Will my Hamster Die If I Drop it ?

Will my Hamster Die If I Drop it ?

No, it is very rare that a hamster dies just by falling from a its cage floor , a sofa , a bed or from someone’s hands, but this fall can break, dislocate or paralyze a leg. Fatal falls are usually caused by objects on which the hamster falls or sometimes the great height or a fall head first.

My hamster just fell off my hands, what should I do?

When your hamster falls from your hands, do not rush and follow these steps:

1- Leave it, do not touch your hamster, even if you feel guilty and you want to make sure that it is OK, but hold back and do not touch it, because if it is injured, you can make it worse and if it is just a small fracture, you will make it more serious not to mention the additional pain you will cause your hamster.

2- Give him one or two minutes to recover but without losing sight of him for a moment.

Here, there will be two scenarios:

A- Generally, the hamster will freeze for a few seconds, don’t worry, in 99% of the cases, he will quickly resume his patrol as if nothing had happened.

You must always monitor him during the 48 hours that will follow this fall and generally, nothing serious, your hamster hides no internal injury, no fracture and no internal bleeding.

This is what usually happens, more fear than harm, try to be more attentive in the future, I will come back a little less to give you some advice to avoid it happening again.

B- Your hamster shows one of these symptoms right after the fall or in the 48 hours that follow:

• He can’t move right after the fall (totally paralyzed)
• He pulls with his front legs and drags his back legs (partial paralysis), probably a problem in his spine!
• He walks but very slowly, just numb or more serious problem
• He tries to walk but he limps, a fracture or just a temporary pain
• He walks but he turns in a small circle (loss of orientation)
• He walks on three legs (broken leg or just hurts again)
• He drags his hind leg
• He lies on his side
• One of his paws seems to be broken and a bone has pierced the skin (sorry for saying it but I should!!)

In any of these cases, your hamster must absolutely be taken to a Vet so that he can examine him more closely and treat a possible broken leg or rib, and relieve your hamster’s pain.

He will then just have a treatment of antibiotics, anti inflammatory and anti pain to follow.

He will also have a bandage when he has a broken leg.

If he fell from too high or on a dangerous object, I’m afraid that your hamster, especially if he is old, is in trouble, but who knows! they are robust these little Fellas!

What can happen to your hamster if it falls from your hands?

A hamster that falls from a dangerous height and onto a hard surface or a contending object risks several problems, such as:

• Fracture of one or more legs (fall on a single leg or fall uncontrolled on an object or just have the leg stuck in the wire wheel)
• Fracture of the neck (fall on the head)
• Partial paralysis of the hind legs or total paralysis by fracturing the spine (fall on the back)
• Having a fractured rib or an internal organ damaged (bad fall on the side or on a dangerous or pointed object)
• Internal hemorrhage, when your hamster falls from a great height like from your hands when you are standing and at the edge of the stairs…

Is there any other situation that can break my hamsters leg ?

Yes, unfortunately, hamsters can break a leg just by playing on the wheel, when it is made of iron wire; hamster balls are also dangerous when they fall from the stairs while your hamster is still inside.

Hamsters can also break their legs if they get into a fight with each other or with a cat, a clumsy child or just a simple fall from your sofa or a bed.

Hamsters that escape from cages at night often end up breaking a leg, they can’t see well at night and they fall out of the cage after they have escaped and they break a leg if the cage is set high!

How high can a hamster fall from and just be ok?

Hamsters usually fall from the height of a chair, or even a little more (3 feet) and nothing happens to them.there are some who say that the allowed height is only 10 inches!

But the answer to this question will depend on several factors, first the height of the fall, the greater the height, the greater the risk that your hamster dies or breaks a leg … is great.

1- The greater the height from which the hamster falls, the softer the surface on which it must land, otherwise it will be a fracture or worse.

