New Hamster Very Soft Stool

[mealwormdevourer]

Hi, I was directed here from another forum for a different species.

I got my first hamster a week ago. He is a 2-4 month old syrian. I will provide a bit of information on this hamster and how I ended up with him.
I went into a large chain pet shop to buy something and saw this hamster in one of the tiny cages going absolutely mad standing on his water bottle trying to chew through the ceiling and eventually falling on to the ground on his back. I went home and tried to work out whether I could make a temporary setup or if he was better off in the shop and eventually decided I could give him a better life. So the next day went to get him and was told he had been there for several months which explained his frustration (the cage he was in was roughly 30cm long by 20cm wide and about 30cm tall). They said he was being fed muesli and got a cabbage leaf and some other veg (maybe carrot) daily.

I have got him home and put him in a temporary 90x45x45cm enclosure. It is not ideal but is a massive improvement from what he had and his behaviours have already changed.
He is very friendly in the enclosure but does not like to be touched. He has deep carefresh in one side, cocofibre in the other. He has cardboard boxes, willow sticks, a suitably sized wheel, some hay to dig through and I've just sorted out a sand bath today. For food, he has the same muesli mix he had at the shop as I didn't want to give him a sudden diet change though I know the muesli mix is bad, he has had a few mealworms in the last week and he loves them, I have also been giving a small piece of veg daily (broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper), I also gave him one pumpkin seed and one peanut.

I noticed he hasn't been eating his muesli mix very much, if at all. The last 24 hours he has suddenly become extremely easily panicked. Then today I went to add more bedding and make space for his sand bath and found that he had put very soft mushy stool on literally everything in the enclosure. I had to remove much of the cardboard, scrape what I could off the wheel and change out some of the bedding. I have now just checked again and he is still doing very soft stool that gets pasted on everything and is impossible to remove once dried on.

I have had guinea pigs for the last almost nine years and so am familiar with how incredibly sensitive rodents are but am completely new to hamsters which is why I have included as much information as possible.

On the basis of my guinea pig experience I have not given any veg or other damp food today (though he got a single mealworm before I realised what was wrong). But the issue does not seem to be resolving.

Is there anything I have done wrong? Anything I should be doing differently?

Should I just be getting an urgent vet appointment? Or would that be ridiculously stressful for a hamster that really really hates handling? My vet for my guinea pigs is a very knowledgeable and absolutely amazing exotics vet so I know I have somewhere reliable to go if necessary.

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Maz]

Hello I'm so glad you got the hammy and gave him a nice home Yes it's probably best to stop the veggies for now. If it's diarrhoea that is smearing and not formed poops then that is a bit concerning. If it's smearing it sounds like it might be watery diarrhoea and if its that then yes you should take him to the vets in case he needs antibiotics. Young hamsters can get wet tail when they've just moved to a new home and had a change of environment. It's triggered by stress from the change, but is actually a bacterial infection in the digestive system, which may have already been there and triggered by the stress of moving to a new home. However if they are actual poops but just a bit soft, then it could be just a bit too much veg or him adjusting to veg and they can pee in their wheels that can make it mushy. If he's pooped in his wheel and then pee'd in it he could have just walked it all over the place.

It's hard to say without seeing but I think to be on the safe side, you should take him to a vet just in case it's wet tail because it's the first week or so in a new home that it can happen and if it is that, they can go downhill very quickly. It would be difficult to tell if he's been eating his muesli mix or not because they tend to only eat from their hoards. Pouch the food and then hoard it.

He's only been with you a week and so this is his settling in time - which can take a couple of weeks. It's diffcult if there is messy poop around but maybe try to do the minimum and not disturb things too much.

It's nothing you've done. But as he's only been with you a week and has diarrhoea it would be best to take him to the vet. If it is wet tail they need antibiotics quickly. Can you see if his rear end is stuck up at all? Normally hamster poops are like hard black seeds and not really dirty or smelly.

They are normally clean little things and only pee in one area. So it does sound a bit concerning if he seemed panicked as well.

It's a bit nerve-wracking being a new hamster owner and I worried about everything with our first one. Is he drinking?

