hibernation, help!!

Nasty_Girl

Well, I'd read up about domestic chipmunks and learned that they semi hibernate in winter, so when my little one slept for most of the day and only got out of her nest for food I thought that was it.
I went back to my parents house over christmas, entrusting Teeny to a friend who lived just around the corner. I came back last night and retrieved the cage, when I got back I was horrified to find in the nest a sock with Teeny inside. I peeled it off and was convinced she was dead, she was limp, not breathing, no heartbeat and her eyes were half open. :eek:

With no way of getting to a vet until morning I put her back in her nest and left the cage by the radiator but I accepted that she had died either from suffocating in the sock or a heart attack from the car journey (although she's been in cars before).

This morning I wandered down to her cage and picked her up, she was still limp. I figured she should be stiff if she'd been dead since last night so I decided I'd get her to a vet just to be absolutley sure she was gone before I started the heartbreaking task of finding somewhere to bury her.

I brought her in and showed her to the vet, explaining the whole story,the sock etc he just picked her and looked at her and mused "Ah I wouldn't say she's dead"
He reckoned she was just hibernating, I said that she'd never done anything like this before, he said that's no reason for her not to do it now. He said I should bring her home put her on a hot water bottle and keep her warm and if she was gona come out of it I'd know in about a day, but sometimes they don't come out of this at all. I was both comforted and unsettled by the guys relaxed attitude to it, he also claimed why I suspected, that if she died she'd be stiff as a board within an hour of her death. So I got her home and did just as he said, I keep convincing myself she's moving but I think its my mind playing tricks.

So basically have any other small rodents experienced this? Did your pets live through it and what did you do? I feel so lost, she's still limp but I'm so worried. I don't know what else to do.

Our man in Havana

My ground squirrels go into semi hibernation - especially my male me goes limp & sooooo cold! with a small rodent I would put it in my bra to warm up - sounds odd but it works my mate often brings smallies from the brink of death this way!

Offer some tempting foods - chipmunks will eat anything but they LOVE toast & jam - I used to have a chipmunk who lived in our conservatory every morning she enjoyed toast & jam.

Hope she perks up soon! Let us know how she gets on!

FranknFurter

Hmmmm......
I bow to faye on this one, as I've never kept them for an extended period of time, just escapees and rescuees way back when they were seen as rare exotics here.

However, In my experience, I do remember having one that went the way you describe.

Hibernation for chipmonks can be a delicate situation. Unless they have the fat reserves, they somtimes dont come out of it.

However, as with all hibernating animals, its not at all unusual for their breathing rate to slow down to an almost unnoticable level, and for them to seem unwakable.

What I would advise is, as long as she is not dead (she would be stiff as a board if she was), leave her be.
The only thing I would maybe disagree with Faye on is I Dont think you move her around too much, slowly raise the temp in the room (Thermal shock can kill a hibernation chipmonk), over a few days, and make sure not to handle her at all if possible.

But it does sound to me like shes in a deep hibernation cycle, So it might take days or even weeks for her to come out of it.
Dont be surprised.

hope that helps ease your mind, let us know how u get on?

Nasty_Girl

thanks for all the advice, but sadly little Teeny was dead when I woke up this morning, it took me about four hours to accept it, I kept trying to tell myself she wasn't stiff, that she was ok, but she wasn't.
Thanks again for all of the advice, maybe in time i'll get another one.