How to Decide when It's Time to Euthanize Your Pet Hamster

Recently my pet hamster Peter, who was adopted from a small animal rescue, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his leg. The vet gave me two treatment options: either pay for very expensive X-rays and surgery, or give him pain medicine to make him more comfortable as the tumor got bigger. As much as I would have loved to pay for Peter to have surgery, I simply did not have the $500+ it would have cost, so I decided to go with pain management for my hamster.

This is my first hamster, and although he had a tumor, he seemed to be doing pretty well at first. I wasn't really sure what to look for in terms of signs that his quality of life was decreasing, so I contacted the rescue organization that we adopted our hamster from for some advice. A very kind volunteer wrote back to me and informed me of the "HHHHHMM" quality of life scale for small animals devised by holistic vet and cancer specialist Dr. Alice Villalobos. Very simply, you evaluate your hamster on a regular basis and assign a score of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) in each of the following areas:

Hunger - A decreased appetite is one surefire way to tell that your hamster is having health problems. Is your hamster eating as much as he/she normally does? Will your hamster still take food treats from you?

Hydration - Hamster also decrease their consumption of water when they are having health problems. Are you having to fill your hamster's water bottle less frequently? Is your hamster drinking enough to stay hydrated?

Hurt - Hamsters will keep their eyes closed and sometimes "chatter" their teeth when they are in pain. Have you noticed these signs in your hamster?

Happiness - Hamsters are normally very curious and active, especially at night. Have you noticed a significant decrease in your hamster's activity level, or are they staying in one part of their cage more than normal?

Hygiene - Hamsters normally keep themselves very clean and will go to the bathroom as far away from where they sleep as possible. Does your hamster smell more than usual? Have you been noticing that your hamster is going to the bathroom and sleeping in the same spot?

Mobility - Hamsters normally move around pretty much constantly, and will run several miles per day if given the chance. Is your hamster having difficulty moving around? Is he or she staying still much more than usual?

More Good Days Than Bad Days - This is probably the most subjective area....although your hamster's health may be declining, chances are that he or she has better days than others. Does your hamster seem to be having more good days than bad days?

Keep an eye on your hamster and go through the above quality of life scale on a regular basis. Once the scores you assign start to drop below 5 in more than three of these categories, it may be time to consider euthanize. Hamster's should only be euthanized by a trained veterinarian--most vets will charge less than $30 for the service.

It's never fun to have to put an animal to sleep, but by keeping a close eye on your hamster's behavior, you may have more time to spend with your hamster than you think. When it does come time to euthanize your hamster, you can rest assured that you are doing the right thing by sparing him or her a slow, uncomfortable death and instead offering him/her a more comfortable & painless exit from this life.