Rabbits N'Rodents

Feeding

Adding Variety to Your Hamsters Diet 

Safe Food List

Mashes, Porridges and Cereals

Behaviour and Habits

Is your hamster chewing the cage bars?

Litter Training

Sleeping Patterns

Can I give my hamster a bath?

Health

Looking after Elderly Hamsters

Dealing with wet tail

 

Hamsters in the wild eat a whole range of seeds, grasses, plants, insects and will feed off dead animals. So pellets are not suited, so should not be used, and you should seek out a good quality hamster mix like Hagan, Surpreme Harry/Hazel or Burgess, with Harry/Hazel hamster food being the most recommended and easy to find.

A mix by itself is fine, but I find that my hamsters enjoy more variety, and by choosing the right foods you can boost your hamster's overall nutrition. Of course the hamster mix should form the basis of the hamster's diet, and they will eat around 1-2 tablespoons a day, depending on the breed, size and activity of the hamster, but slightly more than that should be put in the cage. To encourage your hamster to eat all the mix, you should not offer loads and loads of it (unless they are pregnant/nursing or youngsters(under 12 weeks)), and limit them to 1-3 sunflower seeds daily and try and limit the peanuts and pumpkin seeds to about 1 or 2 a day.  Most hamsters leave the little alfalfa grass pellets, and as alfalfa contains so much calcium, it probably isn't a bad thing, but if they eat them, let them.

Apart from the hamster mix, you can add in dry foods along with the mix, and I find my hamsters love the little extras! I highly recommend you add wheatgerm as it is great for Vitamin B and E,  whether or not you add the anything else, it is up to you. You may just want to add in one or two, or the whole lot. Good other foods you can add are:

Rolled oats/oatmeal: Great digestible source of gluten, good for providing energy and protein. Too many will cause constipation though.

Millet: Can be bought from the bird section of petstores, although I prefer the millet bought from health food shops.

Plain, low sugar puffed cereal: Plain Kashi, Uncle Sam's and other low sugar puffed rice cereals are great, just stay away from cornflakes as corn is not a suitable food for dwarves or syrians and it can rip the inside cheek pouches of hamsters.

Buckwheat: Served soaked or dry is fine. If you choose soaked, simmer in a pan of unsalted water for about 15 minutes and serve separate from hamster mix and at room temperature.

Lentils: There are a wide variety of lentils, all are fine, I use mainly the orange and green lentils.

Sesame Seeds: Good for omega 3 and 6, but are fattening so limit them to a small pinch once or twice a week.

Pumpkin seeds: You will often find these already in the mix, either already shelled or still in their white shells. If you already have these in the mix, fine, if you don't, pop down to your local health store and buy a bag. In fact, buy a bag anyway, they are very good for us, and a handful a day provides us with Omega 3 and 6!! I pick them out of the mix and replace them with 1 or 2 organically grown ones as I feel that is better for the hamsters.

Walnuts and Brazil nuts: Very fatty, but provide B vitamins and Essential fatty acids (Omega 3) so limit to no more than half a walnut OR half a brazil nut once every 2 weeks.

Hay: Timothy/meadow/orchard grass or brome hay are all great boredom busters as well as being great for wearing down teeth and adding extra fibre to the diet. Avoid alfalfa hay as it is far too high in calcium which can cause bladder stones. Make sure hay is sweet smelling and fresh with no signs of mould. Some hamsters ignore it, some eat it and others make a nest out of it.  I have rabbits, so it is more economical for me to feed hay to my hamsters, whereas for some of you it may be a bit of a waste of money.

Dog biscuits: Great for wearing down teeth, but should be limited so as the hamster doesn't just eat the dog biscuit! Do not feed any dog biscuits containing onion/onion powder, garlic, pork or one heavily coloured. I prefer to feed milk bones as it has no meat by-products in them.

I make a big batch of extra dry mix, using mainly kashi cereal, some rolled oats, buckwheat and lentils. I then have pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, wheatgerm, nuts, dog biscuits and millet in sperate containers as they are so fine that they would just sink to the bottom of the mix, and I like to keep tight control on the amount of millet, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds as they are all fatty foods, but still beneficial to the diet. 

