Hello! I got a new hamster on Thursday (5 days ago today), she is a long haired syrian and she's fairly young still (around 2-3 months old). She has been hiding a majority of the time but when I saw her come out last night I noticed she had diarrhea at some point (it was stuck in her coat - wet/streaky not clumpy sorry for the vivid description) I didn't mess with her at all, I figured she will probably clean herself (if that's wrong let me know) I'm not sure If this is normal for a new ham? I think she was on oxbow food where I picked her up from and I feed a mix of Higgins sunburst × the Pure brand hamster food. She doesn't show much interest in the food at all. She filled her cheeks night 1, explored for about 30min then burrowed the remainder of the night and I haven't seen her touch her food since. I'm worried she's not eating or drinking enough since I never see her come out and the diarrhea has me concerned. I'm not sure if it could be a combo of stress with a new cage and good or if I should take her to the vet. I just want another opinion before making an appointment cause I'd hate to dig her out and stress her out even more with a vet appointment if it's likely just new environment and stress. If this kind of diarrhea is not normal I will definitely bring her in I just wasn't sure. I know it can take a few weeks for them to be comfortable in their new homes but I don't want to put off going to the vet any longer than necessary if she needs it. If anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate it! Thank you!
Her cage is also 4x2x2 with about 10-12inches of bedding and she has many hides so she feels secure. 1 water bottle and 1 water dish just in case she had a preference on which to use. I've been covering all sides of her cage with a blanket to help her feel less stressed while she gets used to her new home and I just peek in to check on her. I've got a camera coming in the mail today so I can watch her and hopefully ease my mind alittle.
Hi Hannah
Yes, definitely see the vet as an emergency. Diarrhoea is very dangerous for hamsters and she needs veterinary treatment really quickly.
I hope she will be OK. Good luck with your little hammy
Hi. If you've only had her five days and she's young then it is possible it's wet tail.
Wet tail is an emergency - a hamster can go downhill very quickly and die within a day or two so yes I would see a vet - she may need antibiotics (it's a bacteria in the gut that proliferates).
Does she seem fit and healthy otherwise? From what you've seen.
With long haired hamsters it can all get stuck up and dried round the backside area and you would need to help clean it off - sometimes it even means snipping the odd bit of long hair off if it's really matted. But the priority is to see a vet because she could suddenly go downhill very quickly.
I took her in that night to the store I got her from because they have a vet they are contracted with for any sick animals that are adopted and they told me at that point that they had 8+ hamsters with wet tail that they were treating by feeding them cabbage and applesauce... I've never heard of that and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her with them if they weren't willing to get her antibiotics so we took her our vet where she passed overnight from the wet tail. I feel just awful. I miss her already and I barely had any time with her at all since she hid a majority of the few days I had her. I'm now wondering what I need to do in order to properly sanitize the enclosure and supplies? The last thing I want is to fall in love with another ham and have them pass from the same thing because I did something wrong. I have wood/acrylic enclosure. The wood parts are sealed. What is the best method/products to sanitize this so it would be safe again someday or is it best to just buy a new one? I don't want to take any chances.
I am so sorry to hear that your little hammy passed. Yes, you were right to go to your vet. The shop must have had an outbreak of wet tail. It is very sad. You tried very hard to save her.
The plastic accessories can be scrubbed with pet safe disinfectant. Wooden items can be baked at a low temperature in the oven. If the item is a combination of both but is sealed, you could scrub it with disinfectant. Grass mats and tunnels probably need to be thrown away as they are too flammable to bake. Maz will be along soon and knows exactly how to sterilise housing and feeding / drinking equipment.
It sounds like the pet shop has a problem with wet tail disease. Possibly they are buying from a breeder who is not controlling it. It may be that antibiotics have been over-used in their stock.
This is so very sad and I am also so sorry. You tried to get her help. It's a nasty disease and can be very fast. Really a hard thing for you. I think that pet shop has real problems if they have so many hamsters with wet tail - it could run through all the hamsters in the shop. So best not to go there again. As Socks Mum says it may be from bad breeders and the hamsters arrive at the pet shop with wet tail. But they should do something about it.
In some ways it may be a blessing that she just passed so quickly because I know some people who have treated the hamsters and they can be in pain for quite a long time during treatment and not fully improve, and end up having to be put to sleep.
For disinfecting the enclosure, you can spray pet safe disinfectant - I'd do it inside and out and then wipe it as well while it's still wet, to make sure you haven't missed any areas. Spray it well into corners and joins. Don't use anything like bleach though. Just small animal disinfectant like Beaphar or F10. Bedding would need to be thrown away. Ceramic or plastic items you can just wash with dishwashing soap and water or put in a dishwasher. Then spray with disinfectant to be on the safe side as well and rinse them afterwards. Socks Mum has covered most of the rest of it. You can bake wood and cork items at 100 degrees centigrade for 30 to 40 minutes.
I'm so sorry Hannah that's such sad news.
Disappointing to hear the pet shop is not doing more, as Maz and Socksmum have said they clearly have a problem.
I hope your next little friend has a long and happy life with you.
Just to add, the rule of thumb also used to be to not use the same enclosure for about 3 weeks, even after disinfection. It sounds like that pet shop needs closing down. Although wet tail can be caused by stress, it is also highly contagious, so one hamster with it will pass it to all other hamsters in the vicinity in a pet shop. A whole litter of babies in one cage could go down with it. I think I would consider reporting it to an animal welfare body. But I know it's hard to get the right person or for someone to do something. Are you in the Uk or US by the way?
In-breeding and overcrowding are a risk with commercial breeding. It is frustrating because a lot of hamster breeding is behind closed doors and you never know what it was like where the hamsters come from.
I'm in the US, north dakota near the Canadian border so the only places we have are petco/petsmart and 1 local pet store. The closest ethical breeder I could find was Holmden hill and that's still over 16 hours each way and it doesn't look like they breed anymore. I tried the local pet store we have, they breed their own stock but didn't have any hamsters old enough to be sold at the time and I just fell in love with the ham I saw at petco and took a chance but that was definitely a mistake. I wish we had more ethical breeders that were closer to me. It doesn't sound like most airlines allow for hamster transportation either so im not sure if flying to a breeder is even an option.
It is difficult I know - and the US is a big country! Sometimes it can be better to rescue one. It may have come from a pet shop originally but I think rescue hamsters have survived so much be healthy, and they usually have good care and checked out etc before adoption. Is there a rescue in your area? If not, sometimes people rehome hamsters in the small ads etc. Maybe due to allergy. Some might only be 8 to 10 weeks old.
I did look on facebook/Craigslist for a while but nobody had posted any. The rescues around me didn't have any Syrians available. But I'll just keep my eye out, I'm not in a rush. I'm sure one will pop up eventually! I do appreciate all the help and advice on my situation! It has made it all alittle easier. Thank you
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