Hamsters With Wet-tail
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Wet-tail
Hamsters are not the only small animal that can get "wet-tail," but they are the most common small animal to succumb to it. Chinchillas, rabbits, gerbils, rats, and mice, can all get wet-tail, as it is caused by stress. For the most part wet-tail is nothing more than extreme diarrhea. Without treatment, your pet can die within 24-48 hours, all depending on how soon you catch it. Once your hamster has had wet-tail and has been treated, he cannot get the illness again.
What Causes Wet-tail
As I mentioned above, wet-tail is stress related.
- Too much handling
- Change in environment
- Change in diet
- Inadequate cage cleaning
- Being away from mother and/or siblings
- Death of a tank mate
Baby hamsters are more succeptable to wet-tail than juvenile and adult hamsters.
Symptoms of Wet-tail
The symptoms may not appear for a few days or so, but once they set in, you can see various symptoms.
- Wet bottom end
- Smell/ foul odor
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Lack of appetite
- Excess sleeping
- Not grooming itself
- Walking with a hunched back
The most obvious symptom will be the wet bottom, tail area.
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Wet-tail Treatment
Well, luckily there are several products out today that can help cure wet-tail. You can take a trip to most of your local petstores to include Petsmart and Petland to grab a bottle of 'Dri-Tail' or 'Wet-tail Drops.' Or, you can go to a vet that sees hamsters, and he can put the hamster on Baytril or Sulfatrim.
Personally, I have had better luck with 'Dri-Tail' than with the vet prescribed medicines.
Prevent Wet-tail
For a new hamster, you can prevent wet-tail by (1) having the cage completely set up before bringing home the hamster, (2) set the hamster up in his cage and leave him alone for a MINIMUM of 1-2 days allowing him time to adjust to his new surroundings, and (3) set up the cage in a quiet place with less traffic.
If you already have a hamster that you're worried about, (1) watch how much you handle the hamster, (2) watch the duration he is out of his tank, (3) try not to change his food or surroundings drastically, and (4) do not add any new hamsters in with him.
My Story with Wet-tail
At one time, I had three hamsters (two girls and one boy). Rocky, the boy, was supposed to be a female, but he grew up a boy (ha). He bonded very closely to Pebbles, so I kept him caged with Pebbles, and moved Roxy into another cage, as she was heavily pregnant. Living together for months and having a litter of babies, Rocky and Pebbles became a husband/wife couple. Where one was, the other was not too far behind. It was actually rather cute. Until, my boyfriend was trying to clean the cage one day and, not paying attention, slammed the lid back on. Well, I found poor Rocky with his head caught in-between two tubes where the tube from the lid and the tube from the base met. Pebbles was on the other side of the cage, heavily pregnant at this point, not moving and not eating. Realizing that she had wet-tail as she was upset of the death of her husband, I quickly ran to Petland and bought 'Dri-Tail.' She was almost cured of the illness, when she had her litter. This stressed her body out so much more, and even though she was almost cured of wet-tail, she ate the babies a few days after she had them and died shortly after. She knew her body could not take it with the stress of labor and what was left of wet-tail. (So currently, I just have Roxy left of the original three. She is doing fine as she had not been housed with either Pebbles or Roxy for months prior to the incident.)
At work, daily, I see hamster after hamster getting wettail. Many of the hamsters are on a heavily walked section of the store. With people knocking on the cages, peering in, and just plain walking by constantly, the hamsters stress easily. I have helped to cure many hamsters of wet-tail using the leftovers of my 'Dri-Tail' as well as the vet's prescribed medicines.
Wet-tail is not a pretty illness for hamsters to get, and if not caught early enough not even vet prescribed medicines or commercial brand medicines will heal the hamster. Your best bet with wet-tail is to keep a commercial brand on hand in case, and try to watch the environment of the hamster, to include placement of the cage and how/duration of handling time.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed veterinarian. The methods outlined above may or may not work for your pet. If you have any concerns, you should consult a specialized reptile veterinarian.
