Care for Hamsters with broken bones

Many injuries that result from hamster falls and dropped hamsters are very serious. A hamster dropped from a height of several feet can sustain internal injuries and internal bleeding. For a case like this, death usually follows within a matter of hours and no amount of veterinary care can help a hamster with such serious injuries from a fall or drop.

Fractures and broken bones are also fairly common in hamsters who fall from a height or hamsters who are accidentally dropped. In some cases - particularly in the case of broken legs - euthanasia is the most practical and humane option.

In other cases when a hamster is dropped or if a hamster catches a leg, toe or foot in a hamster wheel or hamster ball, the pocket pet may sustain a sprain, bruise, a broken leg, or even a fractured rib in the case of a drop or fall. These hamster injuries are often survivable, but the hamster must be provided with supportive care like hand-feeding, pain medication and ice compresses.

"A hamster with a more minor rib fracture, for instance, can survive with supportive care. But pain medication is a must, so therefore, you will need to visit the vet," explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM. He added, "Often, a hamster will stop eating and drinking due to pain, and it's dehydration and malnutrition that ultimately lead to the hamster's death. Pain medication will make the hamster comfortable during the healing process."

Applying ice compresses to the hamster's injured limb can also help to reduce pain, though caution should be taken to keep the rest of the hamster's body warm during and after the cold compress is applied to prevent hypothermia.

Owners of an injured hamster should avoid handling their hamster unless it's absolutely necessary; this helps to reduce stress and discomfort. it's also important to keep the injured hamster in a clean cage, located in a warm, quiet location that's conducive to rest and recovery.

In some cases, a hamster who is being treated with pain medication will eat and drink, but less than normal. In these instances, hand feeding and subcutaneous fluid injections may be necessary to help sustain the hamster until his injuries begin to heal.

To limit the chances that a pet hamster will suffer a broken bone or other serious injuries, hamster owners should always avoid purchasing hamster running wheels and hamster exercise balls.

Read more at Suite101: How to Care for an Injured Hamster: Caring for a Hamster's Injuries at Home, Signs of a Serious Injury

Tips for taking care of your hamster who has broken bones:

• Take away any exercise activities from his cage (i.e. wheels, etc)
  
• Take away any extra multi-levels so that his cage is all on one level and try to find a balance between minimising the size of the cage and not making him too bored
  
• Make sure he has extra bedding to make him comfortable when sleeping
  
• Try adding more calcium to his diet by adding pieces of milk soaked bread and/or pieces of high calcium dog biscuits to his food. This will help his bones heal quicker due to the extra calcium in his diet.