ear trouble

[hammielove]

hi
my dwarf hamster's (she's approaching 2 yrs old) ears recently started to discharge a clear sticky discharge that seems to be coming from inside the ear. there seems to be some blood clot too. the clot is blocking the opening of one of her ears. however she doesent seem to be bothered by it. this discharge thing has been going on for over 2 weeks and i try to help clean her ears with some water every day. she's eating and behaving normally otherwise. could somebody give me an idea as to what's wrong with her?? i'm really worried :( could it be an infection? i dont know if i should bring her to the vet cos i've a feeling she would be given some anibiotics and in my experience, hammies dont really respond well to antbiotics.

plus there have been ants in her cage for the longest time and i have absolutely no idea how to get rid of them! doesnt help if i change the bedding, they just come right back. could the discharge have sth to do with the ants? maybe they bit her? and how do i get rid of the ants??
someone please help!!

[hammielove]

oh btw i use corncob as her bedding and the ants somehow only appear at certain times of the year ( dont think it's cos of seasonal change cos i live in hot sunny singapore)

[Punkygirl0101]

Water should be avoided! Water in the ears can make it worse!

The only thing you really can do is take her to the vet. They know what they are doing,and it will help her to get some antibiotics.

Is her cage near a window? I would move her cage to another location. I don't think the ants would cause her ears to be pussy.

Corncob is not a good bedding to use. it would be best if you could switch to Aspen or Carefresh!

[tvrodents]

Personally i find carefresh too dusty, megazorb is better but comes in massive bales and can be hard to source. another option is something like 'yesterdays news' or biocatolet.
Has she got a head tilt? Becuase that would point to an inner ear infection. either way, sounds like she needs antibiotics

Kat

[CookieDough24]

Take her to the vet! Hamsters do not respond well to "home remedies", so the best thing to do would be to take her immediately.

As for the ants, try moving the cage to a different location. What kind of cage do you have? If it's a wire cage, try using a bin instead, the ants probably would be able to scale a bin. Also, like the others said, don't use corncob. good luck! :)

[pixibubbles]

You can good fly and mite sprays for hammie cages... the best one i have found is bob johnsons. you spray cage when you clean it and leave for 30-45 minutes before putting bedding in.

it could be that hammie has got some dirt in ear causing irritation... but yeah i would say got to vets. even if its not an infection (which i think is quite likely) he can clean ear out for you.

let us know how she gets on x

[KOKKINIKLOSTI]

Ditto to everyone above! You can also put some poison traps for ants around the cage(1-2 should be enough!)!And why don't you call the vet first just to ask? Maybe he can give you a tip about how you should clean the ear until you get the hammy there! Good luck and keep us posted!!