F
Frida
Lovely to see Cowboy 
I hope you feel better soon
I hope you feel better soon
E
elusive
Really lovely photos of Cowboy.
Hope you get over your illness soon.
Hope you get over your illness soon.
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RainbowBrite
They are lovely pictures of Cowboy. 
I love that sand bath.
I do not have that camera but maybe there will be something online about it if you google it.
So sorry to hear you are feeling so poorly. I hope you feel better as soon as possible.
I love that sand bath.I do not have that camera but maybe there will be something online about it if you google it.
So sorry to hear you are feeling so poorly. I hope you feel better as soon as possible.
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So sorry you're not well. Take care of yourself. I'm in the wars as well! I don't know much about the Tapo camera. I just got a Eufy one. It took me a while to work the settings out on that one. But I think with most of them you can select what kind of notification you get. I turned them all off and just either watch life or watch the history. Does it have a motion detect setting? Then it only records when there's motion in the cage so it's easier to look back at the history.
Cowboy is a beautiful big boy
Cowboy is a beautiful big boy
H
heidi
Sorry to hear youāre not well either, Maz. Yes, Iāve gone through all those settings. Put it to absolutely all motion (baby crying, person detection and motion) to see if it was just the movement notification not working, but to no avail.
Iāll have to contact tapo since I really canāt see why my phone would be buzzing but no notification. Something must be blocking it.
And itās a great sand bath! Love how deep it is. I got the largest size from Getzoo so itās 33cm diameter. I added stilts myself and Iām pretty sure heās made himself a burrow under it. Initially stressful but itās held this far! I canāt seem to control him, he only ever wants to sleep under his sand bath.
Iāll have to contact tapo since I really canāt see why my phone would be buzzing but no notification. Something must be blocking it.
And itās a great sand bath! Love how deep it is. I got the largest size from Getzoo so itās 33cm diameter. I added stilts myself and Iām pretty sure heās made himself a burrow under it. Initially stressful but itās held this far! I canāt seem to control him, he only ever wants to sleep under his sand bath.
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RainbowBrite
I had the same sandbath in the same size but it did not look right in my cage.
H
heidi
Oh how come?? Cowboys cage is 120x60 so a bit bigger than the minimum. Not sure how itād look in a 100x50 though!
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RainbowBrite
My cage is 150 x 60 but for some reason it took up too much space and my hamster did not have enough room to forage. It is odd.
H
heidi
Oh thatās odd. I think itās definitely a decent sized sandbath but I canāt imagine it filling that much space in that sized cage!
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RainbowBrite
I put it in the centre and I just think I had too much in the cage. I am hopeless at setting up cages.
H
heidi
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RainbowBrite
What a beautiful set up! How cute he is using the window and not blocking it with bedding like my hamster.
H
heidi
Cowboy may have cushings. I feel like a terrible owner for not noticing something was up earlier on.
Iād taken him to the vets because I just had a horrible gut feeling. Heās been thinning a bit but more over when I was handling my 2.5 year old Syrian, I was thinking how young and beautiful he looked. And then I looked at Cowboy - and he looked older. Cowboy is half Neptrs age, so something was up.
I took him in first thing & the exotic vet was all worried Cowboy would bite when checking his mouth. All clear though - THE VET SAID HE HAD NONE.
I canāt even describe the emotions I felt. He told me to sign a form and went and put cowboy under anaesthesia to have a better look. Came back out minutes later & told me he had one front tooth and his bottom teeth, but one top tooth was most definitely gone, The other top tooth ādidnāt look great, but he can fix it himselfā.
Iām now doing a mush diet to try and help him out on some weight. He has alopecia and Inhad sworn that they were connected, but it may be cushings, maybe kidney problems.
Either way, the vets sent me back with no medicine or anything. They just said to come back in a few weeks and weigh regularly on the mush diet.
If anyone has any advice on a mush diet, please let me know.
Not sure if I should pour water in his food dish and leave it, or do that and then remove the excess water.
Another option is to blend his dry food into a powder and then have it in a food jar. And then just pour that into his food bowl with water as needed.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Iāve rehomed hamsters from my rescue who ended up potentially having cushings (ended up as lymphoma) so I am STRESSED.
To add, I also bought baby food for the boys yesterday but wasnāt entirely sure on the brands? I know to avoid lemon/citrus and ended up narrowing it down to Picollo organic.
I bought a pure plum one, that I know is fine but can only in tiny amounts. I also bought two others, but they have. <1% acerola cherry extract. Is that okay?
What other baby foods should I look into?
Iād taken him to the vets because I just had a horrible gut feeling. Heās been thinning a bit but more over when I was handling my 2.5 year old Syrian, I was thinking how young and beautiful he looked. And then I looked at Cowboy - and he looked older. Cowboy is half Neptrs age, so something was up.
I took him in first thing & the exotic vet was all worried Cowboy would bite when checking his mouth. All clear though - THE VET SAID HE HAD NONE.