I'll wait to hear if it's like diarrhoea or not and if his back end is messy at all.

 

[Maz]

I'd try and get a vet appointment as soon as you can with an exotic vet.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hi, I was directed here from another forum for a different species.

I got my first hamster a week ago. He is a 2-4 month old syrian. I will provide a bit of information on this hamster and how I ended up with him.
I went into a large chain pet shop to buy something and saw this hamster in one of the tiny cages going absolutely mad standing on his water bottle trying to chew through the ceiling and eventually falling on to the ground on his back. I went home and tried to work out whether I could make a temporary setup or if he was better off in the shop and eventually decided I could give him a better life. So the next day went to get him and was told he had been there for several months which explained his frustration (the cage he was in was roughly 30cm long by 20cm wide and about 30cm tall). They said he was being fed muesli and got a cabbage leaf and some other veg (maybe carrot) daily.

I have got him home and put him in a temporary 90x45x45cm enclosure. It is not ideal but is a massive improvement from what he had and his behaviours have already changed.
He is very friendly in the enclosure but does not like to be touched. He has deep carefresh in one side, cocofibre in the other. He has cardboard boxes, willow sticks, a suitably sized wheel, some hay to dig through and I've just sorted out a sand bath today. For food, he has the same muesli mix he had at the shop as I didn't want to give him a sudden diet change though I know the muesli mix is bad, he has had a few mealworms in the last week and he loves them, I have also been giving a small piece of veg daily (broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper), I also gave him one pumpkin seed and one peanut.

I noticed he hasn't been eating his muesli mix very much, if at all. The last 24 hours he has suddenly become extremely easily panicked. Then today I went to add more bedding and make space for his sand bath and found that he had put very soft mushy stool on literally everything in the enclosure. I had to remove much of the cardboard, scrape what I could off the wheel and change out some of the bedding. I have now just checked again and he is still doing very soft stool that gets pasted on everything and is impossible to remove once dried on.

I have had guinea pigs for the last almost nine years and so am familiar with how incredibly sensitive rodents are but am completely new to hamsters which is why I have included as much information as possible.

On the basis of my guinea pig experience I have not given any veg or other damp food today (though he got a single mealworm before I realised what was wrong). But the issue does not seem to be resolving.

Is there anything I have done wrong? Anything I should be doing differently?

Should I just be getting an urgent vet appointment? Or would that be ridiculously stressful for a hamster that really really hates handling? My vet for my guinea pigs is a very knowledgeable and absolutely amazing exotics vet so I know I have somewhere reliable to go if necessary.

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be appreciated.

Yes, definitely take him to the vet with some stool samples in an air tight container of any sort. Ask the vet for an emergency appointment. Poor little fellow, I hope he will be OK. You are doing great for him, but it sounds like he may be in trouble as hamster stools are usually very hard and dry. As he is a youngster he might not have much immunity so needs vet care. Good luck, I hope things go well for you with your charming new hammy

 

[mealwormdevourer]

Hello I'm so glad you got the hammy and gave him a nice home Yes it's probably best to stop the veggies for now. If it's diarrhoea that is smearing and not formed poops then that is a bit concerning. If it's smearing it sounds like it might be watery diarrhoea and if its that then yes you should take him to the vets in case he needs antibiotics. Young hamsters can get wet tail when they've just moved to a new home and had a change of environment. It's triggered by stress from the change, but is actually a bacterial infection in the digestive system, which may have already been there and triggered by the stress of moving to a new home. However if they are actual poops but just a bit soft, then it could be just a bit too much veg or him adjusting to veg and they can pee in their wheels that can make it mushy. If he's pooped in his wheel and then pee'd in it he could have just walked it all over the place.

It's hard to say without seeing but I think to be on the safe side, you should take him to a vet just in case it's wet tail because it's the first week or so in a new home that it can happen and if it is that, they can go downhill very quickly. It would be difficult to tell if he's been eating his muesli mix or not because they tend to only eat from their hoards. Pouch the food and then hoard it.

He's only been with you a week and so this is his settling in time - which can take a couple of weeks. It's diffcult if there is messy poop around but maybe try to do the minimum and not disturb things too much.

