I Just Found Ringy Dead. :-(

[Die Fledermaus]

No symptoms, except some hardish poop stuck down there, and a little lethargy. She ate yesterday; polished off all her baby food.

Six hours ago her left eye seemed a bit more closed than the right, but the right looked normal, and often when waking up their eyes are not fully or evenly opened. So, I put various food (baby, veggies, mix, peanut butter [natural]) in her bin. When I put her back in she ran and hid under her log, which was odd - and worrisome.

I came back five hours later, and she was cold! I couldn't believe it. Dead. No other symptoms except blood on the nose, especially when I hold her head down. (I've taken photos, but won't process them now). Some kind of stroke, that started yesterday?? She never seemed in any real discomfort. :-(

Awww, feces. Poor little girl is sitting on my leg as I type this; she must have died less about an hour ago as she is still flexible. As soon as I tip her head down the blood stuff appears on her nose, now foamy. What else but a stroke?? No blood in the ears. When a friend's mother died once she had a stroke in the local post office - blood in the ears, eyes, and nose. Ringy's ears are mostly open; no blood there. As I said above, no symptoms that would even have suggested a respiratory infection, and I strongly doubt that possibility.

Incredible. She didn't look that bad 5-6 hours ago. Such are hamsters. You never know. :-(

January 9th 2003 - January 7th 2004.



RIP, Ringy.

Of course, her mom, brother, eight sisters, and various adopted "family" members are still here. Two brothers, Larry and Peter, died last January 27th and March 17th.

[jeannie]

Aw, I'm so sorry DF.

She was a beauty.

Any chance she could have had impacted intestines? Or was it diarrhea that had hardened on her rump?

Poor girl. RIP

[tinksgliders]

I am so sorry for your loss, DF. I know she will be greatly missed.

That is one difficult thing about caring for our small critters... They often hide their illnesses until it's too late. I am very sorry!!

[dosergirl]

Sounds like what happened to Lola

very sorry to hear it

[Die Fledermaus]

I came home and by habit checked her (empty) bin to see how she was.

I'll clean it out later, although I am certain it was nothing contagious. Either a stroke, or some sort of lung hemorrhage.

If you want to see, here are the links:

Ringy RIP

Ringy RIP

[Die Fledermaus]

Jeannie said:

Aw, I'm so sorry DF.

She was a beauty.

Any chance she could have had impacted intestines? Or was it diarrhea that had hardened on her rump?

Poor girl. RIP

I saw no diarrhea. The one poop that was protruding was hardish. Her bin, cleaned with new bedding less than a week ago, was neat and odorless; no stains.

"Impacted intestines"?? How do I tell? She didn't seem really different in size; no swellings I could discern, if that is relevant.

Check out the links that show her nose after death. I actually got small DROPS out of it when I held her body face down! Again, I was thinking stroke, or lung hemorrhage as there was no sign of bloody before death, and very little on her nose until I picked her body up. The foamy aspect of the fluid suggests some pulmonary connection. Thoughts?

i will clean out the bin, which was a bit too shallow to be ideal, and use it as a play bin for the others. I won't get another ham, unless a sudden rescue appears as with Maggie. If another dies in the hopefully distant future I'll look for a cinnamon, or one especially needy.

Odd, how she ran under her log when I put her in the bin. Totally unusual. She must have sensed something.

[angelic]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that, she was the one I thought was most beautiful out of your hammys.

It does sound like some kind of hemorrhage, there was probably nothing you could have done to help, not that is much consolation.

[Die Fledermaus]

Guilt over doing something wrong, or not doing some right, is always bad, and may apply in some cases. But not here.

If not for me she'd have been born with the rest in a (then) crowded pet store tank, and ended up God knows where. I rectified the overcrowding in that store, and conditions have been fine for months.

It is their birthday tomorrow. Nine out of a litter of twelve born are still alive - not bad, actually.

[Kain]

So sorry Tom.

It could have been a chest infection or Pneumonia. If it was a hemmorige the fluid would come out of her mouth as well as her nose.

Still, I know this wan't your fault, so don't feel guilty.

Kane

[Die Fledermaus]

There were no symptoms whatsoever of a chest infection, even if that is what it was. It also killed her rather quickly, far more so than I'd have thought.

I did see a little dried blood on the left corner of her mouth.

I would assume that once dead it would be easier for blood and fluid to make its way out the nose than the mouth, what with the tongue back there.

So, who knows. . . everyone else is fine.