 

I am also a great believer in feeding fruit and vegetables, although no fruit or sugary veggies (corn, peas and carrots) for Russian dwarves and chinese hamsters as they are prone to diabetes. Try and introduce fresh foods slowly into the diet, and look here for safe fresh foods: Safe Food List-Hamsters and gradually you will be able to feed fresh foods everyday or every 2-3 days. Any signs of diarrhoea though, you must stop feeding all fresh foods and introduce them more gradually! Read the feeding section here.

Also feed protein foods once or twice a week in the form of a bit of plain cooked chicken/turkey, plain cooked unsmoked boneless fish- cod or whiting, hard boiled egg or some rolled oats soaked in plain unsweetened soya milk.

Remember though, all new foods should be gradually introduced and the hamster mix should make up the majority of the diet!  If you have a very fussy hamster, just feed the plain hamster mix with a few fresh foods every day or two, as it is very important they eat their hamster mix and not just the extras you feed them! You can then gradually try and introduce other foods into their dry diet if you so wish. 

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Safe Food List

Vegetables

• Bean Sprouts (ie aduki and mung)
• Bok Choi
• Broccoli
• Brussell sprouts **
• Carrot (not for dwarves) 
• Cabbage**
• Celery (leaves and stalks, just be carful of the stringy bits-cut up small)
• Chicory
• Chinese leaves
• Cauliflower**
• Courgettes
• cucumber (very watery so small amounts and no seeds)
• Curly kale
• Fenugreek
• Kidney beans (cooked as raw are toxic!!)
• Mange tout
• Pak choi
• peas (not for dwarves)
• Sweet corn (not for dwarves)
• Sweet peppers
• Water chestnuts
• Wheat grass

**- Fed in small amounts rarely as too much can cause health problems

       HERBS

• Basil
• Coriander
• Mint
• Parsely (NOT fools parsely which is deadly!!!)
• Rosemary
• Sage 

       FRUIT  (not for dwarves)

• Apple (seedless)
• Banana
• Blueberries
• Mango
• Peach
• Pear
• Rasberries
• Strawberry

Dangerous/toxic fruits and vegetables which should never be fed

• Apple seeds
• Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons etc)
• Garlic
• Onions
• Potatoes (raw)
• Lettuce (Iceburg especially)
• raw kidney beans
• tomatos (too acidic)
• Tomato leaves

NOTE: Never feed any fruits or vegetables which are too ripe or past their best, because although we can consume these, it is believed that small animals like hamsters have trouble digesting them.

 

    OTHER FOODS

• Brazil Nuts
• Buckwheat
• Bread (wholemeal)
• Breakfast cereals (plain, low sugar puffed cereals ie plain kashi)
• Chicken (cooked, plain)
• Crickets
• Cod (cooked, plain)
• Dog Biscuits (no garlic, onion or pork)
• Egg-Hard Boiled
• Oat meal
• Pasta (cooked, wholemeal)
• Pecans
• Potatoe (cooked/boiled)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Rice (plain, wholemeal)
• Rolled oats (too many causes constipation)
• Mealworms
• Millet Spray (for pet birds)
• Toast (plain)
• Tofu (plain, cooked)
• Turkey (cooked, plain)
• Walnuts
• Wheatgerm
• Wheatgrass
• Yeast
• Yoghurt (plain natural bio-yogurt)

     AVOID- Do not feed

• Almonds
• Buns
• Butter
• Buttercups
• Cake
• Chocolate
• Chips
• Cookies
• Crisps
• Dried fruit (too sugary)
• Insects from the garden
• Junk food
• Raw meat/raw fish
• Spicy Food

And anything else you are unsure about as hamsters have delicate tummies, sop don't put them at risk.

Petstore Treats

Please avoid these, they are full of sugar, corn salt etc and only encourage your hamster to become faddy eaters. They have little/no nutritional value and should never be fed, with the exception of millet sprays for birds which can be fed as a treat now and again.