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Comments
Just wanted to say "thank you" for your wet-tail advice. Very helpful!
Thank you both. Everything was taken from person experience from my hamsters and from working at a petstore.
yes ill tell you me as miley has a hamster. My hamster has a big white spot in her bedding. i need help plz if you know anything plz e-mail me at hillymo123@yahoo.com. this is my friend hilarys e mail so ill be using it
hi, well my hamster died about 6 months ago from wet tail, i had no idea what it was untill i started working at the pet shop, well i just recently bought a baby rat that is around a month old, right when it was weigned (sp) off its mom, and the first day i had it its poo was normal then i get back from work and i see signs of wet tail, but a bunch of people are telling me that rats can't get it, but im scared because i have fallin in love with him/her. Also he is eating fine, drinking, and running/ being active so far. But im going to try and buy some of the dri tail from the shop and see if that helps. But i was just wondering if rats could catch it?
I've never heard of wettail in rats, but you may want to go ahead and puchase a dry-tail solution just in case. Make sure to follow the direction on the bottle. It could be stress.
You need to have at least 2 rats. If it's weaned then you should be able to sex it. If you work at a pet store you or someone there should know how to do it. It's simple. Males have balls. Females don't. At 5 weeks old- weaning age, you can see the balls. So it shouldn't be iffy at the gender.
Read more about rats- http://hubpages.com/_rats/hub/Caring-for-Pet-Rats
my hamster has wet tail i've given it medicine and its started grooming its self aready. im just scared cuz she still falls when she walks and she's only been walking in circles.
It will take about a week or two to fullly kick in but you hamster should be fine. Good luck with her.
Hi i just recently bought my som a hamster and my son loved this little guy he did spend alot of time with him and took very good care of him. One morning my son got up and like he does everyday he says good morning to oreo and he went to school when he came home he checked on oreo and he was just barly beathing and he had blood and it looked like his intestants were coming out of his butt along with blood i called the vet and the vet said it sounds like he has wet tail i never even heard of wet tail until that day. My question is could we of saved oreos life if i went and got the medicine for him even thou the wet tail had already attacked his body? Someone please help me out because i bought him another one because he was so upset and still is it was like he lost his best friend, so if i know better this time if anything happens to baby his new hammee i can help her as long as i know what i need to do next time! THANK YOU DONNA
To me that doesn't sound like wet-tail, especially if his intestines were coming out. That sounds like a prolapse. But, it's hard to tell. If it were wet tail, then yes. The medicine would have cured him. I've seen hamsters just a day till death, use the dry-tail meds and clear up. But at the same time, that's not always the case with every hamster. I would go ahead and buy the meds, just to have on hand, so that if you notice ANY signs of wet-tail you can start treatments.
The best way to prevent it, is to let the hamster get settled in for a few days before you or your son starts playing with him. Wet tail is usually caused by stress.
hi thank u 4 the help and i hope my hamster wil get better soon
We just bought a hamster and it is very friendly. They told us to watch for wet tail. His underside hair is all dried like it was wet and it looks like he has a big poop scab around his bottom. I have never seen something like this. My son just cleaned his cage so now that I saw this I am looking to see if there are any poops. Any help or suggestions would be great!
Heidi- It sounds like diarrhea. But you may want to buy dri-tail just to make sure. Wet-tail is a severe case of diarrhea. Diarrhea will cure itself. But just on your description,it's hard to diagnose.
Thanks for the info.. I really neededto know what would have caused my daughters' precious pets to die only 5 days after they pickedthem from a very overcrowded bin at the petstore.. It is a tragedy, and they are only 4 and 9.. too young for such a hard lesson..my heart goes out to all of you who have had to endure such a loss.. Ive had hamsters off and on through out my life and I never encountered anything like this before.. Pet stores should be forced to keep their hamsters in less crowded habitats... God Bless
i have a male and female hamster but dont know how to breed them???????????????
