My hamster is breathing weird, bleeding, and cold. What should I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Hi, my hamster has been breathing weirder than normal I’ve had her for almost 2 years now. I noticed on sat when she was breathing heavy and on Sunday I noticed that she was bleeding for her butt I’m not sure if it was where she poos or where she pees. I tried cleaning her and she sort of bit me so it must’ve hurt or she didn’t like it. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, she’s very cold and light I heated her up gave her some chamomile tea she’s still alive it’s been 3 days. Please help!!
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 10th, 2018
I can see that your hamster is hunched and her fur is raised. Her labored breathing is cause for concern. It can be caused by infections or masses, and requires veterinary attention right away. The blood you identified can be caused by bloody stool, or even a rectal prolapse, both of which are serious medical conditions. She should be seen by a vet as soon as possible, as she may require supportive care to be stabilized. I hope all is well!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 27th, 2018
Bloody discharge is definitively a worrying sign and should be ideally checked as soon as possible by your local veterinarian as abnormal labor and miscarriage is possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My Syrian Hamster is a year and 11 months old. A week ago she has been shaking in the past week despite keeping the house above 70 degrees... and lots of bedding in her cage. She just started wobbling around this morning and i held her. She is very w
Poor Ham. She sounds very sick. I am concerned that she could have an infection, cancer, or a problem with her heart. The fact that she is gasping for breath is extremely serious and she should be examined by a vet as soon as possible. A vet can determine if her condition can be treated, otherwise she may need to be euthanized.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My hamster has a severe wound above her nose its bleeding and she sounds like she is squeeking or hard on breathing i think it's due to the bedding I used before what should I do?
I would be concerned that Snow has a wound on the nose, and that she sounds like she is having difficulty breathing. If you have noticed this with a change of bedding, I would recommend removing the bedding and replacing it, or you can utilize towels or fleece for a period of time. It would be ideal to have Snow evaluated by a veterinarian - they may recommend treatment with topical or oral antibiotics, depending on the severity of the wound. If you are unable to take her to a veterinarian initially, I would recommend keeping a close eye on her breathing abilities. Additionally, if any discharge, crusting, inflammation/reddening, or swelling occurs, I would strongly advise her to be taken to a veterinarian. Please do not give Snow any human medications, as many of them can be harmful to our furry friends. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I hope Snow feels better soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
HI SHINE who is about to be two years old in coming January is showing a different behaviour than her regular one.her breathing rate is very much increased ie she breathes too fastly which was not the case before.Also she has become inactive & when
Hello, I'm so sorry to hear your hamster is not feeling well. The photo looks like she may have some diarrhea, which may help to explain why she has been lifting her bum up (tender) and has been lethargic. Her increased breathing rate may be a sign of pain. Unfortunately, two years old is considered elderly for a hamster so we also need to think about cancer as a possible cause as well. I would take her to a hamster-friendly vet as soon as possible. They may be able pinpoint a cause, and at least to provide medication to help with the diarrhea and pain, and fluids to help rehydrate her. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My robo dwarf hamster has her eyes fully closed, breathing heavy, ears folded down, not walking but her whole body shakes. She falls over and I keep picking her up. She does move her face and nose around like she is smelling the air. She also has a
I'm sorry your little hamster is not feeling well. These little guys can be delicate! There are a couple of things you can try at home- give her a little bit of syrup or honey water if she has not been eating to make sure her blood sugar is not too low. Make sure she is not too cold- like near an air conditioning vent. You can use a warm water cotton ball to remove the stool piece on her rear end so it is not stuck. But overall, she looks like she is very ill and needs to see a vet- I'm not sure what is going on- these are non specific signs of pain, illness (like upper respiratory infection) etc and your little friend needs a diagnosis before we can get her recommended treatment
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have 2 female Campbell's Dwarf hamsters that live together. This morning, I realized that 1 of the was bleeding from there genital area (either vagina of anus, I can't tell). She is acting normally, is eating/drinking, and running on her wheel. The
