What you can do:
-Get those small re-freezable plastic ice packs that you can use to keep portable lunches cool and wrap it in a plastic bag to collect condensation. Then, lean each one against each hamster's house so they'd have something cool to lean against. "They all seemed to gravitate toward the ice packs."
You'd have to have enough of the packs to rotate them when the first batch melt; then those go back into the freezer and the second batch gets used.
-You Could freeze little stainless steel saucer dishes. You can find them at Target or Walmart in the kitchen section. Freeze them and put one in the cage. On the hot days you can just rotate them.
-Freeze water bottles and put them in their cage. If they want to cool off they just get within a close proximity and "settle" there for a while. Make sure they are not biters if you plan on doing this.
-Try to keep a fan blowing near the cage (but no direct drafts) and make sure there's good ventilation all around.
-You could get a tile from a hardware store or something, and put it in the freezer for a while, then put it in the cage. That way when the hammy gets hot they have something cold to go and lay on.
- You could also Try giving them some frozen fruits/vegetables.
-You could also do is buy chinchilla sand[not dust] and put it in the freezer for a while, take the sand out and it should be pretty cool.
-You could place a ceramic hamster house or terra cotta pot in the freezer, it will hold in the cold and provide a nice cool hideout
Sleeper Disease
The first, which can be frightening to the owner but not a major problem to the hamster, is sometimes called Sleeper Disease. When the external temperature is high, say 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the hamster appears lifeless and floppy. It can be picked up, turned over and shaken, with no apparent sign of life. If observed carefully the whiskers can normally be seen twitching. If the animal is held gently, then normally it will awaken within a few minutes. This awakening can be very abrupt - so hold the hamster over your lap or a table in case it moves very suddenly. This condition occurs commonly in young hamsters kept together when one or more may suddenly appear listless.
This Sleeper Disease should not be confused with the very serious heatstroke described below. Any animals not coming round within 5 minutes should be treated as if they have heatstroke.
Heatstroke
Hamsters can very quickly suffer from heatstroke. Danger areas are in cars, where a short period in a stationary vehicle - even five minutes - can kill. Another problem is the siting of a cage in direct sunlight in a room.
The symptoms are as described above for Sleeper Disease but the hamster does not recover in a few minutes. Hamsters starting to suffer from heatstroke will often dribble and saliva will be apparent around the mouth. They will move sluggishly and will eventually lie quietly on the floor of the cage and then die.
It is vital to cool the animal down as quickly as possible. Splash the animal with cold water to bring the body temperature down and try to give cold water to drink to replace lost body fluids. This will be sufficient if the animal is just starting to suffer from heatstroke. If there is no immediate sign of recovery contact your Veterinary Surgeon for advice and possible treatment.
You see the same thing can happen In the winter.
If you hamster gets to cold they may go into "shock" as Hamsters do not go into Hibernation.
If you have found that your Hamster is in this state of shock the best way to start recovery is by:
Slowly warm their bodies back to an acceptable body temperature by holding them in your hand and rubbing their bodies to stimulate their muscles.
In their cage you can put a heating pad or water bottle filled with hot water (Wrapped in paper towels to prevent direct contact) to keep their environment warm.
Keep the Hamster hydrated and offer them vegetables like Cucumber or Romaine Lettuce if they are not drinking from the bottle well. Feeding them some low sugar baby food is a great way to provide nutrients if they are not eating well.
Keep their cage in a quiet room with low lighting that does not involve a lot of trafficking by people or larger animals. Make sure that the cage is not in direct sunlight or near a draft. The room must be somewhere the temperature is usually consistent.
Keep an eye on them and check on their activity periodically until they seem back to normal. Only after they have completely awoken you can offer them hardier foods like Seed Mix or Pellets.
Some ways to keep your hamster warm in the winter are:
-Giving a thicker layer of the warmest bedding you can find (carefresh is a good idea) is a good start. Giving some more paper towels too, and adding some hay to the nest will help.
-A space heater or a heating pad could be used so long as you are careful with them. Space heaters can heat a room very quickly, so you need to watch that you are around when using it so it doesn't warm the room up too much. Heating pads should be kept to one side of the cage so that if it becomes too hot than the hamster can move away from it. If You can buy a heating pad or cannot find one where you live, You can easily make one! Just take fabric and sew it into a bag, open on one end. Fill it with uncooked rice and sew it all the way shut. then, you can put it in the microwave for 2 mins and it will stay warm for hours! You can put it near you cage after that. (It also works for keeping them cool, just put it in the freezer over night).
-Make sure you have thick curtains in the house and put rolled up towels on the window sills to keep cold air from coming in.
Original Pinned Thread
Edited by SyrianPumpkin, 06 August 2012 - 07:55 AM.
