new hamster owner here

[elephant]

Hi. I ran across this forum while looking for information on wet tail. I hope someone can help me!
I bought our new little guy, Elephant on Friday night. Before I get started, I do want to state I am very ashamed in myself for not researching better before we made the purchase. At the pet store, the guy that sold it to me said there wasn't anything I needed to know. He said I would be fine with Elephant, that they are the easiest pets to take care of. Just keep his water fresh, keep an eye on his food and that I could tame him if I took the time. Sounded simple enough. I took the little guy home in the box and set up his cage. (I do want to add it was an hour drive home) Put him in, he seemed ok. Ran around the cage for abit, checking things out. He even scarfed on some of the sunflower seeds that was in his food mixture. Everything seemed ok the first evening home.
Saturday when we woke up, we noticed his cage was a little smelly. I took him out thinking the cage needed cleaning already and his bottom was sopping wet. I had no clue what was going on but he really smelled bad. I had to go to the pet store that day anyways, so I put him back in and left. At the PS (this is a different one from the one I bought him from) I mentioned what I saw and she said it sounded like wet tail. I bought the dry tail drops and fed him as soon as I got home through the syringe. That was easy, he grabbed right onto the dropper and inhaled it. I put his cage in my bedroom and closed the door so he could be in the quiet. After doing some research online, I purchased some unflavored Pedialyte and have been feeding him through a dropper with the drops and 50/50 Pedialyte and water. He still sleeps a whole lot and he fights everytime I try to give him the drops or the Pedialyte/water. Today though, he is eating. After his drops this morning I put him in his food bowl and he shoved his cheeks full of food before going back to the corner he always sleeps in. This is the first time he has eaten since Friday night. He has yet to drink fromt he water bottle. Last night after I cleaned his cage and gave him the drops when I put him back in, he ran around his cage for about 10 minutes. It appeared he may be looking for something? But then he curled up in his corner and went back to sleep.
A trip to the vet unfortunately is out of the question. I called about an appointment and I was told it would be 75.00 just to look at him and that was not including any meds he would need. I was also told he probably wouldn't make it. Is there anything else I should be doing? How many times a day should I be giving him the water and Pedialyte? I have been giving it to him about 4 times a day and the drops 2 times a day. Will he ever drink out of his water bottle himself? So many questions, I know. I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can for my little guy. Thanks in advance!

[sn0wball]

Just a preface... the reason you aren't getting a lot of feedback is probably due to the length of your post. :D Try asking your question up front, I've found a shorter message gets more people to read...

ANYWAY

as to your problem, if you look up wet tail on this forum there is a lot of great advice and posts about the matter (forum search: wet tail) You sound like you've been doing well, it's very important to keep the animal hydrated. as to a vet visit, it's contraversial but I find that a vet trip for a young new hammie often does more harm than good, simply because the stress and rough handling a vet will offer your hamster does little to alleviate this stress-related illness.
As for treatment, keep doin what you're doin. Clean the cage every few days, making sure it never starts to smell. Wipe down anything that is defecated on. If the tail was already soaking, it may be too late. understand your hamster will probably not make it, and if it gets really bad the store SHOULD cover all vetrinary treatment this recently after the purchase. (if your store doesn't, go to a different store and complain)
As to your specific questions... if your hamster is eating enough the pedialyte is redundant. Supplement it for regular food as necessary but remember it's better for him to try to eat solid food if he can. Put the water bottle near his bed if he is bed ridden, a lot of the time the distance is just too much for a weak hamster to cover. If it is bed ridden, clean out the bed often because it is probably making waste in there.
The Dritail will not cure wet-tail, just symptoms. I can't recall what the directions say, but follow them. I think it says something about discontinuing the medicine after 5-8 days?
At any rate, stop feeding your hamster anything but BLAND pellets and the pedialyte if necessary. If Elephant appears too sickly and in too much pain, you really need to either take it to the vet or the store for treatment/euthanization. :( Best of luck for your little fella!

[emmahilton]

Took my hamster to vet today with "early wet tail" (not bad diarrhoea but lathargic, not drinking water etc). Hamster not too bad as had force fed him water through the night. The vet gave me antibiotics and a probiotic sachet. He also advised me to feed my hamster baby food for a week from a syringe. You know those pots of Heinz, especially "Banana delight" type flavours!

[PonyPalJuMpEr]

I Hope Your Hammy Gets Better! Mine Is Still Lost :(

[TobyRat]

Long posts are always better then short posts. They give way more detail then someone just saying "I think my hamster has wet tail". Anyone who decides not to read a thread because it's long, probably can't help you with the question anyways. ;)

As for the little hammie, I don't think there is anything left you can do. If the hamster is showing severe symptoms of wet tail then I really doubt he is going to pull though. Wet tail drops (dri tail is what I think they are called) are worthless. Without antibiotics from a vet I don't think they can recover, and even if you do go to the vet it would probably be too late. Continue the pedialyte, it is VERY important the hamster stays hydrated. With wet tail, sometimes eating and drinking wont be enough. Good luck with your hamster, and if he is showing signs of pain I think euthanizing would be in his best interest. . .