I canāt even describe the emotions I felt. He told me to sign a form and went and put cowboy under anaesthesia to have a better look. Came back out minutes later & told me he had one front tooth and his bottom teeth, but one top tooth was most definitely gone, The other top tooth ādidnāt look great, but he can fix it himselfā.
Iām now doing a mush diet to try and help him out on some weight. He has alopecia and Inhad sworn that they were connected, but it may be cushings, maybe kidney problems.
Either way, the vets sent me back with no medicine or anything. They just said to come back in a few weeks and weigh regularly on the mush diet.
If anyone has any advice on a mush diet, please let me know.
Not sure if I should pour water in his food dish and leave it, or do that and then remove the excess water.
Another option is to blend his dry food into a powder and then have it in a food jar. And then just pour that into his food bowl with water as needed.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Iāve rehomed hamsters from my rescue who ended up potentially having cushings (ended up as lymphoma) so I am STRESSED.
To add, I also bought baby food for the boys yesterday but wasnāt entirely sure on the brands? I know to avoid lemon/citrus and ended up narrowing it down to Picollo organic.
I bought a pure plum one, that I know is fine but can only in tiny amounts. I also bought two others, but they have. <1% acerola cherry extract. Is that okay?
What other baby foods should I look into?
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So sorry about Cowboy. Maybe he's older than you thought possibly? For a mush diet I used 3 or 4 science selective pellets on a small dish (eg a baby food lid) and pour just a tiny bit (maybe 5 or 6 drops equivalent) of boiled water from the kettle onto them. Then let it go cold. And it's mush. It does actually work with tepid water as well (eg boiled earlier) but maybe takes about 10 minutes to turn to mush. On the other hand it can take at least 10 minutes to cool down if using boiling water!
Also I do that with the regular hamster mix as well sometimes - a bit of that on a baby food lid, soaked the same way. Sometimes they eat a bit of one sometimes a bit of the other.
Also a pinch of shelled hemp seeds - they're soft and fluffy and can be licked up easily and full of vitamins and minerals (and calories).
For calories or weight gaining I use a pinch of ground nuts - eg walnuts, pecans, brazils etc. You can grind them yourself between two teaspoons or buy a bag of linwoods ground nuts! (I get those and their shelled hemp seeds).
Baby food is a nice extra as well but doesn't really have much in the way of calories or nutrition, but they like it! The occasional bit of porridge as well. I get the easy make up one by Ella's kitchen and hamsters go bonkers for it (has strawberry and raspberry bits in). It's really quick and easy to make in a mug with no need for microwaving - just a teaspoonful of the porridge and pour a bit of water in and stir (boiled or cold or a bit of both).
www.ellaskitchen.co.uk
My favourite baby food one (as it's popular) is Hipp Sweet squash and chicken, which all the hamsters seem to like.
There's a list of safe baby foods here - the Heinz by nature ones are good as well.
www.thehamsterforum.com
Also I do that with the regular hamster mix as well sometimes - a bit of that on a baby food lid, soaked the same way. Sometimes they eat a bit of one sometimes a bit of the other.
Also a pinch of shelled hemp seeds - they're soft and fluffy and can be licked up easily and full of vitamins and minerals (and calories).
For calories or weight gaining I use a pinch of ground nuts - eg walnuts, pecans, brazils etc. You can grind them yourself between two teaspoons or buy a bag of linwoods ground nuts! (I get those and their shelled hemp seeds).
Baby food is a nice extra as well but doesn't really have much in the way of calories or nutrition, but they like it! The occasional bit of porridge as well. I get the easy make up one by Ella's kitchen and hamsters go bonkers for it (has strawberry and raspberry bits in). It's really quick and easy to make in a mug with no need for microwaving - just a teaspoonful of the porridge and pour a bit of water in and stir (boiled or cold or a bit of both).
Strawberry Porridge | Baby Breakfast
Discover our strawberry + raspberry porridge. Little ones love our baby breakfast with berry exciting flavours + textures!
www.ellaskitchen.co.uk
My favourite baby food one (as it's popular) is Hipp Sweet squash and chicken, which all the hamsters seem to like.
There's a list of safe baby foods here - the Heinz by nature ones are good as well.
Baby food options
This thread is for baby food options. Eg for an older hamster needing softened food or for a hamster on medication (using baby food to put the medication in). This list will probably change over time and need updating and editing now and then as things stop being available or new things become...
www.thehamsterforum.com
H
heidi
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! Itās so informative and I am incredibly grateful, Maz! Iāll be keeping this thread up to date with Cowboy just so I have a lovely record of everything. We got home and he had quite a bit of moistened food.
Would blending his seed mix work, or should I grab some science select to specifically moisten? I just want him to be hitting a high calorie but healthy diet where he gets everything he needs.
Cowboy was purchased from an āethical breederā, so I did have photos of him as a baby and further growing up a bit. Iām relatively certain that he is the age I was told. Me and my partner have been talking about future hamsters (prior to this incident, as Neptr is getting on, despite being the spitting image of a chunky healthy hamster as it stands) and I would definitely rescue again in the future.