Thus, a hamster can survive if it falls from a balcony but on a large pillow full of soft down that will cushion its fall, but this same hamster can break a leg or even die if it falls 3 feet, head first on concrete or tiles! 

2- A hamster that falls on its four legs, even from a height of 3 feet, generally risks nothing, they have strong bones these little monsters!

3- A hamster that falls on its head risks to twist its neck even if the height of the fall is only one or two feet !

4- The bigger the hamster is, the worse the consequences of its fall will be.

5- Dwarf hamsters do rather better with falls than Syrians.

6- Older hamsters have weaker bones, so they are more likely to be injured in a fall than younger hamsters.

7- Pregnant hamsters should never have access to high places, if they fall, there is a great risk of losing the young, still in his belly!

How to avoid that my hamster falls or hurts itself by falling from height or just my hands ?

Do you know ? Hamsters fall all the time, they are a little clumsy, which adds to their charm.

But you have to do everything you can to prevent your hamster from falling out of your hands or from too high a place, and especially on a hard object or surface.

Here are some tips that can save your hamster’s life

1- Avoid cages with bars and floors, rather put your hamster in an Ikea Detolf or an enclosure that has at least 800 square inches on the ground and without floor, especially if your hamster is a little old. These tips are even more crucial if you plan to leave your hamster home alone.

Also, see if your hamster is good at climbing, if not remove the ladders or leave only substrate under them and no other toys, in case your hamster falls.

2- If you have a tiered cage, make sure to remove any object that could hurt your hamster in the cage if he falls on it and prefer paper-based bedding, it cushions falls better.

3- Never pick up your hamster when you are standing. Sit on the floor or on a bed and make sure your hands are on top of the bed, pillow or anything else that will break your hamster’s fall if it decides to jump.

4- Never hold your hamster in your hands or put it in anyone’s hands if it is not yet 100% tame or if it shows signs of stress and agitation.

5- Children must learn to handle the hamster before they pick it up and make sure they are never alone when they do so.

6- Secure your hamster’s enclosure so that it cannot escape at night and risk falling from a height or stairs, remember that if a hamster manages to get its head through a hole, it can escape.

Hamsters can become unconscious when they fall out of your hands

When falling, your hamster can quickly lose consciousness if it hits its head on something or falls head first.

Don’t panic, leave your hamster if it is still breathing, give it a few moments to regain consciousness, and then pay attention to the symptoms I’ve told you in this article to make sure it is okay.

My hamster fell off my hands, he seems fine but how do I know if he is hurt?

If your hamster falls from your hands and gets up again, watch him for two more days to make sure that there are no symptoms that will follow and that will require an intervention of the veterinarian, here they are:

• Your hamster becomes inactive and stops feeding
• He huddles in a corner of the enclosure and does not move even when you ask him to.
• Your hamster has a badly cleaned fur (it could not groom properly and take its sand baths, probably because of an injury)
• Your hamster does not let you touch him, shows teeth and aggressiveness and cries when you approach your hand.
• Your hamster cries out in pain and has noisy breathing that seems difficult.

I gave other signs of injury at the beginning of this article as well.

How long does it take for my hamster to heal from a broken leg after a fall ?

Hamsters, treated and cared for in time, regain the use of their broken paw only after 2 weeks if the fracture is slight.

When the fracture is serious, it takes about a month for the hamster to heal from its injury.

Can a hamsters broken leg heal on its own?

Yes, absolutely, the fractures of a leg are those which heal the fastest in the hamster especially if it is a light fracture, it will not take more than two weeks if you follow the instructions that I gave you just below in this article and those of your veterinarian of course.

In fact, the veterinarian will only proscribe to your hamster if it breaks a leg:

Painkillers (anti-pain) so that your hamster does not suffer too much.

An anti-inflammatory and antibiotics to avoid infections.

You must also ensure the strict cleaning of the cage and the grooming of your injured hamster.

The vet will also bandage the broken leg of your hamster or just bandage the leg with the whole front of your hamster to prevent the broken leg from moving and for the bone to heal by itself.

