If you suspect that something is wrong with your pet, then you might find matching symptoms in our ‘Hamster Illnesses’ section. Although it may be something easily treatable such as a flea infestation, there are lots of hamster illnesses that cannot be treated at home. Even though the treatment may cost money, your hamster really needs to go to a vet if you suspect something is wrong, as your pet relies on you to keep it safe and free from pain.

If you're worried your hamster is unwell, check our 'Hamster Illnesses' section or a hamster book with a full illnesses list. You may need to take your pet to the vet.
If you can’t find any condition with matching symptoms in our illnesses pages, then you might want to try looking in a hamster book that contains an illness section. However, if your hamster is bleeding a lot, is having trouble breathing or sounds as if it’s in pain then it’s unlikely to be a problem that you can fix yourself, and so we recommend taking them to a vet.
Donovan, 14 October 2021
My hamster is 9 months old and the breed is supposed to die around 3 years. Its not moving very much, doesn't want to eat or drink, its stomach kinda looks sucked in? I'm not sure whats wrong... Any ideas?