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Whether you have a baby hamster, an adult or an elderly hamster, they will greatly benefit from mashes and porridges, provided you use proper healthy ingredients.

 

They are particularly great during winter months, or for young/sick/old/pregnant hamsters as they are soft and easy to eat.

 

Porridge

 

Not always a favourite amongst us humans, but it goes down a real treat with hamsters. To make a suitable porridge mixture, the main ingredient should be rolled oats or oatmeal- do not use oats which are mouldy and they should have no sharp shells which can rip delicate cheek pouches.  

 

Oats are a warming food and provide hamsters (and us) with a good source of energy. They are naturally low in sugar and are a cheap and easily digested food.

 

To make ‘porridge’ you need rolled oats or oatmeal and they should be soaked in water or unsweetened Soya milk (at room temperature). I personally don't recommend cow's milk, as it is very high in lactose (milk sugars) meaning it can be tricky to digest, and certainly NEVER feed babies cows milk!!! For pregnant and nursing mums, as well their litter, you can soak the oats in puppy milk/kitten milk replacement formula prepared according to the instructions.

The oats should be allowed to swell which takes about 5-10 minutes. 

Of course it should be served in small amounts to get the hamster accustomed to it and therefore avoiding tummy upsets. You can gradually increase the amount given over time.

 

Once the hamster is used to it, you may want to add in other ingredients like plain, wholemeal bread, wheat-germ, and/or plain soya natural bio yoghurt.

Avoid honey, salt, sugar, jams and any other unhealthy, sticky, sweet foods.

Porridges should be fed no more than once a week in small amounts as it will go off quickly for adults, but can be fed daily in larger amounts for pregnant/nursing mums and babies. Only make enough for that night, as it goes off quickly.

 

Cereals

 

Cereals provide fibre and a source of energy, however, care must be taken when selecting cereals as the majority are unsuitable.

Avoid honey, dyed, sugar coated, corn and chocolate covered cereals. Only use plain, puffed, low in sugar cereals and if necessary pick out the nuts and dried fruit.  An ideal cereal is plain Kashi or Uncle Sam's which consists of grains that have been simply puffed with no added sugar or salt.

Then soak the cereal in natural yoghurt/unsweetened soya milk or for pregnant/nursing mothers and pups kitten or puppy milk may be used.

Nothing else needs to be added, just let the cereal soak up the milk and then serve in small amounts. The same guideline for porridges applies.

 

 

Mashes

 

Mashes are a healthy and tasty treat for any hamster which is just that, a treat- so no more than once a week. When serving keep ingredients to a minimum to avoid stomach upsets.

If you only have a few hamsters, use leftovers from dinner. Plain boiled wholemeal rice or pasta with no spices or dressings can be used, along with steamed or boiled vegetables from the safe food list. If you use stock cubes or a lot of salt when cooking, it is best not to use the foods and instead stick with fresh vegetables, porridges and cereals.

 

Mashed rice/pasta and/or vegetables can be mixed with a little water and served at room temperature.  Remember not to feed rice in large quantities, only 5-6 grains are needed as too much can bind up the guts. 

 

Favourite Recipes

 

The amount you need depends purely on your hamster's breed, age and size, so keep the amounts small at first to avoid tummy upsets. A syrian can have 1 tablespoon, and a dwarf 1/2 a tablespoon as a portion. This is great for young, old or sick animals or as an occassional treat. The quantities are a rough guide only.

 

1./ Special Porridge

 

You will need:

1 teaspoon rolled oats

1 teaspoon wheatgerm

1 teaspoon unsweetened soya milk

1 teaspoon plain puffed cereal ie Plain kashi

1 teaspoon soya natural Bio yoghurt (Feeds 3-5 hamsters)

 

Method:

Soak the oats and cereal in the soya milk, allow to swell, add in the wheatgerm and natural yoghurt, mix in well. Serve when the hamster is active as it will go sour if not eaten soon. 

