What to do if your hamster died? How to bury a hamster

One of the most popular, but short-lived pets is the hamster. Cute little ones who are always running somewhere seem to be in a hurry to live. And this is not without reason, because on average hamsters live about two years, and with good care they can live up to three. Any owner who chooses to keep this cute animal will almost inevitably face its death. So what standards should you follow to ensure your pet lives a long and happy life? And what to do if the hamster died?

Correct content

First, let's look at how to properly keep a hamster, because poor living conditions can cause death.

If you want to create ideal living conditions for your pet, you should not seek advice from sellers and consultants at pet stores. Often these people do not have specialized training and are interested in getting as much money as possible for goods, even if in the end they may cost your pet's life.

To keep your hamster healthy, it is important to choose the right cage. A high cage is dangerous, as hamsters like to climb up the bars under the roof and fall from there, seriously injuring themselves.

The cage should be spacious. Minimum bottom dimensions:

• for dwarf species – 50*30 cm;
• for Syrian hamsters – 60*40 cm.

The minimum size means that it is advisable to take a larger cage along the bottom, but not smaller.

Equally important is a running wheel of the correct size:

• for a dwarf hamster, the wheel diameter is from 16 cm;
• for a Syrian hamster – from 18 cm.

You shouldn’t take two hamsters with the motivation “so that one doesn’t get bored.” Hamsters are territorial animals. There is a high probability that one day, instead of two pets getting along, you will see a bloody battle with a fatal outcome. This applies to both different-sex and same-sex hamsters.

Do not engage in uncontrolled breeding of hamsters. Pregnancy seriously shortens the life of the female, and in some cases can lead to the death of her and her babies. Hamsters are famous for the fact that they can easily eat their offspring.

Hamsters should not be bathed in water. They need special sand for bathing.

Reasons for premature departure

Death during childbirth

Sometimes the cubs are stillborn. Sometimes during childbirth the following may happen:

• the giving birth female dies;
• newborn puppies die;
• Both mother and newborns die.

The main reason for the death of a female in childbirth is too early pregnancy. In this case, labor is weak, the fetuses that died inside the womb decompose and the animal dies.

The process is fleeting. Sometimes the female manages to give birth to several completely alive and strong hamsters, and then dies. In this case, the owner is faced with the question of what to do with the offspring. If there is no experience and opportunity to feed the offspring every 2 hours with a special milk formula and warm them, then it is wiser to euthanize the newborns. Otherwise, any error in care will cause illness and death of pets.

The birth of stillborn cubs or their death in the first minutes of life and the subsequent death of the female indicate not only a pathological birth, but also a previous illness.

During or after a fight

Hamsters fight very brutally.
In the wild, hamsters live alone, so at home they will protect their home from their fellows. In this case, rodent fights end in death.

It is almost impossible to save an animal from lacerated bite wounds; if the fight happened at night, then most likely a dead animal will be found in the cage in the morning.

After or during anesthesia

If a sick or injured hamster is treated under anesthesia, the animal may fall asleep so deeply that it gradually stops breathing and cardiac activity.

Sudden death

A pet hamster can die due to general health. The causes of sudden death are heart attacks or strokes. Such disorders are associated with the functioning of blood vessels and the heart; they are quite typical for these rodents. Sudden cardiac arrest may be the result of severe fright, such as that caused by a sudden attack by a cat.

Death from boredom

By nature, hamsters are loners. During the breeding season, they do not form social groups, and the female spends only a few hours with the male. If after mating the partner does not leave in time, then he may become a victim of the female, who in these animals can be larger and stronger. Therefore, you should not attribute human feelings and emotions to a rodent; they are not capable of dying of melancholy if the cage is cleaned and there is food and water.

Proper nutrition

There is a wide variety of food for rodents on display at pet stores. However, despite what the labels say, not all of them are created equal. Cheap food is not suitable for feeding hamsters - they are usually of poor quality, incorrectly balanced, and do not contain all the necessary substances and vitamins. There have been cases where rodent poison was found in food, which caused the death of pets.