It's nothing you've done. But as he's only been with you a week and has diarrhoea it would be best to take him to the vet. If it is wet tail they need antibiotics quickly. Can you see if his rear end is stuck up at all? Normally hamster poops are like hard black seeds and not really dirty or smelly.

They are normally clean little things and only pee in one area. So it does sound a bit concerning if he seemed panicked as well.

It's a bit nerve-wracking being a new hamster owner and I worried about everything with our first one. Is he drinking?

I'll wait to hear if it's like diarrhoea or not and if his back end is messy at all.

This is so helpful, thank you!

He drinks regularly throughout the day and night. So far he seems to exclusively pee in his wooden wheel which is really not the ideal!

He had started a stash of food in one of the cardboard boxes but then it had been absolutely coated in diarrhoea and walked around it then it dried on. I had to remove it because I couldn’t leave him with his food and food storage area so covered in potentially infectious (if he has a bacterial issue) waste.

I’ve looked at him about half an hour ago and there is no evidence of any faeces on him. I am concerned that the journey to and from the vet plus the actual check will cause extreme stress.

If he still has loose stool today then I will get him an appointment as soon as possible.

He’s not had any veg for over 24 hours now.

I have been giving him a mealworm when I get up so that he gets into the routine of appearing at that time so I can check he’s ok. Also I know he needs more protein at this age and his food is terrible quality so it’s important he gets something.

 

[mealwormdevourer]

 

[Maz]

That's good he's drinking as keeping hyrdrated is important if it's diarrhoea. Looking at the photo - that seems an awful lot for a small hamster - so if it is diarrhoea that is very concerning and not normal for them. Is it definitely poop? Sometimes it can be food that has got wet/been pee'd on that's been smeared around Yes you need to gauge for yourself. If it has stopped now and he seems well then you could just observe. If he still has diarrhoea, then even if it's stressful for him it would be better to have a vet appointment as wet tail can be life threatening. If it is that. There are some vets who do home visits, and also mobile vets. I did that once, but it is a bit expensive. And to be honest the mobile vet wasn't that good. It needs to be an exotic vet for hamsters - a lot of vets don't know much about them. On the occasion I had the home visit/mobile vet I only needed a prescription for more metacam not a major diagnosis so it was good enough.

The reason I mentioned food is I once had a panic with our first hamster thinking there was blood in his wheel. It was actually some red coloured food he had put in his wheel that had been pee'd on (and yes he'd walked in it and there was some on the bedding and elsewhere as well).

I would maybe stop mealworms for now as well and save those as occasional treats for later. You could try him with a bit of egg. Either a bit of scrambled egg or chopped hard boiled egg. Just a tiny bit - they don't eat a lot. For scrambled egg you want to do it without milk ideally. Just whisk an egg in a mug with a bit of water and microwave it. I do 10 seconds as a time as it can go too hard quite quickly! Then just maybe half a teaspoon of it - I actually give it on the teaspoon (when it's cooled obviously). For chopped hard boiled egg maybe just a piece about 1cm cubed size. One or the other. They do love a bit of fresh human food. It's protein and it might help "bind" him a bit if it is just diarrhoea and not wet tail.

I would see how he is later today when he's awake - if he's looking active and well and no more diarrhoea and no messy bottom then maybe it isn't wet tail.

For a hamster mix, a muesli mix is best but it needs to be a good one and the best ones usually have to be sent for from Germany. However you can get Harry Hamster quite easily in the Uk. It contains everything needed and has the right level of protein - plus vitamins etc. It will be better than the pet store's own pet food, if not the best. I use that mixed 50/50 with Bunny Dream hamster food (which I can only get from Vetsend online these days). Bunny Dream has slightly less protein at about 15% so mixed 50/50 that reduces the overall protein but then you can supplement the protein a bit with egg or nuts eg or freeze dried chicken.