[TobyRat]

One more thing, pedialyte is only good for about 24 hours (48 at the most) after it is opened. Freezing it in an ice cube tray is a good way to save it's potency. Just take a cube out and let it thaw out in a glass. Just do not heat it on the stove or microwave, as it is altered by heat.

[elephant]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am sorry for the long winded post, but I am a detail freak I guess.
Elephant is still alive, although I am not sure for how long. I have been feeding him the dri-tail, the water and the pedialyte through a dropper. Also, per suggestion from a hamster owner I have given him a drop of syrup every now and then to help his blood sugar and perk him up abit. I was wondering about the baby food suggestion...wouldn't giving him fruit make the diarrhea worse? He doesn't seem to have diarrhea anymore, but he does pee. Today was the last day of the 5 day suggested run of dri-tail. He is still getting around pretty well and he isn't squealing at all. He won't drink from his water bottle or eat on his own. I am determined to get him better.

[o0sapphirerat0o]

Another good site to go to is
http://www.hamsterific.com/BBS/
They have lots of info there :D

http://www.hamsterific.com/IllnessGuide.cfm#WetTail

pedilite should be done every few hours to keep him from dehydrating.
if you are giving him something called dri-tail, don't, I have been told that it actually kills off the natural bacteria in the stomache and does more harm than good.

Get your baby to a vet! Wet tail can kill them :(

[TiaMaria]

::A post I have written previously::

Wet tail has always been a greatly feared disease for hamster owners. Despite all the warnings in books, in the last so years that I have been keeping hamsters I have never seen a case. I had thought that it was disappearing but over the last few months I have heard of several cases in various places, particularly in the South East so felt that members might find some facts useful. There is a tendency for any digestive illness to be referred to as wet tail but this is not correct.

Wet tail or proliferative ileitis or transmissible ileal hyperplasia is a highly infectious illness of the digestive tract where the lower part of the intestine becomes thickened and inflamed. There is still a slight question as to the cause. It is mainly due to Escherichia Coli bacteria but this may be a secondary cause and other bacteria may be involved such as Campylobacter or Cryptosporidia.

The first symptoms are usually unkempt fur, loss of appetite and lethargy, quickly followed by severe watery diarrhoea, which may be bloody, and a hunched position. Rectal prolapse may occur and wasting and death is likely within two to six days. Treatment is possible but difficult and requires dedicated nursing. If wet tail is suspected, a vet needs to be consulted immediately, the hamster must be isolated and strict hygiene observed.

An infected hamster needs immediate veterinary treatment and then must be kept warm and clean with bedding changed frequently and as free from stress as possible. As fluids are lost with the diarrhoea they need to be replaced and no solid food given for at least the first 24 hours. Neomycin, diluted 1:3 with water is usually prescribed, one drop twice daily, with the maximum dose being 10mg. Kaolin may also be given, 2 to 3 drops three times a day. Vitamin B (brewer’s yeast) or multivitamins may help. To replace fluids, Lectade may be given orally or injections of Ringer’s solution. If you have other hamsters, oxytetracycline (400mg per litre) or erythromycin added to the drinking water may give protection.

If the patient dies then all the bedding must be destroyed and the cage, bottles, dishes etc. thoroughly disinfected before any re-use. Always tend any other healthy animals before the patient but if you can, arrange for ill and healthy hamsters to be cared for by different people. Obviously, wash your hands thoroughly when caring for a sick hamster and wear a protective overall. If you have a case of wet tail you should not go to shows or places where there are hamsters. The SHC has a rule that anyone who has four or more hamsters with an infectious disease or mystery illness, they must produce a veterinary certificate before returning to showing.

People reading all this shouldn’t become over-aious. Do remember that many of us who have been keeping and exhibiting hamsters for years have never had or seen a case. Most cases occur in pet shops, partly due to the fact that newly-weaned young are the most susceptible due to the stress of weaning. This may be compounded by transportation in less-than-ideal conditions to the shop sometimes at too young an age.

Wet tail is more common in colony-bred hamsters and there is the possibility of a genetic predisposition. Any hamster that has had wet tail and recovered should not be used for breeding.

Wet tail rarely affects Russian or Chinese hamsters.

If there is an outbreak in a pet shop near you, it would be sensible not to purchase hamsters from there until you are quite satisfied that there is no danger. Also, if you suspect that there may be cases in your area, if you purchase any new stock I would suggest that you keep them in isolation for at least a week. Females bought from a source where there has been an outbreak may suddenly develop the disease in later life but if hygiene is good and precautions taken, only an isolated case should occur. When the disease was more common in the past, in an experiment neomycin was given in small cubes of cheese to all stock which reduced the incidence of the disease, but routine administration of antibiotics is not recommended as the bacteria may develop resistance.