For normal functioning, hamsters need balanced dry food. It should include cereals, plant seeds, herbs and flowers, as well as protein supplements in the form of dried insects.

It is important to give hamsters allowed vegetables and fruits. You can feed hamsters cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, turnips, radish. Types of hamsters that are not predisposed to diabetes can be given pumpkin, carrots, fruits and dried fruits.

It is forbidden to give onions, white cabbage, sorrel.

Hamster injuries

Hamsters are fragile animals, and therefore there is a high risk of receiving all kinds of injuries in the process of life.

Hamsters often suffer injuries and broken limbs. This is due to high cages with floors made of rods. Also, the cause of broken limbs can be running wheels with a large mesh - a hamster's paw can get stuck in the wheel while running, and the result will be a fracture or amputation of a limb. Cotton wool or fabrics in a cage are very dangerous. The small paw may become entangled in the fibers and dry out, causing the hamster to chew it off.

Walking balls pose a great danger. They are strictly contraindicated for hamsters. Running in a ball, a hamster can suffocate, overheat, or get injured.

Serious injuries have been caused by fights between hamsters kept together.

Eye injuries from sharp objects or splinters are common.

Another danger for a hamster are other pets: cats and dogs. It is important to place the cage where other animals cannot reach it. Often cats and dogs drop cages or reach hamsters with their claws through the bars.

Hamsters do not feel heights, and therefore are not afraid of them. There are frequent cases when a hamster jumps from one's hand onto the floor, resulting in serious injuries.

Other diseases

If your hamster is breathing frequently "out of the blue" without being scared or tired, this indicates respiratory or heart failure.

Pneumonia

You need to listen to the breathing of a tiny animal - wheezing, gurgling, snuffling indicate problems with the lungs. If you've recently had a runny nose and your hamster has become lethargic and reluctant to eat, it could be pneumonia (pneumonia). The animal simply cannot breathe, so it tries not to move and freezes in one place.

Treatment consists of antibiotic therapy - for small rodents, Baytril 2.5% is traditionally used at a dose of 0.4 ml per 1 kg of weight (for a dzhungarik weighing 50 grams, this is 0.01 ml). Injections are given subcutaneously 1 time a day for 10-14 days.

Agony

If a hamster lies motionless with his eyes open and breathes heavily, and before that he was sick for several days, then he dies. There is no way to help a rodent in agony; even an experienced veterinarian can only end the suffering by euthanizing the animal.

Consider whether your hamster has wet tail fur (a sign of diarrhea), a sudden increase in abdominal contour, or sudden weight loss. Hamsters have a very fast metabolism, so they cannot be sick for a long time: without proper treatment or in case of severe problems, they “burn out” in a few days.

Decorative hamsters have fragile health, and yet the animal can live its entire short life without getting sick. To do this, you just need to follow simple feeding and maintenance rules. In case of unforeseen circumstances, you need to find out in advance where to go for an appointment with a rodent - general practitioners will not be able to provide qualified assistance. And do not despair if the hamster lies and does not move, but breathes: perhaps all is not lost.

The hamster lies motionless: reasons 4.8 (95%) 12 votes

Hamster diseases

In order to avoid the irreparable in time and contact a veterinarian, it is worth knowing what illnesses pet hamsters suffer from.

As a result of constant running in a small running wheel, the hamster's spine becomes bent and its internal organs are displaced. The animal gets sick and dies.

It has been recorded that living in a small cage can cause a hamster to fail in its hind legs. Small cages have a detrimental effect on the hamster's mental state and can cause inappropriate behavior and more serious illnesses.

When using pine litter in a cage, a hamster may develop an allergy. To keep a hamster, you should use corn flakes, fruit tree sawdust and cellulose filler. Needles are poison. It can cause respiratory diseases.

Hamsters are very afraid of drafts and cold; they are susceptible to colds. It is highly not recommended to take your hamster outside or let him play in the grass. In addition, “in the wild” a hamster may well pick up parasites.

