I'm feeling rather down today, and especially tonight. I'm very stressed at the moment with my college course and coursework, and now I have sadly lost a hamster. It was one of the dear baby boys, which I nursed for a little while but sadly the hamster did not pull through. What's worse is that it looked in pain before it went, and I feel it may have been my fault as it may have been stressed from being put together with the other males. At first I just thought it was seriously sleepy, until I realised that it was in shock and was barely moving. It was having a lot of trouble breathing, seeming as if it had something caught inside of it and couldn't shift it. It kept looking as if it was going to throw up, with movements of stretching the neck to push something out, but with research I found out that hamsters can't be sick. I have just checked it now with the certainty of death, the body is cold and stiff. I was determined to get this hamster to pull through, but my hopes were not strong enough. I love all of my animals as if they were my own children, but I suppose as I grow older and have children of my own, this will not be the case. My nursing of tonight has sadly failed for this hamster. I am truly devastated and do not wish to fail on an animal again. Although I am usually proud of my nursing habits, but today I cannot be.
My most proud nursing of an animal was when dad put harm-free mouse traps in the back garden. A mouse was caught and looking rather hopeless before I came to it. The mouse was all wet and hadn't been drying for many hours, my parents put it in one of our spare cages, gave it food, water, and a house. Still the mouse didn't seem any better. I took it into my room that night, washed it off with warm water in the sink, and put it back in the house to dry off. A little while later it was finally dry, but still not seeming lively at all. I held it close to my body and allowed it to sleep on me for warmth and comfort. The mouse perked up that night, and I placed it in the cage for the night to ensure that it was okay until the morning. Unfortunately it flew out of my mind that the mouse would be able to escape, as it was a wire cage which it could squeeze through. The wild mouse was in my room for the day, or possibly two until I set the mouse trap down in my room for it to get caught again. It worked, and we set it free that night, after giving it plenty of food and water.
As it's been a couple of hours since I first posted this, I can now tell you that the other youngest boy is having similar problems. This is the fourth hamster today that has been struggling. The first wasn't using its back legs to walk, although it could move them. The second was in shock from being dropped, which only lasted for about 30 seconds. The third I mentioned earlier, and now this. I have separated it from the other hamsters, just encase it is because it's with new hamsters, and would prefer to be alone. I've ensured it has enough food, warmth, water, and a nice enclosure. I would be so gutted to wake up tomorrow to find another gone, especially as it needs to be a day of concentration. Hopefully this one will pull through, it doesn't seem too far gone as it's only a little wobbly while walking. I wish I knew what has set off all the hamsters, possibly a food that I've given them. I'll feed them nuggets tomorrow, to ensure they're getting the right nutrient intake. Oh how I hope my baby boy is okay!
No comments:
Post a Comment