After that, your hamster will heal by itself.

But you must take him to the vet,you have no choice , believe me ,  painkillers and antibiotics are very important, otherwise, the broken leg of your hamster will get infected, especially if there is internal bleeding, your hamster will risk losing his leg or even his life.

How to take care of a hamster that has been injured by a fall?

Just follow the instructions of the veterinarian

Remove all dangerous objects and obstacles in the hamster’s cage

Remove the hamster’s wheel

Make it easy for your hamster to get to the food

Remove the water bottle and put a water bowl in its place, because a hamster with a broken leg will not be able to use its bottle.

Avoid taking your hamster during the first week.

Remove the tunnels.

Only remove your hamster’s bandage when the vet tells you to.

If you want to pet your hamster, just put your hand in the cage and stroke it on its head without putting too much pressure on it.

Will my hamster die from Leg injury ?

Will a hamster be okay if it falls?

In their natural habitat, when hamsters break a leg because of a fight or a chase with a predator, it is not uncommon for them to gnaw that leg off and be left with only 3 legs.

No, don’t worry, your hamster won’t die just because of a broken leg.

You will just have to take him to a veterinarian as soon as possible to stabilize the fractured leg and prevent it from moving and especially to give a painkiller and antibiotics for the hamster.

Your hamster’s leg will heal by itself, otherwise, I’m sorry to say, but if the fracture is serious and the leg will not heal, your hamster will gnaw on it and get rid of it to save its life.

But as I said, it is very rare that a fracture can cause the death of a hamster, they are robust these small fellas, just take him quickly to see a vet and facilitate his life in his enclosure, the movement … etc. and remove the mud, install a bowl of water instead of the bottle and help him to make his toilet, give him plain yogurt or probiotics before the antibiotics and in one or two weeks, your hamster will heal

What is the breed of hamster that falls more than the others?

Roborovski hamsters are very dynamic and are difficult to tame and then difficult to hold in your hands.

They are very fast and children will never be able to hold them and accidents often happen this way.

Roborovskis often fall from their hands, but they do not get injured, they have strong bones, not too big, so the fall is usually without consequences.

Syrian hamsters fall are usually the most serious, especially if the hamster suffers from obesity.

Will my hamster survive a Fall ?

There is no simple answer to this question, and the survival of your hamster when it suffers a fall will depend on several factors:

• Its age 
• Its weight
• The height of the fall
• On what it fell, the surface? Is there a cushion or not?
• On which side it fell ? head, legs, back …
• Does he have a wound from a previous fall ?

But also, its survival to this fall will also depend on your reaction and the first aid that you will be able to give it.

But let’s be optimistic and let me tell you that even if I don’t advise you to lower your guard and know that you have to watch your hamster for 48 hours if there are no after-effects, but hamsters are robust and they survive even falls of more than 5 feet, the forums are full of this kind of testimonies

The moment of the fall is a determining factor

I also want to draw your attention to a very important point, never take your hamster to play with it as soon as it wakes up and leaves its nest.

Give your hamster a little time, an hour for example, so that he can do his grooming session, take his sand bath, but especially walk and run a little on the wheel, in short, give him time to do his twilight gymnastics, this will avoid injuries if he falls from your arms.

He will warm up his muscles, and will be able to take the hard knocks when he falls and his chances of surviving these falls will only increase if you give him the time to do a little sport after waking up.

Final thoughts

Although hamsters fall all the time, it is very rare that their falls, thank God, have serious consequences, such as fractures and death.

So don’t be alarmed every time your hamster falls, but keep an eye on it for the next 48 hours.

Hamsters are prey and hide their injuries very well until it is serious.

A broken leg will swell up quickly and this is one of the most common signs of fractures in hamsters.

If you suspect something after a fall, it is best to gently pick up your hamster, put it in its carrier and take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.