What should you do if the hamster doesn't move? What is the cause? Hamsters usually enter a period of hibernation, which is a time when their heart rate and breathing decrease and the hamster sleeps soundly. It can be very difficult to tell if a hamster is hibernating or dead. If you see your hamster in this state, here's what to do.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Considering Whether a Hamster Hibernates
Step 1. Ask yourself if this stiffness happened suddenly
Have hamsters been sick before? The clues are that your hamster has stopped eating or has lost his appetite, is drinking more often and that you need to clean his wet, foul-smelling bedding more often, that he has lost weight, or that his hamster's habits have changed drastically, for example, he has stopped playing with wheels. This is an indicator of disease and can indicate that your hamster is dead.
On the other hand, if your hamster looked perfectly healthy before and this stiffness suddenly occurs, it doesn't mean it's dead. Most likely the hamster is hibernating
Step 2. Consider the age of the hamster
How old is your hamster? The age of a hamster is around 18-24 months, and some hamsters can reach the age of 36 months. If your hamster is older than this, it means he is very old and his chances of dying are higher.
Step 3. Consider the ambient air temperature
Hibernation is very temperature dependent. If the temperature in which the hamster is located is above 20°C, hibernation will most likely not occur. In hot weather, consider whether the hamster's cage is near the air conditioner. The air conditioner can release extreme cold air that can cause the hamster to hibernate. So, do not lower the air temperature too low even in scorching hot weather.
Step 4. Look at the hamster's access to food and light
Hibernation tends to occur when hamsters struggle to find enough resources to survive. It tends to be associated with harsh winters when temperatures are low, days are short, and there is no food.
Think about whether your hamster has more than 8-12 hours of daylight in a day and has plenty of food. The scarcity of food coupled with low temperatures and short daylight hours can trigger hibernation
Method 2 of 3: Determining If Your Hamster Is Hibernating
Step 1. Notice if the hamster is still breathing
If hibernation is possible, watch your hamster closely for a few minutes. Watch for signs of breathing. Be aware that your hamster's entire system will decline during hibernation. So, the breathing will be very slow, about one breath in two minutes.
Watch your hamster for more than two minutes as you may blink and miss one breath. If you watch for only two minutes, you could mistakenly assume that the hamster is dead
Step 2. Try detecting the heartbeat
If you don't see the hamster breathing, feel its heartbeat. Your hamster's heart rate can drop significantly. His heart can only beat four times a minute, or one heartbeat every 15 seconds.
It can be difficult to find a hamster's heartbeat due to its very small size. To do this, use the index finger and thumb of one hand and place it on one side of the hamster's chest, behind the elbow. Press gently or with enough force as if you were holding a hamster to stop it from running away without hurting it. Wait patiently and feel the heartbeat at your fingertips
Step 3. Ignore body heat as an indicator between hibernation and death
Don't worry if your hamster feels cold. This doesn't mean he's dead. The hibernation process is triggered by cold and the hamster's body temperature will decrease to adjust to the temperature of its environment.
Step 4. Check the hamster's rigidity
One of the differences that indicate death is freezing of the body or rigor mortis. If your hamster feels stiff and hard like a board, he may have rigor mortis, which is a sign of death.
Method 3 of 3: Waking the Hamster from Hibernation
Step 1. Place the hamster you think is hibernating in a warm room
The room temperature should be around 20°C. Wait 2-3 days. If the hamster is only hibernating, it will wake up in 2-3 days.
- If the hamster is still not awake, more obvious signs of death such as a bad smell and rigor mortis will appear. A hibernating hamster will not smell bad.
- Experts recommend this as the best option for waking hamsters because this method is the closest to the natural wake-up process and reduces the strain on the body's blood glucose reserves than doing a "rapid reboot".
- Make sure there is plenty of food and drink available for the hamster that is awake.
Step 2. Warm up the hamster quickly
Instead of slowly warming your hamster in a warm room, you can warm it up more quickly. Place the hamster in the cage in a warm place such as an open cupboard. Depending on the room temperature, your hamster will wake up within 2-3 hours.
- Remember to keep your hamster in a safe container because if you put it in a cardboard box, it will wake up and bite on the cardboard and then run away!
- Another idea is to store the cage above a hot water bottle to radiate heat through the bottom of the cage.
- Make sure your hamster has food and water as it will use up its valuable reserves of energy to wake up and this energy will need to be replaced immediately. Otherwise, your hamster may suffer liver damage.
Step 3. Remember that hibernation is a natural process
If your hamster is hibernating, know that this is a natural process and will recover. If your hamster is back to normal-eating, grooming, and running on its wheels-you don't need to take it to the vet unless you're worried.
Step 4. Remember that hamsters have a short lifespan
If none of your ways work to wake the hamster, it's probably dead. Keep in mind that hamsters have a very short lifespan and it may be time for them to leave. Eliminate other possibilities first, but you have to accept that your hamster is dead.
Step 5. Avoid hamsters from hibernating in the future
Make sure your hamster is always in a room with temperatures above 20°C, has 12 hours plus light during the day, and plenty of food and water so you don't have to experience these worries and anxieties again. That way, his body wouldn't think that he had to conserve energy and hibernate.