You shouldn't breed them. If you want another hamster, go buy another hamster. There's only small window that's safe to breed them, and if you pass that window, you're doing more harm to the female than good.
can a hamster have wet tail if it doesnt have diarrhea but she is tired all day and she cannot walk....she stumples when trying to walk...is this considered wet tail?
Wet tail is seen by a animals with a wet bottom area. If the hamster doesn't have a wet bottom area, then it's not wet tail.
well i got back from vacation a couple days ago and she was well taken care of...but when i got home i took her out of her cage and she was fatter than usual and she was very tired and she couldn't walk...when i put her on my bed she would just fall over...i dont know whether she is sick or if she is just really old since i have had her for a couple years...i need some advice on what to do
also i forgot to mention that my hamster has had excess sleepy gunk stuff in her eyes but that was before she became very lethargic...does this mean anything?
Usually, hamsters live an average of 2 years; if you've had her for a couple of years, it's probably old age. If she doesn't have a wet bottom, then it's not wet tail. It sort of sounds like old age, but yu may consider taking her to a vet.
my hamster has had wet tail for 2 weeks now i'm still treating it and we are trying to fight through it together shes like the daughter i never had she means the world to me
I just bought my son a hamster on Monday. We have pretty much left him alone like the lady said (48 to 72 hours) We have just sat and watched him or talked to him alittle here and there so he can get use to our voice. We have also petted him on the head as we talk to him. Today would be the day that my son can hold him. I went in and picked him up and held him for a few minutes. I noticed the fur on his bottom looked dry wet. So I have looked up wet tail to see what it looks like ( I don't want anything to happen to this Hamster, Ethan loves him already even though he hasn't held him yet) It doesn't look like the picture. His hair looks dry wet above his tail and around the sides of his tail. There is no poop at all. And he smells like urine a little. I am thinking because he was up in his little look out on top that he might have peed and got himself wet. He has hoarded food in his mouth and taken it up there and emptied his cheeks out, so he naps and then snacks up there.
What do you think? By what I am reading it sound like there would be diahhrea which there is not. After looking at a picture of wet tail, I picked DC up and checked out his bottom area, Nothing around there at all, just the dry wet look above his tail and around the sides of it. And when I say dry wet, I am trying to say that the hair is dry but you can tell that is was wet, but doesn't feel wet.
Any advice or opinion would help.
Thank you,
Holandia
It's hard to tell from your description, but if you're worried you may want to go ahead and purchase a bottle of drytail and give it to him. It won't hurt him to treat him for it. It will actually further prevent him from getting wet tail in the future.
Thank you, I do think he is fine though. He has no poop what so ever on him and he has had that wed dry look since I emailed you and he doesn't smell at all. I think that he just peed up in his little hide out and then sat in it. I have been careful about how much Ethan holds him. I let him give him attention and hold him but have explained not to stress him out.
Do they ever get past a point that they will never get wettail or is it always a possiblity?
Again,
Thank,
Holandia
Sorry I meant to say he hasn't had the wet dry look since I emailed you last.
typing error:(
Holandia
Wet tail is always a possibility. I've had hamsters for over a year, get stressed out and develop wet-tail. But she developed wettail for reasons other than being handled.
We just got our Black Bear Hamster 2 days ago. He is very small and very crazy. We have left him alone, just watching him and talking to him alittle. Tonight I decided to open his cage and see what he was up to and I noticed there was an area that was wet and it looked like there was blood in there and I let Bob come out. I opened the tub were it was wet and it spilled out and was very stinky like urine and was bloody and Bob's tail was more defined than when we got him or her. Is this wet tail or a urinary track thing and how can I tell? Also how do you recomend giving him the wet tail drops.