 

[mealwormdevourer]

That's good he's drinking as keeping hyrdrated is important if it's diarrhoea. Looking at the photo - that seems an awful lot for a small hamster - so if it is diarrhoea that is very concerning and not normal for them. Is it definitely poop? Sometimes it can be food that has got wet/been pee'd on that's been smeared around Yes you need to gauge for yourself. If it has stopped now and he seems well then you could just observe. If he still has diarrhoea, then even if it's stressful for him it would be better to have a vet appointment as wet tail can be life threatening. If it is that. There are some vets who do home visits, and also mobile vets. I did that once, but it is a bit expensive. And to be honest the mobile vet wasn't that good. It needs to be an exotic vet for hamsters - a lot of vets don't know much about them. On the occasion I had the home visit/mobile vet I only needed a prescription for more metacam not a major diagnosis so it was good enough.

The reason I mentioned food is I once had a panic with our first hamster thinking there was blood in his wheel. It was actually some red coloured food he had put in his wheel that had been pee'd on (and yes he'd walked in it and there was some on the bedding and elsewhere as well).

I would maybe stop mealworms for now as well and save those as occasional treats for later. You could try him with a bit of egg. Either a bit of scrambled egg or chopped hard boiled egg. Just a tiny bit - they don't eat a lot. For scrambled egg you want to do it without milk ideally. Just whisk an egg in a mug with a bit of water and microwave it. I do 10 seconds as a time as it can go too hard quite quickly! Then just maybe half a teaspoon of it - I actually give it on the teaspoon (when it's cooled obviously). For chopped hard boiled egg maybe just a piece about 1cm cubed size. One or the other. They do love a bit of fresh human food. It's protein and it might help "bind" him a bit if it is just diarrhoea and not wet tail.

I would see how he is later today when he's awake - if he's looking active and well and no more diarrhoea and no messy bottom then maybe it isn't wet tail.

For a hamster mix, a muesli mix is best but it needs to be a good one and the best ones usually have to be sent for from Germany. However you can get Harry Hamster quite easily in the Uk. It contains everything needed and has the right level of protein - plus vitamins etc. It will be better than the pet store's own pet food, if not the best. I use that mixed 50/50 with Bunny Dream hamster food (which I can only get from Vetsend online these days). Bunny Dream has slightly less protein at about 15% so mixed 50/50 that reduces the overall protein but then you can supplement the protein a bit with egg or nuts eg or freeze dried chicken.

I will stop the mealworms for now then.

I have ordered a food that I have been told is pretty good. This is it I will have to give extra protein alongside it.

It is definitely poop. It is in random places across the enclosure. A bit stuck to the wheel, a whole lot in the cardboard box, some in his tunnel etc.

I can get him a bit of hard boiled egg. I have my own chickens so it will be very fresh! I was going to give him a bit of tofu yesterday but thought wet stuff like that would not be so good for diarrhoea. That’s why I stuck with mealworms. But I suppose eggs are known for their binding properties.

I will see how he is when he emerges in the next few hours. And if he’s still not right I will phone the vets as soon as they open tomorrow morning. He definitely was perky and had a clean rear end this morning as he climbed onto the edge of the enclosure and I supported him with my hand and could feel it was all clean.

I am very lucky with vets in that I live 25 minutes away from a fairly well known (in this area of England) exotics vet who is absolutely incredible with every animal I have taken to him, ranging from guinea pigs to dogs, chickens and even toads!

 

[Maz]

It does sound like it's diarrhoea rather than wet tail then. If he was perky and doesn't have a messy bottom. It may have been a combination of stress at all the change of environment and veggies he wasn't used to. We usually suggest starting veggies every 3rd day for the first couple of weeks until their stomachs adjust. But - he was already having them before.

Hopefully it will have settled now. This first couple of weeks settling in is quite an important time for them to sort of claim their territory and get some familar habits and routes in their cage. So hopefully he won't need cleaning out again for a bit

That food looks fine. Some of these non commercial mixes have a good variety of ingredients, but can rely a bit too much on things like lentils for protein. Lentils aren't that digestible for hamsters and they may not even eat them if they don't like them - so then he wouldn't be getting the protein so supplementing is a good idea. Walnuts are always popular so a walnut half or two a week would be some protein and one other type like a bit of egg or even a bit of chicken or beef if you happened to have cooked some (but only plain cooked, not in oil or with spices or gravy) and only the teeniest bit so he actually eats it and doesn't hoard it. Otherwise you'd be worrying about whether it was going off somewhere Mealworms might be a bit rich for his digestion right now.

