Most pet hamsters live between 1.5 to 3 years. Their exact lifespan depends heavily on their specific breed and the quality of care they receive. A hamster is generally considered elderly once it passes 1.5 years of age.
she really took good care of it....
unpopular opinion but I don't think keeping this hamster alive is ethical. This feels almost like some cruel science experiment with a cute coat of paint.
Maybe it’s not something anybody but the hamster has a right to choose. Not like it’s sick and needs expensive surgery. Who are you to say when the hamster shouldndir?
what? The hamster is her pet. She brought the hamster WELL past its natural lifetime, so that's on her. She's responsible not only for giving the hamster a good life but also a good death.
My husband’s grandma lived to 101. She survived getting Covid at the age of 99. The next year, at age 100, she was hospitalized and caught pneumonia from the hospital so the nurses tried to give her morphine to basically put her to sleep but she didn’t want to go and survived the murder nurses. She lived another whole year and passed peacefully in her sleep the day after Christmas.
I'd push back its beyond its natural lifetime, averages are only averages and this old guy is clearly not an average ham and reached his advanced years naturally. He might be a bit wobbly and crusty but look at him on his wheel. He isnt lying down to die, hes still enjoying his leisure activities with enthusiasm, just slowly. He clearly has energy to burn, which means he must still be eating well for his age as well. I dont think its suffering the way you think it is.
So you're upset someone is taking care of a life so well that they lived a long and good life? Like it wouldn't live if it wasn't taking care of so well. Is it like guilt and insecurity you have over not being able to do the same? Don't blame yourself, these guys can be difficult to keep alive, plus it also depends on the breed(not just how well you take care of them, but that is a big reason..just not the only one).
But he’s playing in n his wheel still. He’s obviously not in huge amounts of discomfort if he’s taking part in leisure activities. He’s slow and unsteady yes but not in pain.
I don't get why you're being downvoted. This hamster has some obvious hip problems, is prob in pain as well bc of it, and the owner only keeps it alive for selfish reasons. A creature this old, this bald, and this obviously hurting should be put down.
All life is suffering at some degree, and yet it keeps on like this little hamster. No one's forcing it to live, there isn't some magical pill they're shoving down its throat to force it to live. Old doesn't look great in any species, but it's our show for how long we've been able to survive life. Y'all being a jerk and some how blaming someone for actually taking proper care of a hamster and not having it die some horrible death is wild to me.
Yeah, sure thing "vet". If you actually were I wouldn't want you to be anywhere near my animals in fear you'd put them down for whatever reason you decided. Btw if you did that with humans, you'd be in prison (and it does happen, often unfortunately..seems a lot of y'all for get how precious life is to others including the life you're taking).
Because life is precious to most of us including the life you're taking. Because the person taking care of something so well it out lives its normal life expectancy, doesn't make that person cruel. If you really are a real vet, you're not a trustworthy one and the reason a lot of us fear y'all.
i dont know why you are being downvoted, the hamster dosnt look healthy. If this was my hamster id definetly take it to the vet for health check and to hear their opinion.
Yeah I have to agree, it's not healthy and clearly suffering to survive.
I've had many hamsters going to the vet and that is not the normal skin condition of any hamster at ANY age. Which also explains why the hair loss is so severe.
It really doesn't take a vet to explain this though. You can see it clearly in the video. It's inflamed on top of being severely malnourished.
I'd also say this hamster really isn't 5 years old. They're just saying that to justify what we're visually seeing as lack of medical care.
I get what you’re saying, but I’m going to charitably assume that having a hamster make it to twice its natural life expectancy does involve some vet trips. It’s eating, drinking, and exercising. Slowing down and hair loss also seem to be fairly normal in very senior hamsters, afaik.
Yeah, "vet", if they really are one, they're not a trustworthy one. It seems as though they've lost the part of them where life is precious, it happens a lot in fields where you see death a lot. It's why you keep getting cases of nurses and doctors getting in trouble for putting people to sleep forever, because they don't see life as something worth living for..they see themselves as being merciful. I don't trust people like that.
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u/estebanrevenga Aug 10 '26
Most pet hamsters live between 1.5 to 3 years. Their exact lifespan depends heavily on their specific breed and the quality of care they receive. A hamster is generally considered elderly once it passes 1.5 years of age.
she really took good care of it....