It's hard to tell from your description, but I'd bet wet tail is probably the cause. I recommend using the dropper that comes with the dri-tail medicine. It will get in their body faster than if you were to put he drops in the water. Hamsters tend to love the taste of the medicine, so after the first time or so it shouldn't be a problem.
I've seen hamsters grab for the syringe when you put it in the cage.
Hey, my name is Krista. I have the most awesome hamster ever. Butt, my hamster is very smart and comes to me when I call to him. I clean his cage regularly and give him a bath if he starts to smell. He actually likes baths. lol. I just noticed today that his back-side was wet. I have to admit that I am worried about him. So, I immediately cleaned his cage and put fresh food and water in. I read that wet tail could sometimes come from fecal matter in Butt's food and/or water. Do you think that if he does have wet tail, that cleaning his cage well and bathing him will fix the problem? I would rather not put medicine on him.
You should not bathe hamsters. Wet tail doesn't come from fecal matter. It's mostly stress related (see causes above). Cleaning the cage and bathing is great for regular care, but that will not fix the problem what-so-ever. Dri-tail or a prescription med from the vet is the only thing that will correct the problem. If you don't get either, then the hamster will slowly die. The medicine does not go on him, but in him; you give the hamster dri-tail with a syringe to the mouth or water bottle. By mouth has faster results.
Stop bathing the hamster period... It's not recommended... So don't do it...
i am scared, i think my hamster has wet tail. i love her so much and i hope i didnt cause it. i am going to take her to a vet.
I hope she will be ok. Stress is the most common factor of wet tail. So you could have caused it by over handling her.
My hamster has wet-tail and Im really scard, this is the 1st hamster I've ever had, so i m soooooo scard, and I dont know what to do, im crying and I cant stop... She might die tomarrow or even tonight... please help... just please...
Stevie
Purchase dri-tail, and start treatment as soon as you can. THe longer your wait, the worse the wet-tail will get, and the less likely the hamster will pull through. You should always start treatment at the first signs.
Thanks rhat was very helpful. Though im still not sure weather or not my hamster has wet tail. She is acting very wierd!
how long does it take to kick in?
Full blown wettail can come and kill the hamster within a week and a half to two and a half weeks. This is why you need to treat the hamster at the first signs of wettail.
I think my hamster has wet-tail.It just started its period.So its pregnet but it looks weird.
I'm not sure what you mean by your hamster started her period. I've had female hamsters before, and I've never experienced this. Also, just becuase the hamster is on her period, so to speak, it doesn't mean she's pregnant; she must have contact with a male. As for wet-tail, definitely purchase dry-tail or take the hamster to the vet.
my hamster died of wet tail yesterday. i've only just found out what it was.
my question is how long would it take for the treatment to work because he only got the symptoms the day before
The symptoms of wettail tend to show about a week or more before it becomes severe and the hamster dies. I kind of doubt that the symptoms all of a sudden appeared the day of the death. The illness doesn't work that way.
Treatment takes about a week days to clear up even if you catch the symptoms later on in the illness.
hey wait i have 2 hamsters in 1 cage not to small(by the way they are teddy bear hamsters) and they live together and there realy good hamsters there friends with each other AND you said they would fight but no they dont fight(and there both male and there names are jake ad heeth
You shuoldn't have 2 teddy bear hamsters in the same cage, as they are territorial, especially when housing two males.
i think my hamster may have wet tail. HELP. i hadnt even heard of it until i found this site. i cum on because my hamster has sum black scabs on her body and wundered what the hell thery were. she hardly moves and doesnt rele eat or drink anymore. im worried sick. then when i found this site i looked to see if my hamster had a wet bottom and she has. she walks with a hunched bk too. im so scared she will die. what can i do????? plz HELP
Purchase a bottle of dritail immediately. She is in severe stage of wettail.
I just got a hamster today, she's a sweet little thing. When I got her, the girl told me to give her red gatorade instead of water to prevent wet-tail. Is that going to harm her or help her? The instructions on the slip of paper I needed to fill out to bring her home said to give it to her in place of water. I'm just wondering if that's what I should be doing? It doesn't look like she's drank any of the gatorade I put in there.