 

 

2./Warming Mash

 

You will need: 

Cooked wholemeal rice/pasta

Selection of shredded vegetables off the safe food list

 

Method:

Mix together and serve.  Make sure there are no spices or salt added.

 

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A lot of hamsters in wire cages will chew the bars and not only is this frustrating for us when we are trying to sleep or watch telly, but it is a health hazard for our hamsters. Hamsters do not chew the bars with their front teeth, instead they use the back teeth (molars). This can mean that their front teeth can grow too long, as unlike us, hamsters being rodents, their teeth continually grow and should be gnawed down. When a hamster's teeth become too long they cannot eat or drink posing the risk of starvation or dehydration unless the owners notice in time. In very rare cases, some hamsters manage to find a way to eat and drink, but their teeth continue to grow into the roof of the mouth and into the brain. This as you can imagine, is extremely sore and stressful and can be so easily avoided by taking some basic precautions.

Also constant chewing on the bars results in what is known as 'bar rub' where the fur on the hamster's muzzle is rubbed off by the bars as they chew. The skin is left exposed and can bleed if the hamster continues to chew obsessively. Again this can be avoided.

So why do they chew on the bars? Well, there is a variety of reasons, usually because they are bored, have they got a solid wheel that is big enough, do they know how to use it? Hamsters in the wild can cover several kilometres foraging for food, so when kept in a cage they need to burn off the excess energy via a wheel, which is not a luxury item, but vital and they should always have a wheel in the cage unless pregnant, nursing or have heart problems! The wheel should not have open rungs and instead should be a solid wheel that doesn't allow feet to be trapped. If you have a syrian (teddybear, European blackbear, fancy, panda etc) then that is a possibility as often syrians outgrow their wheels, and so if your hamster has to arch its back to use the wheel, you should replace it with a bigger one. There are some hamsters who never quite manage to master the art of using a wheel, and if you suspect that, then buy a wodent wheel or one of those hamster balls on a stand that have a door which allows the hamster to enter and exit the wheel as they please.

Have they anything else to chew? You should supply your hamster with a variety of chewing material like untreated willow/wicker sticks (rabbit section of petshop), wooden chews (avoid dyed ones) or an unflavoured dog biscuit with no onion, garlic or pork ie: milk bones. If you have rabbits or guineapigs, you could place a small handful of timothy, brome, orchard grass or meadow hay in the cage. Avoid alfalfa as it is too high in calcium! Perhaps you or someone you know has apple trees, and a small branch of apple wood is great so long as the trees are not treated with pesticide or diseased.

What size is your cage? If it is too small, or lacks any toys etc then your hamster will chew the bars out of pure boredom, try to add new toys to enrich the environment!

BUT most hamsters will chew the bars simply because they can, even if they have a massive cage with lots of toys, so in this case you have several options:

• Buy bitter apple spray or put vinegar on the bars- the bitter apple is available in the dog section of a lot of petshops and both of these can be used to try and stop the chewing. It rarely works as hamsters seem to chew them despite the taste. Citrus fruit juice and spicy sauces should NOT be used.  
• Buy a barless cage, probably the best way to even prevent the start of bar chewing. Bin cages and aquariums are really not that expensive and your hamster will be much happier if they can not chew the bars. Mine chewed their bars so much so that I ended up buying two indoor 'rabbit cages' (too small for bunnies):

 

 

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Yes! Hamsters, like cats, dogs and rabbits etc can be litter trained quite easily as they are clean animals who normally seek out one area to pee.

To start off with, you need to find the corner they use as a toliet and then clean that corner really well, but keep back some of the soiled bedding. Then put the soiled bedding in the container you want to become their toilet. Petshops now sell hamster litter trays and that usually comes with free litter. However, the litter for the trays should never be used as it is not digestible if eaten, so instead use chinchilla sand (not dust!) or whatever bedding you already use in the cage (aspen, carefresh etc).

I use a strong plastic lunchbox with a layer of chinchilla sand at the bottom and it works well.