Do you have a name for him yet? . Also you probably know this already, but it's a good idea to freeze hamster food, treats and hay for a week before using them - to kill off any moth eggs, or bug eggs or mites. Mainly to avoid moths hatching out though with food (it can happen in warmer weather) and mites with hay. Hamsters don't actually need hay really - not to eat at least although he might enjoy some as part of his habitat.

 

[mealwormdevourer]

It does sound like it's diarrhoea rather than wet tail then. If he was perky and doesn't have a messy bottom. It may have been a combination of stress at all the change of environment and veggies he wasn't used to. We usually suggest starting veggies every 3rd day for the first couple of weeks until their stomachs adjust. But - he was already having them before.

Hopefully it will have settled now. This first couple of weeks settling in is quite an important time for them to sort of claim their territory and get some familar habits and routes in their cage. So hopefully he won't need cleaning out again for a bit

That food looks fine. Some of these non commercial mixes have a good variety of ingredients, but can rely a bit too much on things like lentils for protein. Lentils aren't that digestible for hamsters and they may not even eat them if they don't like them - so then he wouldn't be getting the protein so supplementing is a good idea. Walnuts are always popular so a walnut half or two a week would be some protein and one other type like a bit of egg or even a bit of chicken or beef if you happened to have cooked some (but only plain cooked, not in oil or with spices or gravy) and only the teeniest bit so he actually eats it and doesn't hoard it. Otherwise you'd be worrying about whether it was going off somewhere Mealworms might be a bit rich for his digestion right now.

Do you have a name for him yet? . Also you probably know this already, but it's a good idea to freeze hamster food, treats and hay for a week before using them - to kill off any moth eggs, or bug eggs or mites. Mainly to avoid moths hatching out though with food (it can happen in warmer weather) and mites with hay. Hamsters don't actually need hay really - not to eat at least although he might enjoy some as part of his habitat.

He doesn’t have a name yet as it has been an ongoing family disagreement since the day he arrived!

I hadn’t heard of freezing stuff first. I’m quite careful to keep food sealed and not let creatures in as my rodents share a room with me. He is about a metre away from me while I sleep.

The hay was just added enrichment for him to snuffle through. It also adds some variety to his substrate. It is very expensive super dust extracted stuff that I buy for my guinea pigs so there is no chance of creatures being in it.

I always have lots of nuts and seeds so it’s easy to give him some of them. That’s interesting about the lentils, I can’t imagine they’re very pleasant to eat dry!

I have easy access to eggs and tofu as well, but not meat because I myself am vegetarian/vegan (only eat eggs from my pet chickens) and don’t use it. I’ve heard that occasionally giving tofu might help with tumours, not sure how true it is though.

It’s very interesting to start from scratch with a whole new animal. As I’ve kept guinea pigs for the last eight and a half years I hadn’t realised how much I rely on my existing knowledge to make even the smallest decisions in their daily care. I seem to be thoroughly googling everything I do for this hamster!

I will try to slowly reintroduce veggies over the next few weeks as I would with a guinea pig. Starting with gentle ones like cucumber.

If he has any further diarrhoea I will get him to the vet urgently.

Thank you so much for your detailed and helpful responses. It is always wonderful to find a forum that is so friendly as some can definitely be a bit hostile.

 

[Maz]

Glad you found us We do pride ourselves on being friendly here . Assume you've seen the home page articles as there's a lot of info on there. And also the resources section. The idea of this site was to have verified and researched information as there is so much contradictory stuff on the internet in various places. You might like the food article, and also the cleaning article - that one is quite important for new hamster owners.

Yes hamsters are very different to guinea pigs really (although similar in some ways). You and he need to get to know each other. They can be quite communicative in their own way and some are more sensitive than others. The sensitive ones often end up being the most loving though and might sit for cuddles. They all have their own personalities. I've had shy Syrians, boisterous syrians and some have particular quirks.

