
You are doing a fab job and trying your best for him xx

Thankyou I am so desperate for him to feel better. Last night I cooked 2 pieces of plain pasta, but he didn't like it, so thats why I stuck with the porridge last night and this a.m. At dinner he ate the egg, he probably isn't taking massive amounts but he is enthusiastically chomping/licking/lapping at it. Teatime I mixed a small amount of a powdered baby food, cheesy veggy pasta and again he had a good little nibble.
The dwarf mix I bought has little like budgie seed in, and so I put a small amount of that in a seperate dish for him, and he was snuffling around in there and pouching. Thing is the vet said he is geriatric, but thing is, my son has a hamster - chinese one and he is over 3 and looks so well. He is lovely and shiny and healthy looking, not very friendly, keeps himself to himself but looks so good, and he must be going on 3 1/2 if not older. And also I had a hamster when I was younger and that was a syrian and lived about 4 years, so it upsets me to think that he is "old" at 22 months.

[VectisHams]

I'm glad he's enjoying the change in diet and all your TLC. Unfortunately hamsters of 22 months are old and Syrians of four are an exception The short time they are with us is one of the sad parts of hamster ownership, but they give so much happiness in that time (and get themselves into all sorts of trouble!). Like you, I have found my Chinese tend to look better in old age than other hamsters. I hope your man shares many happy times with you yet.