Wet tail? AGAIN!

[Sandy Da Cutie]

Omg Im so upset right now. Little Chino was very energetic when i got him, and then i moved him to a new cage that was bigger (a bin) and I left him alone so he wouldnt get stressed out... but now he has wet tail! My other hammy died of wet tail so i am extremely worried. Im beginning to think my little sister was sneaking visits with him when she wasnt supposed to. Anyways, Im taking him to the vet (-doctor-) in an hour or so... I also have been using dry tail, and ive been feeding him banana and oats in one food dish, and his regular food in another, because someone advised me to do this. I bought him a new wheel (he loved his old one) but he stopped running on it, and sleeps all the time! He used to wake up at 8, and now he wakes up at 9 - 10ish, and gets food and then just goes back and sleeps. Also, hes more cramped up then usual, and im guessing his stomach hurts or something?

Any other advice? (Sorry for my rambling)

[janie36]

Well you are certainly doing the right thing by taking Chino to the vet!
Are you sure it's wet tail? it could be something other than that!
Please keep us posted and let us know what the vet had to say!
Keeping my fingers crossed for you! XX

[pinkpink33]

aww im so sorry :( i've heard that hamsters arent meant to have banana, im not sure though. it does sound like his stomach hurts. i didnt know hamsters would get so stressed ust from a new cage! when's he going to the vet? i really hope he gets better, wishing you and chino luck :)

[Sandy Da Cutie]

I just got back from the vet, and they gave me an antiboitic which Im supposed to give chino every 12 hours for 7 days, and after that he should be fine :). And yeah, the vet told me bananas are bad for them... Thanks

[pinkpink33]

wow i got something right lol! o im so glad you got him there so fast - how long has he had symptoms for? i really hope he's ok, poor little mite.

[Moosley]

No offense but if your vet said banannas are bad for hamsters then they dont know much about hamsters and I personally wouldn't want to see them again if they cant give reliable advise about simple things like that.

On that note, did you ever use the same cage, bedding, toys or ball or wheel that your other hamster used? Because thats the most common way for Wet Tail to be spread.

[Sandy Da Cutie]

Hes had them for like 2 days, and i know it can be fatal within 48 hours, and thats why im worried. :(

[Sandy Da Cutie]

I actually did you use the same tunnel, but i thoroughly washed it. Also, my vet didn't exactly say it was bad, she just said you shouldn't feed hamsters fruits like bananas because there high sugar.

[pinkpink33]

i thought you werent meant to feed hams bananas because they're squishy and can get stuck in cheeks? and i thought too much of any fruit is bad, especially for dwarf hams who are more prone to diabetes? correct me if im wrong, im here to learn :) and too much fruit and veg causes diarheoa (sorry for spelling).
well, whether or not your vet is good or whether you need a new one, im glad you took him in so soon. so many people leave that stuff because "it'll go away on it's own" or "it's just a hamster".
which antibiotic is it? i've never had to medicate a pet, so am interested in hearing about types.

please correct me moosley, i hear so much conflicting info, i wish to learn!

[Moosley]

There is no way bananna will get stuck in cheek pouches :) if you mash a bit up between your fingers, you will find it isnt sticky at all.

Dwarf hams, or campbells anyway you might want to watch how much fruit you feed, i wouldnt bother unless my ham was showing signs of diabetes. Diabetes isnt caused by eating stuff like fruit so why not feed it unless there is already the diabetes problem there. Same with picking bits of corn out of the food, completely pointless unless you *know* your hamster is diabetic.

Too much fruit or veg *can* cause diarrhoea but its more likely from foods such as lettuce, cucumber, kiwi etc that have high water content. Anything a ham gets fed should be given in moderation anyway though.

In the UK, the only antibiotic used for hamsters is generally Baytril.

[pinkpink33]

cool, thanks for clearing that up! i was a little worried because a few years back one of my degus was dying (she had 3 ops to remove teeth from her throat, which didnt work) and we spoon fed her mushed up bananas with milk. we had to actually put little bits in her mouth as she couldnt move her tongue or anything. stayed up wit her for 36 hours, but she died :(
i leave the corn as my dwarfs dont eat it anyway, but i pick out the sunflower seeds so they are used as treats for being good, or whenever they come out of their cage. at first i didnt do this, so mitsy got about 6 a day, and she got just a little fat! im lying, she was pretty podgy actually!

how is chino doing? i hope he's still getting better, do you see any improvement?

[janie36]

mmmmmmm! Moosley, that's interesting, what you were saying about sugar!
It must be different for Degus than for Hamsters though, as they are prone to diabetes as a species and really should have a low sugar diet,or they are more likely to develop diabetes when older, which can lead to cataracts, kidney failure etc.
Just wondering how the same disease would work differently in animals, or whether it's just my understanding of it?:)

[Moosley]

I definately wouldnt be feeding fruit to Degus as they are very very sugar intolerant and probably more prone to diabetes than campbells are! I wouldnt feed more than one or two raisins a week to a Degu.

I think diabetes is pretty much the same in hamsters as in humans, just... less easily treated! Kidney failure is a huge problem, which is why the ammount they are drinking/peeing is one of the first signs of diabetes...

[janie36]

Yeah, we never give our degus any fruit at all, the most sugary thing they get is a piece of carrot:)

I am presuming older hamsters are more prone to diabetes? We have 2 boys that are well over 2 years now, and I'm always concerned about them, they often get up for drink 2 or 3 times during the day and first thing they do when they get up at night, is head for the water bottle!

[pixibubbles]

How's chino doing?

what did the vet say about hydration? (coz it's usually the dehydration that kills long) so if you can keep him hydrated while the antibiotics do their work he should be fine... it's maintaining the hydration that is the battle. My favourite solution is the bio lapis (it's designed for rabbits but hamsters can have it at the same solution level) it's pro/pre biotic so replaces the good bacteria and enzyjmes that are flushed out of hams body by diarhea and destoyed by antibiotics. a vit B / D solution may help perk chino up to x

[Sandy Da Cutie]

Ahh! Okay well the medicine the vet prescribed is Baytril, and I gave him a little pedalite yesterday (apple flavored because they didnt have anything else) because my vet said to do that if he gets dehyrated and she said it doesnt matter if its flavored... but I dont think Im going to give him any more, as Ive seen him drinking out of his water bottle. Also, I dont know if shes a good vet, but shes the only exotic vet around here...

Okay well my problem:

Today when i got home from school, I woke him up to give him medicine, and i noticed his nose was purple/blue... ????????!?!?!?!? Why is it like that?! Im really worried.

[Sandy Da Cutie]

ack.. Im freaking out. Im going to go try calling the vet later, as she said calls were free and that I should call her to give her a progress report.

Ive been searching the internet and threads, but i simply cant find anything about purple noses!

[Sandy Da Cutie]

Okay maybe I was exaggerating a bit, but its not that purple. But it does not look the same as yesterday, :confused:

[pinkpink33]

im sorry, i know nothing about blue noses! i would really call the vet though. did you find anything out yet?

[pixibubbles]

i would still give him the pedialyte for a while... it isnt just for re-hydration... it helps re-balance the eledtrolytes and stuff as well. how does his nose feel? could it just be a bit fry and ssore cause he poorly?

Your vet sounds fine... naytril plus pedialyte or bio-lapis is pretty standard treatment for wet tail. i'm afraid there isnt a massive amount mroe that you can say or do. That she will not charge you for phone calls and asked you for a progress report makes me think she is VERY good.