Benign and malignant tumors are common in hamsters, especially in older ones. The reason for their appearance may well be poor quality food. Any tumor that forms in a hamster will not resolve on its own, and your pet must be shown to a veterinarian.

Campbell's hamsters are prone to diabetes, and therefore they must be kept on a special diet - do not give sweet vegetables and fruits, and exclude corn from the diet. As a result of crossing Campbell and Djungarian hamsters, it is now difficult to find pure line Djungarian hamsters in pet stores, which means that many of them are also prone to diabetes. Therefore, if you are not absolutely sure of the purity of your dwarf’s blood, it is advisable to feed it in accordance with a special diet.

Any changes in your hamster's health should not go unnoticed. If your hamster has any discharge, tumors, damaged limbs or hair loss, this is a direct indication to take the animal to the veterinarian. Don’t delay, because every minute can count.

The scary truth about hamsters: 5 facts that are not usually talked about

Hamsters are the most popular pets.
They are cheap, eat little, take up little space, you don’t need to walk with them, they don’t bark, and they don’t scatter fur everywhere. And of course, they are incredibly cute fluffies, right? Only after purchasing a pet (which, according to the sellers, eats everything and does not get sick until death) do people face the terrible truth about these animals. The article will not say a word about the smell from the cage - this is a matter of proper organization of cleaning. The costs of maintaining the animal will not be calculated.

Just a few facts about the natural characteristics of hamsters. Biology cannot be ignored.

1. Hamsters are solitary animals

For us humans, the lack of communication is unbearable. And it seems to us that our pets should be bored alone. Out of good intentions, they try to keep hamsters in pairs or even in packs.

The truth is that in nature, hamsters live incredibly far from each other, and fiercely defend their vast territory from their relatives. Hamsters can live together in a cage for a long time. Bites and scratches will not be visible under thick fur. But if one of them begins to gain the upper hand, one morning you will find a bloody mess in the cage, the gnawed corpse of one of the “friends”.

This is not cruelty in the literal sense. It's just instinct that forces you to defend your territory to the death.

2. Hamsters are nocturnal

Why do you think hamsters have such bulging shiny eyes? Not so that we can be touched, but so that we can see in the dark. Hamsters are nocturnal animals. It is impossible to retrain an animal. If you don't let him sleep during the day, then stress and poor health are all you will achieve.

Hamsters are known as lazy sleepyheads precisely because during the day the animal sleeps sweetly in its house, only crawling out at night to eat.

In fact: in nature, a hamster runs 6-12 km in one night! And the domestic hamster wakes up at night and starts running - in a wheel, where else you can run in a cage.

The wheel creaks and knocks. If you remove it, the hamster will scratch, dig at the bedding, and gnaw at the metal bars of the cage with a terrifying grinding sound. Not everyone can fall asleep to such noise.

The result: a pet that you can't see all day and keeps you up at night.

3. Difficult to tame

Rodents seem harmless to us - they are not predators. And they look so cute. Don't flatter yourself. It is very difficult to accustom a hamster to your hands, and even more difficult to tame it. That is, you should not expect emotional return from your pet.

In nature, rodents are food for predators. It is logical that a hamster, which does not communicate with its relatives, perceives any biological object as a threat. Hamsters react especially painfully to a hand that grabs it from above, like a bird of prey.

Hamsters bite painfully, try to escape and quickly run wild if you do not train your pet for 2-3 days.

4. Hamsters are prone to cannibalism

To put it simply, they devour their relatives. Although hamsters are traditionally considered vegetarians (they eat grains, after all), they need animal protein. In nature, they may catch an insect, a lizard, or a smaller rodent.

The female gnaws and eats her cubs (what good is lost) if:

• kept in the same cage with a male;
• the offspring is too numerous;
• the female’s nutrition is not complete;
• she experiences stress, feels danger;
• if the hamsters were touched by a person;
• the female is too young;
• hamsters are weak or defective.

