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Unusually yesterday, we had our family pet - a small, but pretty hamster - out of his metal cage
and let him roam the kitchen. He seemed quite happy exploring and investigating
places he wouldn't normally be able to see.
Later, when back in his cage, we became concerned, as once in place, he just stayed there
and totally declined to move.
He refused his food in his bowl and three hours later, when we checked on him, he was exactly
where we had laid him down and hadn't moved an inch in any direction.
By now we were starting to get concerned, but he looked quite happy, so we left him over night
to see if he'd moved around by this morning.
But no.
I rang the vet, whose advice was to bring him to the morning surgery straight away.
"Bring him in his cage, he'll be happier in there."
The vet tried to attract his attention, even with a spoon of water.
"I see what you mean," said the vet after a few minutes. "He seems to be unable to move."
"What can we do?" I asked, "he was fine yesterday!"
So the vet, with difficulty, had to tug him gently out of his cage and with his fingers
felt his body all over. There was no sign of any outward injury and on the wooden
table-top our hamster moved around quite naturally again.
"OMG!" shrieked the vet, "there's something quite hard in his stomach."
"Ah.....I know what he's done....it feels just like a fridge magnet."
"He's likely swallowed one when he was out yesterday
and it's so strong that it's stuck him to his metal cage!"
"No wonder he couldn't move, poor chap!" We were all amazed.
After its removal, later in the day, he was soon as right as rain!
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