I have had 2 teddybear hamsters now for approx. 2 years..one

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I have had 2 teddybear hamsters now for approx. 2 years..one of them has recently developed a severe weight gain problem in everypart from the neck down! When I bought the girls I was told they were sisters! She is waddling, eating, sleeping, drinking, she doesn''t smell, her rear end seems clean and she doesn''t seem to be in pain, just rather slow and obese..the other one seems totally normal and has''nt caught what ever the other one seems to have..I give them normal hamster food from a bag I buy from store..I add carrots, lettuce, apple slices to it..lack of income right now keeps me from taking her in to vet..she has doubled in her size..how long from this point, or what are symptoms that she may be about to have babies? Do I separate other one as soon as she has babies if this is the case?Thanks, broke and concerned!

Optional Information:
Age: 2; Female; Breed: teddybear hamster

Already Tried:
made sure she has drank, walked around, eaten, cleaned her cage..given fresh water, looked her over and added fresh vegies to her diet..

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $9

Hello,

A bit more information may help me to answer your question.

How is the hamster breathing? Does it seem fast or slow? Does it seem difficult for her to breathe?

Thank you.

Anna

Well, this morning after I awakened them in their little house, they both began sniffing the air like crazy, and then the one I have been concerned about, began working hard covering the other hampster up and scouting for more apples, put them in her fat little cheeks, breathing pretty normally, she got into the new pile of bedding she piled up and went back to sleep! No difficulty! Thanks!

Thank you for getting back to me. At age two, it's not likely that your hamster is pregnant. If your other hamster happened to be a male, they would have had babies before now. To be certain, you can turn your other hamster over and check its sex. Males have very large testicles - you can't miss them.

A two-year-old hamster is very elderly. One of two things is happening to this hamster. Because of her age, she may be less active than she used to be. That would lead to weight gain. She may actually just be obese.

The other possibility is also age-related. As hamsters get older, they become more prone to some diseases that can't be treated. Some of their organs can become embedded with minerals. They can develop cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Several of these disorders can cause edema, which is swelling caused by fluid being retained in the body. It's most often associated with heart failure. Whether your hamster has developed one of the old-age illnesses, or has simply gotten fat, there isn't much you can do about it. Since there's another hamster eating from the same food bowl, you can't limit the food without risking the other hamster missing out. There are no treatments for the old-age diseases. So, just continue to give your hamsters the good care you've given them all along, and enjoy their company.

If you have more concerns or questions, just let me know by clicking on REPLY.

Anna

(If you find my answer helpful, please click on ACCEPT. Thank you.)

One last thought please...would it be a bad idea to put "cocoa"in her excercise ball alittle more often-I am alittle scared now, at the thought I might cause her death if shes too old and maybe "diseased"?! I do have a separate cage that I could use to keep the girls apart so that I can modify how much cocoa eats from now on? Is it too late her late life span to bother with trying to help her loose the weight?! I leave her food in a little bowl she has access to whenever she wants..should I have fed her only in Am Pm like a dog eats?! Thanks for your time!

No, if you believe she's just overweight, it's not too late to try to help her. A few hamsters do live to be close to three years old, and if Cocoa seems in good health otherwise, it could help her a lot to lose some weight. A little extra time in the exercise ball would be fine. Just don't make it for very long at first, and keep an eye on her. If she starts to pant or seems to have difficulty breathing, take her out and let her rest.

If the two hamsters are closely bonded, it might be a bad idea to separate them, but if they don't really spend much time together and don't sleep together, you can consider it. If you do that, limit the high-calorie, starchy foods like sunflower seeds and corn. It's difficult to help a hamster lose weight through diet because they are so small and they hoard food. We don't want to take a chance of not giving her enough to meet her needs. Most hamsters do well with about two tablespoons of food per day. More exercise is probably the best approach.

If this swelling came on suddenly, rather than gradually, it's much more likely to be due to illness rather than obesity. In that case, it won't do any good to try to help Cocoa lose weight.

Again, if you ahve more questions, let me know.

Anna

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