My grandmother had a pair of hamsters. One day the female gave birth to offspring. And when the grandmother found a male in a bloody cage with his head chewed off, and a female busily devouring her cubs, she screamed and threw them all into the trash along with the cage.

It is always man who is to blame for such a tragedy. It is unacceptable to keep hamsters together in the same cage, especially if there are children at home. For them, such a sight can be traumatic.

5. Hamsters often get sick and die

According to nature's intention, a hamster should not live to old age. The species survives through amazing fecundity, and older hamsters must become food for predators. Therefore, if a hamster gets sick, it is difficult to cure it, sometimes impossible. There are no mechanisms to combat the disease.

What could they be sick with, you ask? Offhand:

• Fractures (paw gets stuck in cage bars or running wheel);
• Pneumonia (they catch a cold in a draft);
• Heat stroke (cage in the sun);
• Parasites (cling from hay, street grass, sawdust);
• Viral and bacterial infections (a couple of days of diarrhea and death);
• Malignant tumors;
• Inflammation of the cheek pouches (abscesses);
• Conjunctivitis;
• Diabetes, urolithiasis and other metabolic disorders.

The most common one is indigestion. We fed the hamster cabbage and he died - the usual story (intestinal bloating). Rodents cannot vomit due to their anatomical features, so if he eats spoiled or dangerous food, he will die.

Dogs are owned by those who want to be loved, cats - by those who are ready to love themselves. The hamster has a task in the spirit of Jesus - to show children death.

There are few veterinarians specializing in the treatment of rodents, and often even they are powerless to help. Therefore, not every hamster lives to reach the required 2-3 years of life, but only those who are strong from birth and kept in ideal conditions.

About other rodents:

The Zootopia channel wishes you and your little pets health! Subscribe, there is a lot of interesting things about pets ahead.

How to care for an old hamster

Due to its short lifespan, already at the age of two, a hamster can be considered old. You need to be prepared that old age in hamsters is accompanied by many diseases, and an elderly hamster needs special care. It is important to know how hamsters die of old age.

Older hamsters usually have deteriorating eyesight and go blind. The hair falls off, teeth fall out, and the hamster can no longer chew dry food. Failure of limbs and the appearance of tumors are possible. The hamster becomes less active and sleeps more often.

Elderly hamsters should be fed cooked porridge and given baby food. You should not carry an old hamster in your arms - you need to provide him with maximum comfort and peace.

How to understand that a hamster is dying:

1. The hamster has become less active and constantly sleeps in the house.
2. Doesn't eat anything.
3. The fur felt matted and the eyes became sour.
4. Discharge from the mouth or nose is visible.
5. Hamster peeing under himself.
6. Loose stools.

What to do if your hamster dies

If a hamster dies a natural death from old age, then it is not possible to help him. But if the animal is young and the cause of its illness is illness or injury, then you need to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. At the appointment, you need to tell the doctor all the symptoms you notice and the time when it all started, so it will be easier for the veterinarian to make an accurate diagnosis.

Not always even specialists can cure a tiny hamster, but if you feel unwell, you need to show it to a doctor.

Hibernation. How to identify it and not bury the hamster alive?

This moment may come unexpectedly. If your hamster suddenly dies, do not rush to bury it. Often on social networks you can come across stories about how a dead hamster came back to life. This is not mysticism, and the reason is understandable: hamsters have the ability to hibernate, which can be mistaken for the death of the animal.

If the living conditions are inappropriate, the room temperature is low, or there is no food, the hamster can temporarily slow down the vital processes in its body. His breathing and heartbeat slow down until they become almost unnoticeable.

What to do if your hamster died? If the hamster lies motionless and shows no signs of life, you need to carefully observe it. A hibernating hamster breathes, albeit very slowly, and this can be seen with the naked eye. It is worth touching the hamster - if it is already numb, the conclusion is disappointing. If your hamster is soft to the touch, you should try to feel its heartbeat. It is worth keeping in mind that a hamster’s hibernation does not last long, and if after a couple of days your pet has not woken up, then, unfortunately, it is worth considering it dead. In any case, if you have any doubts about the death of your hamster, you should take it to the veterinarian so that the doctor can make a final conclusion.