I've been handling her on and off today, so I'm a little worried that she might be overly stressed out because of that, I'll stick with what I've been reading and leave her alone for a few days to give her time to adjust. She seems fine now, and she's eating. Should I give her the gatorade and water, or just one or the other? And how common is wet-tail? I don't want her to dehydrate herself because I'm only giving her gatorade if she won't drink it.
And thanks. ^.^
the gatoraid isn't going to prevent wettail. I would stay away from it becuase it can be too sugary. I would only offer gatoraid if the hamster gets wettail and you don't notice it till the last minute; it will help give the hamster electrolytes. Stick with plain water. Wettail is pretty common on new hamsters.
i just recently bought my hamster Anita about a week ago. she was fine for the first few days and then all of the sudden she had babies. she had a litter and then slowly began eating them. and today i noticed that she had diarrhea and her tail was covered with her poop. she also sleeps alot. unlike the symptoms though she does eat and drinks water. and i didnt hold her until a few days bcus i just let her be and get used to her surroundings. theres only one baby hamster left. can i help her? i dnt want her to die :[
You need to purcahse dri-tail or go to the vet. She ate the babies because she had the illness, and new she was sick, and so that the babies didn't suffer she ate them.
hey my lil brothers hamster has wet-tail . the problem is it is my friend hamster
and she moved to arizona .how shoud we tell her?
and i have a hamster to but they know each but not that much they have only met twice will my hamster be ok?
You can easily heal her up and treat the wet tail, and the hamster will be fine. As for how to tell your friend, just be honest. Wet tail is not contagious, as far as I'm aware. Just watch your hamster carefully
My daughter got her hamster 2 months ago and he has been fine till recently. My daughter went away to her moms at the end of June and 6 days ago I noticed he hadnt drank much water or ate much food. I have been cleaning his cage regularilly. About 4 days ago he had a wet, dirty rearend. I know he has wet tail, but we have been using wet-tail drops in his water since we got him. Now he doesnt drink hardly any water and he wont take the drops with the eye dropper. Are the wet-tail drops as good as dri tail drops?? I dont want to force him to take the drops and stress him out. What do you think I should do??
Generally wet tail drops are dri tail or some form of it, but because you're feeding it via the water bottle, it will take much longer to get the hamster the medicine. Generally, if you get the hamster started using the dropper, you should be fine, as I've never met a hamster that didn't like the taste.
my hamster died tonight :l
i got anita the dri-tail drops like u suggested and i put it in her watrer but perhaps it was a bit late or she didnt drink her water. today i saw her and she was really sick as her rectum was sticking out.. i was going to take her to the vet first thing tomorrow morning bcus the vet was closed already but she didnt make it :[ thANks for your help though! i have another hamster and ill pay more attention to him so that it diesnbt happen again
my hamster is a teddy bear hamster and is 2 years of age and he cant use his back legs for walking but one is out wards from the back end and the other one is like he is walking with his foot strechest backwards so the top of his foot is dragging on the ground. his tail seem,s a little longer then normal but that could just be me. he was like this for almost a month and there is poop, and wood chips stuck to him all the time, and he smells like urine pretty bad. and sometimes when he walks ( when i let him out of the cage to walk on the floor to use his back legs ) he sometimes tips onto his side. with the legs he can move them but cant use them for walking hardly. i need help and i tried taking him to several vetys but they dont specialize in rodents so i couldnt take him and i am worried about him, what do you think it is? is it wettail or somehting else?
thanks, brent
sorry about the 2 messages.. but i forgot to add that my hamster does tend to sleep alot like i owned a hamster senc ei was basicly born but non of my hamsters acted like this one, and i feel so bad for him because he cant really do anythign in his cage Please help i am desperate
Carl, I'm sorry for your loss. Next time Don't put the drops in the water, but use the dropper and feed the appropriate amount by mouth.