The thing with the food (I don;t know if it's the same for guinea pigs or not) is apparently virtually all pet foods contain moth eggs, which aren't visible to the human eye. Moths are supposed to be able to lay eggs through plastic apparently! It's maybe from storage conditions or the fact that animal foods aren't quite as stringent in the processing along the way as human foods.

The moth eggs are dormant - but if it gets particularly warm - either in summer or in winter with heat on - they can hatch out (Indian meal moths). After my first oubreak (which nearly drove me out of my home!) I've frozen hamster food ever since. Including sprays and treats as well. If it's human grade, I don't bother.

Even then I still keep the food in a sealed storage container as well.

There are a couple of other people on here with guinea pigs as well

 

[Maz]

If you want help choosing a name maybe run a few by us or start a thread on it I'm sure we can help out - if you have a shortlist! We used to find it difficult to when everyone had a say but usually started with a long list, got it down to a short list, then down to 2 or 3 and usually there was one that we all liked/fitted. OH always seemed to like food related ones and didn't like real names but we usually found a compromise.

My current two hamsters I chose the names myself (the others were past getting involved in naming once my stepson got older) and I found it even harder choosing one on my own! It helps if a few people in the family all like the same name!

Do you have a photo of him?

 

[mealwormdevourer]

I spread a pinch of oats around his enclosure last night and he has been foraging for them. He didn’t run on his wheel very much at all last night, but no more diarrhoea as far as I can see but I will check more thoroughly shortly.

 

[Maz]

That's lovely! Would you mind very much re-uploading that? For uploading photos on here, it needs to be directly on the post You'll see "attach files" at the bottom of the post. For videos it needs to be a youtube link pasted and that embeds the video in the post Apologies as I had to remove the link as due to some new regulations we're not doing links to external media sites For a youtube video, if you set it as unlisted, it only shows wherever you paste the link and not publicly. If you don't want it public on youtube

 

[mealwormdevourer]

That's lovely! Would you mind very much re-uploading that? For uploading photos on here, it needs to be directly on the post You'll see "attach files" at the bottom of the post. For videos it needs to be a youtube link pasted and that embeds the video in the post Apologies as I had to remove the link as due to some new regulations we're not doing links to external media sites For a youtube video, if you set it as unlisted, it only shows wherever you paste the link and not publicly. If you don't want it public on youtube

Ah ok. Sorry. I used *****, I can have a go at uploading it to YouTube.

 

[Maz]

It's ok It's a recent change. Hope it's not too much trouble. It is nice viewing the video directly on here as well though

 

[mealwormdevourer]

Got it I think. Annoyingly it makes it into a short because it’s not long enough.

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[mealwormdevourer]

Unfortunately my guinea pigs were hungry at the time so they are quite loud in the background!

 

[Maz]

He's absolutely gorgeus! He still has a real baby look about him Yes it is annoying youtube makes things into shorts - and it doesn't seem to be just the length either. If it's a phone format they seem to automatically make it a short these days. If it's a wide screen format (like from a camera) they accept it as a regular video. I think shorts are fun too though. Some new thing from youtube not that long ago I think.

Maybe the guinea pigs could smell the scrambled egg Anyway he's looking well and healthy. Assume the diarrhoea has stopped?

 

[mealwormdevourer]

He's absolutely gorgeus! He still has a real baby look about him Yes it is annoying youtube makes things into shorts - and it doesn't seem to be just the length either. If it's a phone format they seem to automatically make it a short these days. If it's a wide screen format (like from a camera) they accept it as a regular video. I think shorts are fun too though. Some new thing from youtube not that long ago I think.

Maybe the guinea pigs could smell the scrambled egg Anyway he's looking well and healthy. Assume the diarrhoea has stopped?

I can’t see any in the enclosure, though I am trying to avoid disturbing him too much. There is some on the wheel but it’s hard to tell whether it’s from last night or a few days ago. He’s eating and drinking well, and was happily sniffling around this morning for the stuff I had hidden for him.

The guinea pigs are just struggling with the fact that I now talk to another animal and not just them! It was also their feeding time. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted the egg, though it is definitely not something they should ever have.