Place the new litter tray in the same corner they normally pee in, or wait until you clean out the cage and put it in the corner you desire. The hamster will soon get the hang of it, and at first, don't clean it out totally as the hamster may not go back to use it. Once the hamster is used to their new litter tray, it should be changed every other day to stop bacteria bulid up.

Hamsters are not nocturnal like many believe, but in fact crepscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk and sleep throughout the rest of the day. Although they often are seen up in the afternoon getting a drink and stuffing their pouches with more food to bring back to bed.

When you first get your baby hamster home, do not be surprised if they are very active for the first night or two and then do not get up until very late in the evening. They often do this because they have tired themselves out exploring their new home and adjusting to new surroundings. Syrians and lone dwarves of course have to adjust to being away from siblings as well.

However, moving to a new home is a stressful time, so you should keep an eye out for any diarrhoea etc which may need vet attention. Syrians in particular should be watched for wet tail. See this link: Dealing with Wet tail

As they grow up into a young adult, they will change their sleeping patterns all the time as their metabolism is changing, then usually from around 4-6 months they get into a regular pattern and will usually either be up early in the evenings (around 7pm) or will get up later in the evening and still be active the next morning it depends on the individual hamster. Some are early risers, others stay up longer into the next day. 

As hamsters become old they are less active and will sleep more, that is normal and shouldn't be a cause for concern unless they have other symptons which are abnormal- if this is the case, consult your vet. Remember older hamsters may have thinning hair.

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Often when people think their hamster smells or thinks the hamsters would like a swim, they give them a bath, this is NOT a good idea. You see, hamsters are aquaphobic (scared of water) and by bathing them you risk drowning them, and if they survive the shock, they can catch colds and chills which can lead to pneumonia. It also destroys their natural coat oils. So never ever bathe your hamster, it is just not worth it. 

'But my hamster smells!'- Hamsters are clean animals and sometimes females will have a 'musky' scent to them, however, this does not mean they should get a bath, its just part of them. It can also be a sign you are not cleaning the cage often enough- remember to clean out the cage every week! 

'My Hamster has a soiled coat'- If this is the case, could your hamster have diarrhoea or wet tail? Check out the health care section and this link Dealing with Wet tail If your hamster has got dirty and its not from illness, then babywipes can be used.

'But my hamster has stuff stuck in its coat!'- Again baby wipes can be used, or you can gently cut away the object. 

'But the vet told me to'- If your hamster has mites or another skin problem, your vet may give you a special mite treatment that requires bathing the hamster. If this is the case, refuse and ask for an alternative.

'But my hamster is soaking wet, now what do I do?'- In this case, you must keep the hamster somewhere warm and towel them as much as possible, and putting a heat pad/hot water bottle under the cage is a good idea, but don't force your hamster to use it- it may be too hot or uncomfortable for them. Do NOT use a hair drier as you can easily burn a hamster and the noise will only increase stress levels.  The hamster may be in shock, so care should be taken to leave them somewhere quiet and dark, but keep a close eye on them for the next week to make sure wet tail does not occur.

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Common signs of old hamsters are 'waxy' ears that have a shine to them, very dark yellow/ orange teeth, thining hair and a lower level of activity. 

 

Any dwarf hamster over 15 months and Syrians over 18 months are usually considered as elders.

 

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Feeding and teeth

 

You can't stop the aging process, but you can help slow down their effects on your hamster through proper care and diet.

Older hamsters have a slower metabolism, which means they require less food as they are not as active and will not burn off excess energy so are more likely to become obese on a diet rich in fat, and too high in carbohydrates.

 

Hamsters require less protein in their diet when they become older, but feeding a few foods that have a good protein amount will be really beneficial as protein is needed for repairing cells. It also serves as a secondary source of energy. Too many protein foods will do more harm than good though, so limit them to 1-2 portions of protein foods a week. Ideally you should choose soft foods so as they will eat them, so hard boiled egg or plain, cooked chicken/turkey or porridge (made from rolled oats/oatmeal soaked in unsweetened soya milk) are all perfect.

NB: Rolled oats/oatmeal provide an easy to digest form of protein, which is good for older hamsters, but will cause constipation if fed unsoaked, in large amounts.