When there is red material from around the rear end, it could be coming from the anus, the reproductive tract, or the urinary tract. Additionally, there could be some kind of trauma in the area as well. Seeing blood intermittently is not uncommon with any of these areas. I would recommend that you have Peanut evaluated by a veterinarian. Since she is eating and drinking normally, you likely don't need to rush in tonight, unless you have an emergency veterinarian who is comfortable with evaluating hamsters. If not, it may be better to wait until your regular veterinarian is available. However, if you see a change in Peanut's attitude or appetite, or if her feet start to look more pale in color than pink, I would recommend taking her in immediately. The pale color would be indicative of her losing a great deal of blood. When at the vet, they will clean the area and try to determine where the red material is coming from. There is a pigment that rodents produce, called porphyrins, that c
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My hamster is bleeding out of its rectum don't know what to do
Hello there! I'm sorry to hear that Lily is not doing well. Bleeding from the rectal area can be caused by several issues. If you're sure the blood is coming from her rectum and not from her urethra or vagina, she may have an intestinal problem, like constipation or a parasite. It's also possible that she has a common hamster condition called wet tail, if she also has loose stools. Wet tail is severe diarrhea that is sometimes accompanied by bloody stools in certain severe cases, and is caused by a bacterial infection. It can be deadly, so acquiring treatment by a veterinarian is important to ensure survival. If the blood could be coming from the vaginal or urethral area, she could have a uterine or urinary tract infection that is causing the bleeding. These openings are very close to each other in female hamsters, so it can be easy to mistake one for the other. All of these conditions require the assistance of a veterinarian to get Lily better. If the bleeding is prolific of if Lily i
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
This is evening when we were going to get our Syrian hamster, Daenerys, who is almost exactly 1 yr old, out for her usual play time we noticed some redness that looked like dry blood around her nostrils. It's local to the rims and inside of her nostr
The two main options are a trauma to the nose area (could be from a fall on the head) or due to an upper respiratory infection. i would advise keeping an eye on her in the next few days, if it is a trauma it should get a little bit better every day, if it is an infection it's likely to get worse and you will need to take her to the vet in order to get it treated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I've had my pet hamster for about 2 1/2 years now. I came home from a run today and found out that she was on the floor of her cage on her side breathing very heavily. When I tried to wake her she started shivering so I put my hand around her and she
This sounds like Trico is pretty ill and should be seen by your vet or at an ER clinic ASAP. Moving her to a travel carrier or shoebox with ventilation that is warm, dark and quiet can help keep her calm and get her transported to the vet immediately for care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dwarf hamster had a tiny amount of blood coming from her anus area last night and she had nothing all day, but then I noticed another tiny amount tonight.. She has no other symptoms that I can tell, though, I'm working on cooling the room down as
I'm sorry to hear that Tracy isn't feeling well. Certainly the jump in temperature may have effected her, but good that you are working to fix that. Blood from the genital area is quite worrying. It may be that she is a little dehydrated with the heat and her stools are firmer causing a little bleeding. However, it could also indicate an issue in the intestinal tract such as infection. Likewise the blood could be coming from the vulva and be related to a urinary or even reproductive tract issue. Unless she is much improved today I would take her to the vet as she will likely require treatment that is not available at home.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
female hamster Chewie is about 18 mos & fell down tubing, walking in circles & into wall, gunky nose, eye not glossy other closed. Breathing erratically with grunting sound. Was fine yesterday. Is she dying? Did I make her sick w/ a/c on? Never blown
Chewie sounds very sick, and I am so sorry that this is happening. From what you are describing, she needs to see a veterinarian immediately. She can then be evaluated to see if there are any possible treatments for her, and if there are not, they can assist with euthanasia if that is needed or desired by you to ease her suffering. 18 months is an older age for a hamster, so that may be related to why she is getting sick. The material around her nose may be making it hard for her to breathe as well - if she tolerates it, you can clean the material off with a warm, wet cloth, but be careful so that she doesn't panic or struggle when you do it since she is already having a hard time breathing. The veterinarian can also clean this off for you as well. I am so sorry again - it is never easy to have a pet get sick.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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