Eyes
Your hamster’s eyes should be bright and clear with no crust or watery discharge. Some hamsters have normally red eyes, but redness combined with other symptoms is a sign of infection. Their eyes should not be protruding or bulging, you should compare both eyes to see if one is sticking out more than the other.
Teeth
Hamsters have four front incisors that will continuously grow for their entire lives. The teeth keep each other in check, so if one tooth gets damaged or broken, you will need to trim the tooth above or below it until the tooth grows back. If they are growing at angle or away from each other, a vet visit will likely be necessary as they will need to be trimmed down and checked for a gum infection.
Healthy hamster teeth
Nails
Hamster nails should be curved but not curled back toward the hamster. A normal active hamster with a good sized cage and natural items to climb on and over will naturally wear down their nails. You shouldn't need to cut your hamsters nails much at all until they are older and are less active. Having rough (not sharp) rocks in the sand bath is helpful too.
Normal length
You do want to trim the nails if they start to curl back. You want to use small animal clippers or baby nail clippers. There are some nail trimmers online that come with a little magnifying glass. If you look closely, there is a part of the nail that has a red or pink streak. That's called the quick. You want to cut before that. It's better to not cut enough than to cut too short. Leave a bit of curve.
Overgrown
Ears
Hamster’s ears should be soft, with no dryness/flakiness, no redness or excess wax.
Nose
Hamster’s nose should be free from discharge, blood, or redness. Hamsters’ noses are very sensitive to scented items or too little humidity which can cause bleeding.
Coat
Hamster’s coat should be shiny and soft with no balding patches. Having a sand bath will help your hamster’s coat stay clean.
Skin
Hamster’s skin should be free of cuts or redness. Gently feel all over your hamster on a regular basis to look for lumps or red swollen areas of skin. Dry flaky skin combined with balding patches is definitely cause for concern. Make note of any areas that are sensitive to touch (flinching or pain squeaks)
Scent Glands
All hamsters have scent glands, Syrians near the hips, while Roborovskis, Campbells, Winter Whites and Chinese all have scent glands on their stomachs. Occasionally these scent glands can be infected or blocked. Check them regularly.
Scent Glands
Sexual Organs and Anus
Hamster’s sexual organs and anus should be clean with no protruding skin. If you see discharge, blood, or diarrhea that could indicate a problem. Please note, that female Syrians will often have a wet white or milky discharge accompanied by a strong smell every 3-4 days, this is normal and part of their heat cycle. If it is blood tinged, that is not normal.
Weighing your hamster
Part of your weekly health check should be to weigh your hamster, without anything in their cheek pouches. A simple food scale with grams can be obtained for cheap and use to weigh your hamster. Put a cup or bowl that you hamster cannot escape on the scale. Press the ON button to “zero out” the scale. This means that your scale will ignore the weight of the cup or bowl and only weigh the hamster. Put your hamster into the cup or bowl and record the weight. A gain or loss of 10% of the total body weight is something to be careful of (unless the hamster is under 6 months old and still growing) and you should be on the look out for potentially other symptoms that have gone unnoticed. Hamsters, like other prey animals, will try to hide sickness so other animals do not try to eat them.
Here are some signs of illness you should be aware of:
• Overgrown teeth or crooked teeth
• Runny eyes or nose
• Eating or drinking much more or less than usual
• Lethargy (lack of energy or sleeping more than usual)
• Dehydration
• Diarrhea
• Bleeding from any part of the body (hamsters do not have periods)
• Any unusual lumps or growths
• Signs of pain, such as sensitivity to touch
• Redness of the skin
• Limping or hunching over
• Changes in your hamster’s behavior or routine
How to check for dehydration
Dehydration can be very dangerous for all mammals, especially hamsters. To check for dehydration, gently pull up a bit of skin from the back of the neck. Normally, it will snap back into place quickly when you let go. A dehydrated hamster’s skin will go back into place slowly, the more dehydrated, the slower the skin will return to normal. Count the seconds it takes for the skin to snap back to place. Normally, it will be less than a second. If you hamster is dehydrated, he will need medical attention or at home intervention.
Rehydration Solution
1/4 teaspoon of salt (level)
1 teaspoon of sugar (level)
1 cup of water (240ml)
Directions
Boil two cups of water, use one cup to sterilize the mixing cup and spoon. Then use the other cup to mix with the sugar and salt, mix, then let cool down to wrist warm temp. Put a drop of water on your wrist, it should be the same temperature. Suck up some of the liquid with a 1ml syringe. Give a few drops at a time, on the side of the mouth angled downward towards the tongue. Let the hamster swallow between drops. Once the hamster has take in about .1-.3 ml for a dwarf and about .5- 1.0 ml for Syrians, give them a rest for about 15 minutes, and repeat the dehydration check. If still dehydrated, give some more rehydration solution a few drops at a time then repeat the rest and the dehydration check. Hamsters will generally drink 10ml per 100g of body weight per day. (i.e a 50 gram dwarf will drink about 5 mls a day) Don't exceed that amount unless instructed to do so by a vet. Write down of how much liquid the hamster has taken in.
You can also use unflavored pedialyte or children's rehydration solution, if you have that in your country, instead of making your own.
This is good for emergency dehydration and should not be given unless your hamster is dehydrated. If you are using this solution, it's very likely your hamster needs a vet visit.
We are have lists of veterinarians to help owners find help when needed:
In the US
In the UK
In Canada
Worldwide
