Please Help Snowey..!!

[Spud]

Thanks for the photo.

That looks like an urgent (i.e. today) vet appointment is needed to me. You probably need to call an emergency vet to get an appointment booked ASAP.

As a side note, if she is female, do you know if she was kept in a tank with any males in the pet shop? Did they tell you Snowey was male/ kept with males?

When you get to a vet, get them to double check Snowey's sex, as female hamsters can be prone to certain reproductive issues (although this would be less common in the younger hamster).

Does Snowey still seem healthy otherwise? Be prepared to set up an emergency bin cage in case the vet wants you to put Snowey in a hospital cage. Do you have enough funds for vet treatment (you should be able to claim this back from the pet shop, so keep all receipts)?

I don't think this illness would have been caused by food, although I'm not a vet.

Edit: If you can, please update the title of this thread to say Snowey is unwell.

[Arora]

I'm very worried...I don't really even trust our vets...but maybe they would know...??

I will do research and call a vet if I can find one that's open today...It irritates me too, the one vet that's open today is booked 2 weeks out -_-

I am also scared because my parents are starting to get upset with me bcs she is possibly a girl...and having to take her...and vet costs

Such a mess!! ( and I will check the title)

[Spud]

I'm sorry you're feeling stressed and worried- please be assured that Snowey isn't poorly because of anything you have or haven't done.

It's important that Snowey gets to a vet soon- any qualified vet should be able to do an initial examination and give pain relief if necessary.
If you tell them it's an emergency, the vets should be able to find a slot to book you in very quickly.

I'm afraid your parents need to take some responsibility for their actions. It doesn't matter that Snowey might or might not be a girl. Animals get ill, and they need to go to the vets- this is the same for big pets like dogs and little pets like hamsters. The vet costs will hopefully all be covered by the pet shop you bought Snowey from, as long as your parents are willing to have this conversation with them.

I'm sorry your hamster journey so far has been so upsetting.

[Arora]

Thanks Spud The problem is, I don't think I can even connect with a vet because they are all closed today =<

Do you think Snowey will be okay until tommorow??

[Spud]

Hopefully she will be OK until tomorrow as she seems to be acting normally at the moment.
It's a shame you don't have 24 hour emergency vet cover where you live, but you can only do your best.
I'd recommend phoning vets as early as possible tomorrow to try and get an appointment, and ask them to let you know if there are any cancellations and an earlier appointment becomes available.

In the meantime, try and research Petco's policy regarding paying for veterinary treatment, and keep a note of any of Snowey's symptoms.

[Arora]

Will do! I also am researching vets and even found one..but they were way too expensive..they were 250 dollars up front 0.0 We just can't afford that! So I am kind of thinking we are gonna have to take her tmmr

[Arora]

We are debating on taking her back now....

Update: My dad is thinking we can try and help her and see abt a vet tmmr, and if she doesn't eat or drink we are thinking of taking her bk. I really don't want to part with her

[Spud]

I think that taking her back would probably be a bit unethical unfortunately, as you don't know for certain whether she would receive medical help. To be brutally honest, there's a not unlikely chance that she will either be 'disposed' of, left to suffer, or sold to somebody else who doesn't know how to look after hamsters.

The best solution would be to essentially demand that Petco cover your vet fees- they're a very large business, so would definitely prefer to pay the fees than risk negative media coverage. In the UK we're protected by the Consumer Rights Act- is there something similar where you live?

It's hard to accurately tell whether or not a hamster's had anything to drink, and as Snowey is still new to your household he/she might feel too shy to come out and have a drink or take any food.

Seeing as this is potentially a life and death situation now, I would recommend taking Snowey out (wash your hands before and after) and hand feeding him/her some food and see if Snowey takes it. If Snowey does eat something, this might persuade your parents not to return him/her to the shop.

If your parents insist on returning Snowey, I would try and contact a rescue instead as it is more likely she'll be given medical attention and rehomed to somebody who knows about proper hamster care too, unlike your average Petco customer.

[Arora]

Just called petco....They "said" they have no such policy and that they "check the hamsters' health each day" And when I complained about the employees selling this hamster on the pretense that there was simply bedding stuck on its bottom..they ignored it..

And they said that if I "surrendered" the "baby" that they would take him to the vet..And at the end of the call they said "we look forward to you coming to surrender the 'baby'" I never even said I would take him!! In fact I told them from the beginning I didn't want to surrender him!

My dad said he is going to stay home tmmr so we can take Snowey to a vet to ensure he/she gets treatment though

[RoboHammyLover]

Just called petco....They "said" they have no such policy and that they "check the hamsters' health each day" And when I complained about the employees selling this hamster on the pretense that there was simply bedding stuck on its bottom..they ignored it..

And they said that if I "surrendered" the "baby" that they would take him to the vet..And at the end of the call they said "we look forward to you coming to surrender the 'baby'" I never even said I would take him!! In fact I told them from the beginning I didn't want to surrender him!

My dad said he is going to stay home tmmr so we can take Snowey to a vet to ensure he/she gets treatment though

I'm so happy to hear snowie is going to get the treatment she needs ! please keep us updated i hope shes okay!