I think he has -wet tail-, help?

[KiTTyStiches]

i think smudgie has something wrong w/ him cuz i read that if their tails wet somethings wrong and he hasnt played in his wheel for 2 days now and he just sleeps and looks sad and his tail is all wet. could he be sick? what do i need to do about it, i dont want him to be sick! :(

[yodelinghamster]

Feed him unflavored pedialite from an eyedroper.

NOTE: After it is opened it is bad, unless you freeze it then deforst it naturally.

[lilforjc]

the petstores sell an over the counter thing called dritail...sometimes they need something from a vet...sometimes you can nurse them back to health by keeping them hydrated and fed. do a google sesarch on wet-tail, call your vet and just try to do the best you can. they are so small they can go downhill quick-and they can get a prolapsed rectum from too severe a case of wet-tail, I believe. Good luck-we are pulling for ya!

[KiTTyStiches]

hmm i read somewhere on line that drytail wont help them if they already have it

[J mouse]

It can help a mild case of wet-tail. How does your hamster smell?

[KiTTyStiches]

um he doesnt smell abnormal to me, kinda stinks like a hamster. doesnt smell like pretty but its not terrible... i read that dirhea was a sign so i looked at his bottom and it was wet and i rubed my finger on it to see and it didnt appear to be poop but im not sure cuz it was moshy and brown (sorry that thats soooo gross but im just trying to figure out whats up and help him)

[LilSnooPydOG]

Dri Tail is basically useless...it may help with the diarrhea but it won't cure the wet tail.

Is he still eating and drinking? If he's not you need to get him to a vet ASAP. The most important thing is keeping him hydrated, so I agree with giving him Pedialyte every 2 hours or so. But he'd still need a vet, to get some of the proper antibiotics for it.

Good luck. :)

[J mouse]

To see if he is hydrated pinch a bit of his skin and if it quickly snaps back to his boby then he has enough water, if it slowly falls back to the skin then he hasn't gotten enough water. Hamsters shouldn't have any smell, I would really get him to the vet as quickly as possible. Wet-tail kills within a few days.

[lilforjc]

kittystiches-have you done a search on this forum about wet-tail-if your babe doesn't seem better today call a vet-if he stinks and has "mushy and brown" bottom he prob has wet-tail...I hope he gets better, but sad to say most wet-tail is fatal

[KiTTyStiches]

i know he has it... hes not better. yes he still eats and i'm going to go get him dritail and pedialite today... but i hate to do this but... i dont have a job or money to take him to the vet. i just spent the last of my money on heart worm medicine for my dog. im just going to have to try my best with what i can afford. :( thanks everyone for your help... i'll check back on here later and post any update on him. help me pray for his little soul.
Julie N Smudgie

[lilforjc]

just try to keep him hydrated-I think somewhere I read no fresh veggies cuz of diarreah...I will pray for ya'll...keep us updated!

[KiTTyStiches]

ah oh no! the only thing he'll eat is carrotts and thats a fresh vegi! i'm going to walmart in a min to get some pedialite and dritail and hamster treats

[J mouse]

No! give him the veggies! They have water in them and until you can afford medicine they will keep him hydrated. With wet-tail they can get real weak and not be able to go to their water bottle.

[lilforjc]

but, Jmouse, when my lil Cinnammon and Simon had wet-tail I was told no fresh veggies-the way to keep them hydrated is the hand watering and pedialyte-since there is such a risk of diarreah with wet-tail you wouldn't want to do anything that might encourage it...I still say do a search-I don't know who is right...

[LilSnooPydOG]

Just try to get some water in him, even if it means adding sugar to it to make it taste better so it'll appeal to him more (but only add the sugar if he won't drink).

The thing with the veggies and fruits is that they are what usually cause the diarrhea in the first place, and you definitely don't want to keep adding to the problem. That's why fruits/veggies should only be given no more than a couple times a week, and why anything with a high water content should be given in moderation.

So give him the Pedialyte, but it would still be best to get to a vet...do we even know for certain that this IS wet tail, and not just diarhea?

[J mouse]

Well I don't know. It just seems if he won't eat anything else then it is better he have carrots than starve.

[KiTTyStiches]

I dont know how to tell for sure... but he has a mushy butt with brown on it so im assuming thats dirrhea and he is always sleepin g and never wants to play not even at night and he just looks sick all together and smells stinky. i bought him some treats and yogert drops and dritail today when i went out. hopefully he'll eat those and take the meds

[J mouse]

I am 100% sure that he has wet-tail. Put a blanket over his cage to reduce stress. Good Luck!

[lilforjc]

I agree with Jmouse...take all the measures that have been talked about in this forum...good luck-we are all pulling for ya'll!

[KiTTyStiches]

EVERYONE... its too late, wettail has taken his life. theres a memorial post in the memorial section and a memorial picture taken of me with him in the photo section.
RIP my baby smudgie

[J mouse]

I am so sorry for your loss. Rest in Peace Smudgie :candle:

[lilforjc]

aaawwwhhh-I am so sorry