Pets improve our lives in so many ways, so naturally, we want to make theirs the best they can be. That’s why seeing your hamster in distress and visibly shaking can be a bothersome sight. To get to the bottom of that, you might ask yourself, why is my hamster shaking?
Your hamster is shaking involuntarily because they’re stressed out due to the living conditions in your home that haven’t been adjusted to meet their needs. Another possible reason could be that your hamster suffers from an underlying medical condition that needs to be dealt with.
In this article, I will discuss what medical conditions can cause your hamster to shake, what you can do about them, and why it is essential to adapt your new pet promptly to your home.
Why Is My Hamster Shaking With Eyes Closed?
Seeing your furry friend suffering without knowing the exact reason will create panic even in the calmest person in the world. Seeing your hamster shaking while unable to open its eyes properly will raise even more alarms. That’s why it’s crucial to find the reason behind the condition.
Looking for the most plausible explanations for when your hamster is shaking will save you the time you would’ve spent worrying and shorten the time your pet is suffering.
There Is Gunk in Hamster Eyes
A hamster’s eye naturally produces fluids that keep it moisturized enough. However, excess fluid can sometimes appear, especially overnight. That will create a problem where your hamster won’t be able to open their eyes fully.
A sticky eye problem is more likely to be seen in older hamsters, although it isn’t always age-exclusive.
The sticky gunk can make your hamster feel uncomfortable, resulting in unusual behaviors. Hamsters are not tolerant of stress, and the sudden change in their routine or living habits will stress them out.
Suddenly lost vision will put your hamster in distress, which may even lead to involuntary shaking.
Luckily, the sticky eye problem is easily treatable. If detected early, it will save your hamster from the stressing out and shaking part.
You can use a clean piece of towel moistened with warm water. Gently dab or wipe it over your hamster’s affected eye until you remove the gunk.
Alternatively, you can watch this video below. It shows how to clean your hamster’s sticky eye:
Other Reasons Why Hamsters Shake
It’s natural to hope for the best outcome, but one can’t help but worry if the reason behind the involuntary shaking is an underlying health concern.
Even if it is health-related, it’s usually relatively easy to deal with and treatable in most cases.
Now, what kind of diseases can cause involuntary shaking in hamsters, and how to deal with them? Let me name a few.
Neurological Issues and Head Trauma
Shaking in hamsters might mean your hamster suffers from a neurological issue. Neurological issues can originate from trauma, and hamsters are known to be very playful. Hence there is a higher chance of them getting easily injured.
Neurological issues come with various symptoms, and involuntary shaking won’t be the only one you should be able to notice. Improper balance, circling, shaking, and even seizures link to neurological disorders.
Unusual behavior in hamsters shouldn’t be ignored, especially if your pet hasn’t shown those behavior patterns before. If you suspect your hamster suffers from a neurological disorder, you should schedule a vet appointment soon.
A trained professional should tell you the proper treatment plan for your furry friend and put your mind at ease.
Problems With Ears
Sometimes, the reason your hamster is shaking might be because they’re suffering from an ear infection.
The bacteria and trapped debris in your hamster’s ear might cause a hamster to be off-balance and have involuntary movements.
Ear infections in hamsters are easily treatable with correct antibiotics, and involuntary shaking will also cease to appear.
However, if you notice such symptoms in your hamster, you must contact a vet as soon as possible because an untreated ear infection can spread and cause irreparable damage.
Breathing and Lung Issues
Lung infections can lead to unusual behavior in hamsters, which might cause your hamster’s shake.
According to PetMD, lung infections, such as pneumonia, are rare in hamsters and might be challenging to deal with, especially if not taken care of promptly.
If you notice symptoms such as coughing, fever, and loss of appetite, it is safe to assume that your hamster suffers from bacterial infection. If that is the case, you should ensure that your hamster’s environment is not stress-inducing, as stress may delay your hamster from getting better.
If you have other hamsters near the sick one, you should separate them, as respiratory infections spread quickly.
Seeing a veterinary professional is vital, as antibiotics and oxygen therapy treat a respiratory infection quickly. Moreover, it can sometimes be severe and cause fatal outcomes if not treated promptly.
Stress
After ruling out any health concerns, your hamster might have, looking into whether the stress is causing the shaking is a good idea. While stress may not lead to a fatal outcome, it’s still essential to understand why your hamster is shaking and what you can do to help your pet.
Overstimulation
A healthy and happy hamster should run in the cage, eat their food and react to their owner. If you notice that your hamster starts behaving oddly, refusing food, handling, and cuddling, your hamster is probably overstimulated.
If the reason behind the sudden overstimulation isn’t dealt with, it will lead to your hamster shaking, refusing food, and becoming lethargic.
Hamsters are highly sensitive rodents, and any change in their living habits should be introduced slowly.
If your hamster is a new pet, and there are other pets in your household, like cats, make sure to give your hamster time to get used to the new living conditions.
You should lay off the activities that produce much noise, like moving the furniture, while your hamster is getting used to its new home, as hamsters get startled easily, and too much noise can make them stressed out.
Other factors make them susceptible, too, such as getting separated from their mother too early.
However, making your home hamster-friendly, adapting your new pet to its new home, and treating them with some delicious hamster snacks from time to time is enough, and your hamster will surely be happy and stress-free.
Hibernation
The temperature hamsters prefer to live in is between 65 and 75 °F (18 and 24 °C). If the temperature is lower than that for an extended period, you will notice odd behavior in your hamster, as it will begin to fall into a state of hibernation.
Hamsters are popular pets, and for a reason, as they’re cute, fuzzy, and known to be low-maintenance. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look up the basics of adapting your home to make it hamster-friendly.
Aside from not regulating your home’s temperature to fit your hamster’s needs, lacking the proper nutrition and water and even keeping your hamster in the dark for too long will have the same effects.
Conclusion
In this article, you’ve learned the possible reasons there are for your hamster to be shaking.
It is crucial to find out the cause of your pet’s weird behavior soon, as delays will prolong the problem even more, and your little fuzzy friend will be in pain for longer.
You should ensure your hamster is stress-free by adapting your home to its needs. If there are still problems with shaking after that, you should schedule an appointment with a vet, as there might be a bigger problem going on.