 

Older hamsters often have weaker teeth and brittle bones, so adding in a little extra calcium is fine, but, like protein, if fed in excess, calcium can do more harm than good. A diet too rich is calcium is likely to lead to bladder stones and they only need a small amount, and is usually found in adequate amounts in their food . However, most foods that are high in protein are good sources of calcium, so by feeding hard boiled egg, porridge or some plain natural bio yoghurt (preferably soya bio-yoghurt) once or twice a week your elderly hamster should be fine.

 

Mashes and porridges are really beneficial for older hamsters during colder weather, please go here for safe recipe ideas-Mashes, Cereals and porridge

 

Due to weaker teeth, elderly hamsters are less likely to eat harder foods so you must keep an eye on their teeth. Some hamsters have been known to deliberately soften the harder parts of their mix in their pouches or in a dish used to serve softer foods.  Most people when they first see their hamster’s teeth are shocked and believe the teeth are too long.  Most of the time, the hamster’s teeth are fine, so how do you know when they are too long? Well, the best way to look at hamsters’ teeth, (without getting bitten), is either to pop along to the vets, and if they are long the vet will clip them for you. The other way is to check the hamster can eat properly, you can offer them their favourite food and see if they eat it okay, also look for signs of dribbling ot blood around the mouth. Having wood chews ie willow or apple tree chews, and a plain unsalted nut (no almonds) ie Brazil in the cage is strongly recommended.

NEVER try and trim the teeth yourself, at least not until your vet has shown you how- it is all too easy to cut a paw or tongue that gets in the way. 

 

Old hamsters will also greatly benefit from their weekly portions of fresh foods (remember no fruits or sugary veggies i.e. carrots for dwarves). So don’t cut down on their fresh food supply, the fibre, water and other nutrients received from them are of great benefit.

A caution though, old hamsters that have never been accustomed to fresh foods are VERY prone to diarrhea, more so than younger hamsters trying them for the first time. Therefore better to try extremely small amounts of vegetables that do not contain a lot of moisture, cucumber is a no-no, but a small bit of brocoili or celery leaf is fine. Just watch out for diarrhoea!

 

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Grooming

Hamsters generally are capable of grooming themselves and spend hours doing so, but older longhaired males may need a hand throughout their life, especially when old. An new soft bristle toddler toothbrush should be used, and generally you should brush in the direction of the hair growth. Any bedding that is caught should be removed by hand, or if it is really tangled, you will need to use scissors carefully- having someone else there will help.

Very longhaired males should have the end of their ‘skirts’ trimmed off if they are incapable. The skirt is the long tufts at the rear end and sides of the hamster. Just don’t cut off too much as that will cause a ‘draft’, so you should gradually do so over a week or two.

 

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Hair Loss

 

Hamsters often lose hair as they age, most noticeably in long haired males. The areas most affected are the belly and the flanks. If the skin does not look red and inflamed and the hamster is not excessively scratching then there is nothing you can do. If the skin is irritated or the hamster is scratching a lot, a skin sample will need to taken at the vets to test for mites, that is unless fleas or mites are visible.

Hamsters are never to old to develop allergies either, and sneezing, rattling chests as well as hairloss could mean an allergy. Therefore, it is best to switch to plain, unscented toilet paper and if the symptoms prevail afterwards, seek advice. Any rattling chests need prompt medical attention.

 

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Health care

 

The older they get, the more likely they are going to become ill, it is the sad fact of life. However, in most cases, early treatment can save lives, so you should check your hamster over daily when bringing them out for their daily play.

 

• Start by checking the mouth, is it wet or blood stained- could be teeth problems which means a trip to the vet. 
• Then check the over all condition, is the hamster bright eyed with a sleek coat? If not then you will want to ensure the hamster has no other signs of illness.
• Thirdly check for any lumps and bumps- remember male Syrians have hip-spots (scent glands) and male dwarves have a scent gland (lump) on their tummies. Sometimes dwarves develop ‘soft- lumps’ which seem to cause no problems, but you should get that confirmed by a vet to ensure it is not an abscess or tumor.
• Make sure the hamster has no blood or foul smelling discharge around their rear-end as that is a sign for an immediate vet trip.
• Lastly check the hamster is not swollen, underweight, hunched, lethargic or has any breathing difficulties- all are signs of needing vet treatment ASAP.