Main causes of death

If the rodent does not receive proper attention from you, if the rules of care and maintenance are violated, the life expectancy of Djungarian and Syrian hamsters is significantly reduced. In some cases, the death of the animal may occur at the age of 5–6 months.

Do not forget that hamsters are very delicate, fragile and delicate creatures, and every year it becomes more difficult for them to withstand the effects of adverse factors. Considering that many parents buy hamsters as pets for their children, the death of a little friend can cause severe distress or even psychological trauma in a child. Therefore, you need to know why hamsters die, the main causes and signs of their death.

Causes of death of hamsters:

• unbalanced, unhealthy diet;
• feeding with low-quality feed;
• non-compliance with care standards, violation of maintenance rules;
• frequent stress;
• viral-bacterial diseases, fungal infections;
• unfavorable microclimate conditions in the room where the pet is kept (temperature, humidity level);
• autoimmune diseases;
• heart pathologies;
• age-related changes in the body;
• congenital, chronic pathologies;
• old age.

Where and how to bury a hamster

Even when kept in the best conditions, it is still impossible to avoid the death of a pet. What to do if the hamster died?

The first and most common option is a funeral. You need to wrap the hamster in cloth and then put it in a small box. It would be good if your city has a specialized cemetery for pets, but in today’s realities this is rare. It is worth choosing a place with soft soil, where people do not walk, and digging a deep hole. After the box is buried, you need to compact the earth and it is advisable to put some stones on top so that the grave is not dug up by animals.

If the hamster died in winter, digging a grave will be more difficult due to the frozen ground. In this case, an ax or crowbar will help. You can bury the hamster not far from the heating main - the ground there does not freeze even in winter.

The second option is cremation. It is worth contacting veterinary clinics in your city and finding out if they provide this service. Of course, this option is preferable, but not all veterinary clinics have the necessary equipment.

Causes of hamster death

The death of a tiny creature can be provoked by various factors, so first of all you need to understand why hamsters die. Here are the most common reasons:

1. Old age. The biological clock of small rodents runs very quickly. Their life is short even when kept in optimal conditions. The animal's heart and blood vessels wear out very quickly, as a result the animal dies before reaching 3 years of age.
2. Unhealthy food. Hamsters are omnivores, they will willingly eat everything you offer them. But not all food is good for a rodent, so responsibility for the proper nutrition of the animal lies with the owners. Most human foods are harmful to a hamster. Spicy and sour foods corrode the walls of the digestive tract, resulting in ulcers from which the furry friend will die long and painfully. Some foods cause severe diarrhea; due to dehydration, the fluffy can die within two days.
3. Hypothermia. Djungarian hamsters and representatives of the Syrian breed need to maintain a special temperature regime. Optimal air temperature values ​​are 22±2ºС. A prolonged drop in temperature provokes colds. Hamsters often die from hypothermia after water treatments if the owners are too lazy to dry the animal’s fur. Drafts can also kill a fluffy.
4. Diseases. The deadliest diseases in rodents are cancers. Hamsters also suffer from viral and bacterial infections. If your dzhungarik died, then diabetes mellitus may well be the cause. Intracavitary parasites also deal a crushing blow to the health of a tiny creature. If a homa falls from a height, he may receive injuries that are incompatible with life.
5. Stress. A stressful situation can be caused by a number of factors. This includes unsanitary conditions in the cage, monotonous food, and the presence of cats and dogs at home. Violation of the daily routine also makes the animal nervous.
6. Difficult birth. If a hamster gives birth before 4 months of age, she may die. There is also a risk of death if there are too many cubs.

What to tell your child

The death of a pet is always a big blow for the whole family, and children are especially sensitive to this. Parents may feel confused about what to do if their hamster dies.