I think whilst itās amazing to have a baby hamster, to have its birth date and photos of their entire family, itās actually more heartbreaking when they die. I got Cowboy specifically because a rescue suddenly died, and I wanted a time frame that was as certain as could be. Now I just wish I hadnāt had him as a soft little squishy baby, because itās so much harder at the thought of them dying.
Would blending his seed mix work, or should I grab some science select to specifically moisten? I just want him to be hitting a high calorie but healthy diet where he gets everything he needs.
Cowboy was purchased from an āethical breederā, so I did have photos of him as a baby and further growing up a bit. Iām relatively certain that he is the age I was told. Me and my partner have been talking about future hamsters (prior to this incident, as Neptr is getting on, despite being the spitting image of a chunky healthy hamster as it stands) and I would definitely rescue again in the future.
I think whilst itās amazing to have a baby hamster, to have its birth date and photos of their entire family, itās actually more heartbreaking when they die. I got Cowboy specifically because a rescue suddenly died, and I wanted a time frame that was as certain as could be. Now I just wish I hadnāt had him as a soft little squishy baby, because itās so much harder at the thought of them dying.
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Sorry to hear that Cowboy is unwell 
I know what you mean about it being harder in some ways when you've had them from a baby.
You can soak the pellets in normal hamster muesli without necessarily grinding them first. That'll be fine for the short term although long term, Science Selective would be better (if he's getting most of his nutrition from soft foods) as it's nutritionally complete. Baby foods with lemon juice are okay as I know it opens up lots more options if you don't worry about lemon (it's a negligible amount). The cherry extract should be fine too. The only ones I'd avoid are those with onion or garlic, ideally leeks too (unless it's right at the bottom of the ingredients list).
There are also some creamy/yoghurt-like cat treats which some hamsters like e.g Dreamies Creamy or Lick-e-Lix.
I would still give him his dry food for the time being so he can eat what he's able to. It'll helpp to wear down his teeth to a normal length.
Where is he losing fur? With Cushing's it tends to be symmetrical and in specific areas around the hind quarters. Kidney problems can sometimes cause tooth issues in addition to the alopecia.
I know what you mean about it being harder in some ways when you've had them from a baby.You can soak the pellets in normal hamster muesli without necessarily grinding them first. That'll be fine for the short term although long term, Science Selective would be better (if he's getting most of his nutrition from soft foods) as it's nutritionally complete. Baby foods with lemon juice are okay as I know it opens up lots more options if you don't worry about lemon (it's a negligible amount). The cherry extract should be fine too. The only ones I'd avoid are those with onion or garlic, ideally leeks too (unless it's right at the bottom of the ingredients list).
There are also some creamy/yoghurt-like cat treats which some hamsters like e.g Dreamies Creamy or Lick-e-Lix.
I would still give him his dry food for the time being so he can eat what he's able to. It'll helpp to wear down his teeth to a normal length.
Where is he losing fur? With Cushing's it tends to be symmetrical and in specific areas around the hind quarters. Kidney problems can sometimes cause tooth issues in addition to the alopecia.
H
heidi
It seems that he has no ābald spotsā yet but you can see the dark underfur where itās really thinned out. I think right now itās just a possibility of cushings since thereās very little exposed thin. I think itās the thinnest on his abdomen area.
I would be questioning about his kidneys if anything. Heās had UTI problems before, which seemingly cleared up after a course of antibiotics. I made the vet aware of this at my appointment too.
Iām not sure if he can even wear down his tooth. If you see the photo I attached, it isnāt straight at all.
I would be questioning about his kidneys if anything. Heās had UTI problems before, which seemingly cleared up after a course of antibiotics. I made the vet aware of this at my appointment too.
Iām not sure if he can even wear down his tooth. If you see the photo I attached, it isnāt straight at all.
H
heidi
Hereās the current baby food haul, barring out the one thatās been crossed as it has cinnamon in it. Not sure I want to risk ANYTHING with him at the moment so even <1% lemon juice/cinnamon just doesnāt scream the right thing to do, even though Iād otherwise think it may be okay. Heās having porridge & a bit of one of these tonight. donāt think iāll catch him as his waking hours are typically 4am, but i did disturb his sleep today so itās a possibility he just wonāt get up at all.
Science selective is coming tomorrow & I will be doing daily feedings of high calorie food. I just want to SEE him put on weight at this point. I feel like Iāve been āstarvingā him due to not realising heās teeth. Iām hoping a wet food diet allows him to thrive. iām praying itās his teeth that have affected his weight & fur - and not something major underlying in him. Though I do t even know if I believe that because of his past UTI experience.
I may call his old vets from when he had a UTI and have them email me the notes.
Sorry to read Cowboy is not so well, itās ever so sad when youāve been together for a long time. Iāve not much to add regarding the soft diet. Your selection of baby foods look great. I used to freeze mine in ice cube trays to help them last longer and then Iād pick one cube each day to defrost and use that evening.