Feature Hamsters: Laverne and Shirley by Sianon Kocourek

I went into a pet shop to sell some of my young hamsters.  I started looking around the shop when the sales person drew my attention to a pair of young Syrians that were huddled together in a rather small area.  Something didn't seem right.  The sales person opened the cage.  He easily lifted Shirley out and handed her to me.  I thought Shirley might have been dropped and had a back injury.  When Linda her, she thought that it could possibly be a stroke.. She has minimal movement on her left side and rolls on her side when she tries to walk.  Her sister was taking care of her, making sure she ate and drank.  Being a retired RN, I simply could not leave the girls behind.  The store gladly gave them to me. I put them in a large plastic cage so Shirley couldn't get hurt on it.  She desparately needed rehab so I bought toys she would have to climb under and through.  Laverne would go though first and then wait on the sidelines for Shirley to tackle it.  Shirley is much improved.  She is more stable in her mobility and has become more agile.  Soon I will separate Laverne from Shirley.  Laverne needs her own life too.  I am so glad I brought them home with me.  It has been a rewarding experience for my husband Ken and I.

Here is Laverne and Shirley.  You can see them in the picture on the left.  Shirley will then tumble inexplicably to the side.  You can see this in the picture on the right.  She gets up and goes on.  If you have experience with this type of problem, we'd be interested to know more about what might have happened and how to best help her (calhamassoc@hotmail.com).