What to do with a sick, hicupping hamster?

This fat little fur ball is more than one years old. She lives all alone because the male one ran off after staying with her for a few months. Probably she nagged too much, probably she demanded sex too much or probably she is frigid. Well, I don’t know. Except that we can’t buy another male to replace him. She bites the hell out of any younger [tag]hamsters[/tag] who come into her cage.

So, Hammie has been living all alone for one, long, lonely, sexless year as a spinster hamster. Hmmm…that rhymes very well hor?

She keeps me company during the nights by running round and round and round her wheel in her hamster’s mansion. Well, very much like a person who has nothing to do but cleans the roof, ceiling, wall, floor of her house and then, cleans somemore of the roof, ceiling, wall, floor of her house and then…

(diswan not a ghost ok, it is some humsup royalty in a Chinese Opera performed during the Hungry Ghost Festival)

As you know, the [tag]Hungry Ghost Festival[/tag] is coming real soon. I like having Hammie around ‘cos I am sure she will go crazy if there are any presence of any humsup and hungry ghosts watching over my shoulder when I am surfing p0rn when the family is asleep. I bet Hammie would be able to squeak or ran till her wheel produces spark. Or if I hear of any funny noises when the Hungry Ghosts were trying to eat my leftover foods, I could just brush it off as ‘Oh, that’s Hammie making the noise’.

So you see, it is less spooky to be sitting around at 3 am in the morning with a wide awake hamster. (They are nocturnal animals, awake at night, sleeping during the day, very much like me lah.)

(diswan oso from Chinese opera, wayang cina)

But these few days, Hammie has been sick. She hiccups (or coughs, I dunno la) and doesn’t look well. I wanted to feed her some cough syrup but am worried of overdosing and she suddenly started singing “Lonely…I am so lonely…”. My son said take her to the vet. I said siao ah! cos the vet will make our pocket koyak. Sometimes, I have evil thoughts of leaving her cage open so that she can run off somewhere. That way, I don’t have to see her die, which I think will happen if she goes on like this.

Therefore, I really, really do not know what to do with a spinster hamster which is sick. Anyone? Oh ya, I have also forbidden everyone to touch her or go near her cage ‘cos we never know what kinda germs she carries. *haih*

12 thoughts on “What to do with a sick, hicupping hamster?

  1. i know you expected this answer, but I’m going to say it anyway.
    “She maing oredi! get a a male hamster!”

  2. hmmm bring it to a pet shop? They’d charge u a fraction of the price or at least be able to tell u if it’s curable..

  3. animal same like human oso lar…need partner but dont go and put another female eh…later lain pula jadi… šŸ˜€

  4. ah pek is correct, she is miang so if u think another hamster is costly or not feasible, i have a great idea for u! just get a male mouse the same size as her, dye the hair urself which should be next to nothing & she will never know the difference! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! good idea anot?

  5. Take out yellow pages and look under “Hamster Consort Services”. Guarantee she’ll be satisfied and sated, the pleasure will stop the hiccuping. šŸ˜€

  6. a visit to the vet, while costly, would probably do it well. Has anyone sick been near it lately before that? Any chance that it may have been left in a very cold room?

  7. take her to the vet. It may have caught a cold. Perhaps you are using cedar or pine shavings, which are known to be toxic to hamsters when their urine gets on it – and cause serious respiratory problems.
    If it is a constant coughing sound, or ‘clicking’ sound, a natural remedy would be to get rid of the cedar/pine shavings, and substitute with aspen. if really cannot find, use unscented toilet tissue paper – but this will make the hamster stink a bit.
    sorry, the natural remedy would be to get thyme, and crush some of the leaves in front of its nose. also steep some thyme in boiling water, and when a little warm (not hot!) feed some to the hamster.

  8. There is a vet Klinik Haiwan that is provided by the government somewhere in Town. I’ve brought my dogs and hamsters there before and they provide free treatment. Its realy good šŸ™‚ Go check it out. DOn’t let hammie to its own defenses.. its evil to just leave the cage door open and hope it runs away.

  9. Is Hammy still alive ?
    šŸ˜›
    Anyway, I think send it to vet is a good idea. I had two hammies before. One died becoz it is sick and I din have money to send to vet (studying mar). Been eating my conscience till now. šŸ™

  10. Better bring Hammie to the vet. Don’t think it will cost much.

    I brought my hamster to a vet before and they charged me around RM20. Too bad for my hamster, he died 1 day later. I cried so badly. He was my first and longest living hamster (1 year plus…nearly 2 years old). My other hamsters all died in less than a year.

  11. I took Rayhana’s advice and bought a packet of Thyme, available from Cold Storage for RM2.49. Infused in warm water and fed her. Then leave some in the cage. No sound of hiccupping anymore but she is still not as active.

    The rest of the thyme will go into roasting chicken and grilling fish.

    Thanks for all the tips.

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