In what words to convey the news of the death of a pet to a child depends on the age of the child and on whether the parents explained to him what death is. However, you should not hide the fact of the animal’s death from the child, because in any case he will have to face death in the future. It must be remembered that at such a difficult moment the child needs special attention from the parents. You should not leave your child alone with his grief - you need to talk to him a lot and provide moral support. You should not scold if your child’s grades at school temporarily deteriorate. It takes time to get over grief. There is no need to immediately get another animal to replace the old one. All the same, the new pet will be completely different in character and habits, which is why it is important to completely mentally say goodbye to the deceased hamster.

What to do to save a dying pet

When can you save

Timely treatment will help save your pet's life. The hamster is helped by:

• for minor wounds and injuries;
• for curable diseases;
• for mild poisoning.

To do this, you first need to contact a rodent specialist.

In the case when traumatic injuries are diagnosed, the pet is provided with rest, its mobility is limited and the doctor’s orders are followed.

Wound surfaces are carefully but carefully treated with aseptic means.

In the early stages of the disease, a timely diagnosis and compliance with the doctor’s prescription will help save the rodent.

If the substance or poison that caused the poisoning is known, then you need to independently or with the help of a specialist select and give an antidote or a reverse drug. Drinking plenty of water will also help, water, chamomile decoction can be given using a syringe until the signs of poisoning disappear.

Careful care, proper feeding, keeping a dry and moderately warm room will speed up the healing process and prolong the life of the pet.

In what cases can you not help?

If the pet is old, then it is impossible to save it from natural death. The mechanisms of suppression of all vital functions associated with age will inevitably cause the death of the pet.

You also cannot help a relatively young animal:

• in case of severe poisoning, especially rat poison;
• for oncological diseases;
• with injuries incompatible with life;
• under extreme stress.

What to do when you can’t help a dying rodent

If the hamster shows no signs of life other than breathing, then you can leave it alone in its usual cage until it dies out completely.

How do hamsters behave before imminent death? When an animal groans or wheezes, it is most likely experiencing severe physical pain. In this case, you need to make a decision to euthanize your pet.

Euthanasia of a sick animal doomed to death is a choice between a painless and quick death and a slow, painful death.

Euthanasia services are provided by veterinary clinics. The procedure takes place in two main stages. First, the animal is put into deep sleep under anesthesia, after which the specialist administers a medicine that stops the heart.

At the owner's request, the rodent's body will be disposed of.

What to do after

After the death of a hamster, it is important to thoroughly disinfect all the accessories that were in its cage, and the cage itself too. If you are considering getting another hamster, it is important to completely kill the scent of the previous owner. It is necessary to determine the cause of the pet’s death in order to avoid fatal mistakes in the future.

If you take responsibility and get a hamster, you must provide him with comfortable living conditions. Don’t forget: your pet is just a page in your life, but you are his whole life. Take care and love your pet so that you don’t regret anything when the time comes to part ways.

Old age

Of course, given that the average lifespan of hamsters is 18 months to a year with a maximum of 3 years, most hamsters are not expected to live long. If you adopted your hamster as an adult and have no information about how old he actually is, your hamster could easily be nearing the end of its natural life.

However, age is not a disease. However, if you have the opportunity, it is a good idea to have your pet necropsied to try to find out for sure, as old age can sometimes be a red herring. Please also note that if your hamster was kept in colder conditions, this may cause your pet to hibernate and appear dead. A necropsy can often bring peace of mind to a pet owner if it turns out that the cause of death could not have been prevented (this can also happen if your hamster was not elderly)

Advanced age in animals can also aggravate some previously undetected conditions. Veterinary medicine is limited compared to human medicine, and there are even fewer options for very small "exotic" pets, so some conditions that are treatable in dogs and cats may not be feasible for hamsters

A necropsy can often bring peace of mind to a pet owner if it turns out that the cause of death was not preventable (this can also happen if your hamster was not elderly). Advanced age in animals can also aggravate some previously undetected conditions. Veterinary medicine is limited compared to human medicine, and there are even fewer options for very small "exotic" pets, so some conditions that are treatable in dogs and cats may not be feasible for hamsters.