Please anyone I need help! I noticed my hamster not coming out to play at nite time but thought not to disturb him... well Ima working late 2nite (it's 3am) and finally saw him crawling out just now. Took him out and realized he's dragging his hind legs!!! What's wrong with my hammie, is he going to get paralized?! I can't even take him to a vet- no small animal vet around here...please tell me he's going to be OK

it could be a number of problems such as spinal trauma, myopathies, viral or bacterial infections, or muscle and bone degeneration through lack of exercise or a nutritional cause mainly a deficiency in vitamins D and E. Does you hamster have a wet bum? what food do you give him?

Vitamin D is crucial to the absorption of dietary calcium and phosphorus. If calcium levels are low in the blood the body will respond by dissolving existing bone as it's source of calcium, and it is the biggest bones in the body that are the first casualty of this process, this is the bones around the hip's and hind legs. The loss of calcium can also decreased muscle tone leading to very weak muscles. This can render bones, and muscles, to become so weak they cannot support their weight. Most animals that are usually exposed to natural sunlight are thus assured a source of vitamin D. Herbivorous diets are very likely to contain sufficient vitamin D. However, with improper husbandry and an improper diet a vitamin D deficiency can occur in any species. In pregnant females that are lacking a good source, or are deficient in vitamin D are more likely to have babies that are also deficient in vitamin D. This may lead to soft bones and leg deformities in youngsters.

In a Syrian male hamster around 6 months of age, the onset of hind leg paralysis (dragging his back legs) could be an indication of hereditary defect. There is no cure for this problem.

Another cause of hind leg paralysis is a condition that can sometimes result from a bacterial infection. This is when the hamster contracts a bacterial intestinal infection. The bacteria involved in this is Campylobacter: this infection manifests it's self as a severe bout of diarrhea often referred to as Wet Tail. Although the infection is not always life threatening, but it can present major health problems. In this case the hamsters own defense system attacks the nerves of his body.
The PNS (peripheral nervous system) is outside the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord. Theses are the outer nerves that control the limbs. After contracting Campylobacteriosis his own immune system makes antibodies against the components of the Campylobacter bacteria, these antibodies then attacks components of the body's nerve cells because they are chemically similar to the bacterial components. When this happens paralysis of the hind leg or the whole body can result. In the case of hind leg paralysis this will in due course resolve itself with the pet eventually regaining most of the use of his legs again. With total body paralysis euthanasia is the only option in this case.

I read this on the internet...I don't think he's got wet tail, his bum is fine. Also, he is eating and drinking normally. I let him walk around a bit and the dragging seemed to get better (he seemed to walk better). He's been sleeping quite a lot this past season (it's turning spring now) and I only saw him when he took a wee or drank water then he would go back to sleep so maybe it a lack of exercise?

I buy branded hamster food for my hammie (he's very picky when it comes to dry mix) but I must admit that I don't give him that much fresh fruit (mainly coz I have a hard time eating it myself)...I'm going to make a point of doing so from now on but I just hope it's not too late...well I do feed him mealworms on a regular basis but that's just protein

if hes been sleeping a lot from winter to spring hes probably too cold and was near to hibernation (which domestic hamsters shouldnt ever do as they dont store enough fat up to keep them going) is he kept in a warm place?

is his cage big enough? its most likely a lack of exercise then if he seems to be getting better

He's got a standard sized cage but we let him walk around and run in his playball, it's just that he was not as active for the past 2 month but my room is nice and warm...I will give feedback upon his recovery, just hope it's not permanent damage and I feel so sad because I can't take him to any vet...

I'm starting to think that ruling out some possibilities, my hamster might have had a stroke His legs seems to be improving-he even scratched his ear tonight, but I'm noticing that his head jerks a bit at times

I'm currently feeding him carrots, apples, cucumber, banana and cabbage along with his dry mix. He's eating and drinking normally (loving the fruits and veggies), he's just not that active...he would pee, eat, drink and then crawl straight back to bed

I took out his wheel and ladder, moving his food downstairs but tonight I realized I don't see him grooming himself (this he usually did on his platform) so I replaced the ladder for him, hoping he will become more active again...

I try not to disturb him but I really miss him gnawing on the cage bars to be taken out of his cage Should I leave him alone or must I take him out of his cage, forcing him to walk around? I can really do with some advice to help my hamster recover from this and keeping him healthy?

My hamster is doing better- for anyone that actually CARE

Glad to hear he is better. Hope he carries on to improve

We had two hamsters that exhibited this behaviour, one had a broken back and on the day we took her to the vets, she passed on the bus there. And my other one, was pts as he was giving up on himself.

Actually, I discoved 3 lumps on his body the other day...one under his chin and behind each hind leg...

Im just happy he's still eating and drinking, though he sleeps alot-even when I take him out of the cage, he would sit and sleep somewhere

So sorry about your hammies...