Phoebe

I'm so very worried about my little Phoebe. Two nights ago, she was chipper and hyper (as usual) and climbing all over the bars of her cage (also as usual). We went to sleep annoyed, actually, because of all the  noise she was making.

Then, Thursday morning. I saw some movement in her cage and went to say hello. Immediately, I knew something was wrong; I've watched a lot of hamsters reach the end. Phoebe looked utterly miserable--bedraggled, groggy, sad. I hoped I was overreacting, but then I noticed her walking. Or rather, trying to walk. She was limping badly and favoring one of her hind legs. She climbed into her wheel and attempted to run, but fell out.

That night, Josh cautiously picked her up--we weren't sure if she'd try to snap at us if she was in pain--and we examined the damages. Her leg had swelled to twice its size and looked like it wasn't bending properly. It's so dang sad! We're positive she did it while doing her acrobatics. She likes to climb to the top of the cage and let go. Only this time, she must've gotten her leg stuck in between the bars while falling.

I've never had an injured hamster before, and we're not sure what to do. Obviously, you can't make her a splint or hold ice to her leg. We're hoping that, with time, she'll heal on her own. But how do you keep a hamster from trying to run on a bad leg? We have moved her food dish to the lower level of her cage, though, so she won't be quite as compelled to climb. We're also taking it as a good sign that she still likes to be held and stroked. We're assuming that means she isn't in too much pain? But still, watching her stumble around is heartbreaking, and we went to bed fighting back tears.

So, this may seem silly, but could you pray for our little animal? We haven't even had her a year, and she's such a fun addition to our family. I don't want to have to part with her yet!