 

It is advised to keep a record of your hamster’s weight as a severe loss of weight is sometimes and indication of an underlying problem. You can buy a cheap set of kitchen scales that will be just used for your pets.

 

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Nails

As older hamsters are less active, their nails may become overgrown, and despite what some may say, sandpaper is NOT the solution. Sandpaper will not only trim nails down, but it will also cut little feet.

So if they are too long, causing problems when walking or curled in, then a vet will trim them for you, do not attempt this yourself!

 

 

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 Males

As males become older they may let their testicles hang out as they no longer want to withdraw them. A lot of people mistake the testicles for tumors, and should only be a cause for concern if they are red and inflamed.

 

Also as males lose hair, their scent glands will become more noticeable, so unless they seem infected, there is no cause for concern.

 

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Weight loss

Weight loss should be gradual so any sudden drop in weight should be an immediate concern and vetinary advice should be sought ASAP

 

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What is it?

Wet tail only effects syrian hamsters(sometimes mislabelled as teddybear, blackbear, panda,European Blackbear etc), not dwarves,  and it is usually fatal, sometimes even with proper vetinary care.
It is severe diarrhoea which is so watery that it often causes the tail to become soiled, hence the name 'Wet tail'. However, sometimes the rear will not become soiled and instead the only other signs are the foul smelling diarrhoea around the cage and the hamster appearing unwell.

What Causes it?

There is not one specfic cause, and it is usually brought on by a variety of factors. There are two species of bacteria that seems to form this condition and they are: E.coli and Campylobacter as both bacteria have been found in many cases of wet tail, however they have also been found in healthy hamsters. Therefore it has been assumed that when the hamster goes through a period a of severe stress (usually at  weaning, moving homes and overcrowding etc) the bacteria multiplies due to a weaken immune system and so the hamster becomes subjected to wet tail.   

What are the signs of Wet tail?

Severe watery diarrhoea which often results in a soiled rear end of the hamster(s) affected. Your hamster will show the classic signs of being unwell- haunched over, lethargic and your hamster will not eat. Also due to the severness of the diarrhoea the hamster often becomes very dehydrated.
Without an immediate trip to the vet the hamster will most likely die within 24-48hrs.

Treatment
Firstly isolate the sick hamster(s) from any other hamsters as this disease is highly infectious and will spread very quickly between hamsters!!! Remember one syrian to a cage as syrians are soilatary animals and if they are housed together that could be the cause of wet tail in the first place!
You will have to VERY throughly scrub your hands especially before seeing to any other hamsters.
Plain pedialyte should be given in a 50-50 ratio with water and syringed to the hamster in order to immediately re-hydrate your hamster. In the UK, there is no such thing as pedialyte, so instead as for rehdyrating electrolytes from your local Chemist. The hamster should also be kept somewhere with a constant temperature with little disturbance.
You need to get to your vet ASAP for antibiotics to help get rid of this dreadful bacteria! Probiotics should also be given in the form of plain natural bio yoghurt to help rebuild the good bacteria.  You can add in a small amount of honey to the yogurt to give your hamster extra energy and to help sweetened the bitter bio yoghurt.
The bedding should be change daily until the wet tail has gone and good personal hygiene is a must.
Once wet tail has passed, EVERYTHING your hamster has come in contact with- cage, toys, wheels, nest boxes must be thoroughly disinfected with a diluted bleach disinfected. Rinse of the bleach very thoroughly and repeat several times.

In the case that your hamster dies and you want to get another furry friend it is VITAL you destroy any bedding and throughly scrub and disinfect cages and toys as your new hamster can catch the diease from the germs lying in the cage of your past hamster. If you can afford it, replace the old cage and toys.

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