# I need help with sudden death in hamster please.



## Hannah Westbury (Nov 14, 2019)

So I’m new to this site. I’m in a rage currently because I’ve just found my hamster dead in his cage. He was 6 moths old and a Syrian. He was the only ever hamster I’ve had that was bred at Pets at home. The one I had before him was a rescue and he died at age 3. What I’m finding hard to understand is that I did everything I usually do for all of my hamster. He had a very large cage, access to food and water all the time and showed no signs of illness. Has anyone else experienced this from a hamster from Pets at home or have I done something seriously wrong?


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

I’m sorry to hear of the loss of your hamster. I doubt you’ll be able to pinpoint what it is without some sort of post mortem (probably expensive). 

I’m not sure you could blame the pet shop 100%, the hamster may have had a hidden issue that shortened its life. Vulnerable animals like hamsters tend to be very good at hiding any signs of illness as if they showed it in the wild they’d be easy pickings. It could have been born with something. Pets at home probably isn’t the best source when looking for a pet but I did have lots of hamsters and gerbils from them as a child and we never had any problems. I think one of my gerbils died a little prematurely but the rest lived a normal lifespan. In fact the only hamster we didn’t get some pets at home was the one that died after we’d only had it a couple of months  

Sorry for your loss, I know it’s not very comforting to not know what happened though.


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## Smolmaus (Oct 3, 2019)

Unfortunately a lot of people just never know what happens with a sudden death. You need to find a specialist exotics vet capable of doing a necropsy and they're like gold dust in most places. 

I'd say all of my hams have been from pets at home, or jollyes and I think they use the same mass-market supplier (even the rescues, they come from there in the first place) and it's been a real mixed bag. One lived 6 weeks with me before pyo, others over 2 years. They don't breed for health and longevity in rodent-mills, they breed for colours that will sell so hereditary heart problems or a likelihood for strokes or diabetes or anything really isn't caught before those hamsters are bred again. But even then, good responsible breeders also sometimes just have unexplained deaths. When you have an entire pet species (assuming syrian here) that supposedly originated from one mother and her babies... there are going to be problems you can't get around. 

I know grief is different for everyone and if anger is how you process then you do what you need to but I find it easier to focus on giving them a good life for however long I have them, if that's 3 months or 3 years, with no expectations. With rodents you never really get long enough anyway. Healing vibes to you <3


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## ava van straten (Oct 5, 2021)

hi there, 

i’m really sorry to hear this. my first hamster was from pets at home and unfortunately she only lived for a month after we brought her home. she had to be PTS as she had a tumour, the vet advised this was something that she would’ve had at the time she was sold to us. i know that probably doesn’t help you with figuring out what happened you but i just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone. i’m sure your hamster really loved and appreciated you <3


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