My sister's hamster has wet tail HELP!!

[Birdlover20009]

I desperately need help with my sister's Syrian hamster, who is suffering from a wet tail. I heard that giving them small amounts of applesauce can help, but I don't know how many MLs to give. My mom cannot find a vet clinic in my area either and is opting to give the hamster my BIRD'S old medicine. I've reached out to ask a vet on Chewy but did not have much luck. I know nothing about hamsters, and I am too young to drive or afford to go out to a vet. I don't want my sister's hamster to die any tips to help would be appreciated, and if you know what probiotics she needs, please let me know.

 

[Maz]

If it's wet tail, they need antibiotics as soon as possible, but only certain antibiotics are suitable for hamsters. Most vets will have an out of hours number you can call. There are also some online services - I don't know what they're like, but likely to be more expensive.

I have heard of the apple sauce thing. It would do no harm to give some but the most important, first line treatment is antibiotics. What is the bird medicine your Mom has? Also try and keep the hamster hydrated - maybe he'll take sips of water from a teaspoon or dropper?

What condition is the hamster in at the moment? Lethargic? Fairly active? They can get diarrhoea which isn't necessarily wet tail, but with wet tail they can go downhill very quickly and he is likely to be acting unwell and weak.

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[Birdlover20009]

If it's wet tail, they need antibiotics as soon as possible, but only certain antibiotics are suitable for hamsters. Most vets will have an out of hours number you can call. There are also some online services - I don't know what they're like, but likely to be more expensive.

I have heard of the apple sauce thing. It would do no harm to give some but the most important, first line treatment is antibiotics. What is the bird medicine your Mom has? Also try and keep the hamster hydrated - maybe he'll take sips of water from a teaspoon or dropper?

What condition is the hamster in at the moment? Lethargic? Fairly active? They can get diarrhoea which isn't necessarily wet tail, but with wet tail they can go downhill very quickly and he is likely to be acting unwell and weak.

24/7 Online Vet Appointments - Ask A Vet - Vetster

Pet health starts with Vetster. Find and book veterinarians from across North America to provide excellent health care for your pet through video consults. Cats, dogs, reptiles, horses - all pets are welcome.

vetster.com

The hamster is currently fairly active, my mom gave the hamster 10 MLs of enrofloxacin. Do you know what type of antibiotics are needed?

 

[Maz]

Enroflaxin is an antibiotic hamsters can have but the dose needs to be right. 10mls sounds like a lot. Unless it's diluted enroflaxin. The usual undiluted dose is often about 0.2 to 0.3 mls for the average Syrian hamster. Which is the 2nd or 3rd larger marking on a 1ml syringe. Do you know if it's a dilution that's been made up? Are you sure it's 10mls? I'm not sure a hamster could even drink 10mls of liquid! Or is it 10 markings on a 1ml syringe?

Enroflaxin is baytril. It's the most common one used for hamsters for general things but a vet might use a different, stronger, antibiotic for wet tail. If he's fairly active, that is a good sign. Is he eating and drinking? It's important to keep him hydrated.

If he doesn't seem unwell with it, it's possible it's just a diarrhoea episode as opposed to wet tail. How old is he?

Really you need to see a vet as soon as you can and get the correct medication. A vet might give an injection.

 

[Birdlover20009]

This is the syringe, where the red circle is the amount of medicine the hamster received. As for whether or not the antibiotic is diluted, I am not sure since it is not said anywhere on the bottle. My sister says the hamster is around 7 months old but I have no way of truly knowing. He is not eating much or drinking very well and is now huddled up in a corner. Should I syringe feed them some water throughout the night to make sure he is hydrated?

 

[Birdlover20009]

Right now, all that is available is the Enroflaxin, I do not know when my mom will get the hamster to the vet. Do you know how often he should be receiving it?

 

[Socks' Mum]

Yes, offer him fluid freely if he will take it. Can you weigh him? It is probably safest to assume the antibiotics is undiluted. Dose per weight should be available on the internet. He may drink sugar water or a mixture of 2 teaspoons sugar and a half teaspoon of salt. Poor little hammy, I hope he gets better.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Baytril For Hamsters (Enrofloxacin): Uses, Dosage, Side Effects - Justagric

Baytril is approved for use in hamsters to treat respiratory infections, skin infections, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, and Diarrhea.

justagric.com

 

[Maz]

He urgently needs to see a vet. I think that dose on the syringe is too big a dose if it isn't diluted. It depends how much the syringe holds - that might be the equivalent of 0.2ml but I can't tell - I think that might be too big a dose.. Also it needs to be a 1 ml syringe. It has 10 markings on instead of 30. So 2 of those markings on a 1ml syringe would be 0.2ml.

I think the dose of enroflaxin per weight is 10mg per kg of weight. So for a hamster weight of 100g the dose would be approximately 0.1ml. But it is not as exact as that, as vets have to do an additional calculation for the hamster's metabolism, which is very fast so the dose would probably be a bit higher than that (eg it might be 0.2ml).

He really does need to see a vet and get an injection of the right antibiotic. Especially if you're not sure if it's diluted or the right dose.