• My hamster's eyes are becoming white and I think may be going blind. Will this affect his regular activities - eating, drinking, running, playing?

  There are a number of eye diseases that hamsters can get ranging from scratches on the cornea, inflammation inside the eye, and tumors that can grow in the eye – many of these can look like the eye is turning white.
  
  Hamsters don’t typically get cataracts like many other species. In their small environment, hamsters can usually do fairly well if blind (especially if only one eye is affected) unless they are housed with other hamsters that might fight with them.
  
  What I worry about most is what is causing the blindness/whiteness of the eye. Some of the conditions that cause this can be painful – in which case you would likely see changes in appetite and attitude, and some of them, like tumors, can spread to other parts of the body and cause even more serious problems.
  
  A veterinarian who specializes in hamsters should be able to examine your little guy and give you some advice to help.

Answered by:

John Smith, DVM
Veterinarian

Dr. John Smith is a graduate of LSU, Class of 1998. He has over 10 years of experience...

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Behavior