Is my hamster anxious or ill?

I have just moved house with my hamster. He is just coming up to a year old and he was a rescue (he’s lived with me around 6 months). I don’t think he had a very stable beginning to his life and therefore he is a timid boy and has always seemed cautious. I think he found the move very stressful. He is still in his same cage but only used his wheel the first night he was here. It’s now been two weeks since we moved. He only comes out of his burrow a couple of times a day. He has a drink and forages for food and goes back to his burrow. I have a camera on his cage so I can see that he hasn’t used his wheel, and isn’t doing his usual routine of grooming himself. He looks physically fine, slightly dishevelled coat but he always looks like when he just wakes up before he grooms himself. There is a dog in the house now but the dog has no access to the room he is in. And previously he was in a room where no one slept in it at night.  Now he is kept in my bedroom so he may be able to sense someone is there?   I’m worried that if I take him to the vet it will just cause more unnecessary stress for him. Is he likely just scared and hiding? Or is he ill?   TIA

Hello - I'm afraid that the simple answer is, that its difficult to tell.  Having a prey species wandering about the house, could definitely be enough to scare a hamster into chronically reduced activity, whether or not they come into the same room.  Sleeping in a busier room, ditto.  Could a visit to the vets cause extra stress? Absolutely, it could.  Many vets' offices also smell of predator species.  Smallies-aware vets should limit this by having separate small animal consulting and waiting rooms or the facility to send you through to a smallies-only consult-room as soon as you arrive (preferably one that doesn't double as a 'quiet room' for cats!)  It is worth discussing this on the phone before you book, and asking about the facility to consult online (exceptional circumstances if they cannot provide hamster friendly consulting facilities?)

At the other end of the spectrum, pain can cause reduced activity in hamsters- and the onset of symptoms can appear sudden, especially if the timing coincides with a stressful event like a house move.  I would say that there is a whole spectrum of a) behavioural and b) pain related possibilities to explain what you are seeing and that your vet should definitely be involved in discussing your next move with you. Please will you let us know what happens next?

Hello, thank you for your reply. I forgot to update you. I took him to see a vet and the vet was very concerned about him. He had a swollen sore testicle and the other one was stuck inside him. He had also lost a lot of weight and just seemed exhausted. We decided the best thing to do was to put him to sleep rather than put him through all the stress of testing for what it could be.

Thankyou for coming back to let us know and we're sorry to hear that there was a sad ending.

I'm so sorry to hear about your hamster's health struggles. It must have been a tough decision, but you did what was best for him.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your hamster's health struggles. It must have been a tough decision, but you did what was best for him. " Sending you lots of support during this difficult time. If you ever need someone to talk to, we're here for you. Also this link can be helpful https://hamsternow.com/hamster-care.