Brent, at 2 years old, your hamster is a senior, which could be why he is sleeping more than usual and having problems using his back legs. As for the urine smell and the litter sticking to his bum could be a part of diarrhea or even wettail. But at 2 years old, make him comfortable.
I can't quite tell if my hamster has wet tail. I bought him the other day and today i'm noticing his but seems a bit damp and causes the bedding to stick to it a little bit. I can't quite tell the state of fecies because we had bought two and housed them together until the second habitat was set up and the one that has the damp rear hasn't seemed to make yet since being in its new habitat. Also in about 9 hours I havn't seen it drink much or eat much, ive provided him with a water bottle and a water dish and dried food and a few apple bits. One thing i noticed though is a little while after he gets out of his nest his rear seems to dry so maybe its just while hes sleeping?
Hi Whitney. Well I took my daughters hamster to a vet at the university yesterday. They were awefully busy and forgot about us so I left Hammy there. They checked him out and gave him some meds. Being a university I got a call from a med student. She said she would like to keep him there and try and hydrate him for the weekend. I suppose that students will practice on him as there will be no extra costs and I am sure they will do their best for him. Just wanted to share this story with you and will let you know how things go.
my hamster has wet tail i think. she wont open her eyes and when she half way opens them her eyes are diff color then normal and there all watery is this another sign of wet tail? and i dont now when she got it cuz i just got back to my moms (i was at my dads) and i was gone for 3 days. does she just have wet tail or maybe somthin else too? plz help!!
my sister had a hamster that had babys and one day when they were younge and jjust gettin there fur they desided to have a contest or somthin and she who could live the longest and started to kill and eat each other. the mother ate none. is there a reason for them killing each other at such a younge age or were they just satan babys?
Vehai, becuase they are nocturnal you probably won't see hte hamster drink except at night and late evening. If you are concerned, you may want to go ahead and purchase wettail drops.
Dale, thanks for letting me know. Good luck with the hamster
Ally, I'm not really sure what's wrong with your hamster, but I would definitely consider a vet. As for your sister's hamster and the babies. Sometimes it just happens. Are you sure that he mom did not eat the babies?
yea my sister took the mom out so she could clean there cage and once she took the mom out they started to attack each other it was strange. and thank u for the adivce for my tiny (the hamster) i got her medicen for wet tail and im hopin it works. if not im a make my mom take me to the vet for her
Well, if it happens (pregnant hamster) don't take the mom out. You should not mess with a mother hamster when the babies are under 6 weeks. Good luck with your hamster
thank u very much :)
Hi Whitney. We brought Hammy home from the vets today. They gave us some meds(NovoTrimel) to give her which she loves. She still has signs of wet tail(diahreha, sleepy,ears back) She is drinking some tonight, but she doesnt seem to be eating. The vet gave us some food to feed her with a syring, but she hates that stuff and what a fight!!! Is there any way to get her eating again on her own, or will she start on her own in time?? Any foods that she might really go for?? My daughter used to feed her first hamster baby carrots and she loved them. Not sure if its good for them. She does seem to be chewing on the timothy hay in her cage. Any suggestions or comments??
She will start eating on her own in time. The medicine is what is causing her to have a lack of appetite. When she's off the meds and healing, she should start eating her own again. I would stick with plain hamster food, carrots as treats, timothy hay on rare occassions. You may want to try a different hamster food, and maybe the hamster will like it better.
Thanks for the advice, unfortunaly i was too late, my hamster had every sympton but by time i relized he way dying was when he was acutally dying. I wish I would of seen this page earlier on.
hey this is ally from a while back. well its been about a month since my hamster got wet tail. i got her the medicen but she is not gettin better like she is eatting enough to get by and drinking enough to get by but thats about it. im really scared shes in pain but my mom wont take her to the vet. do u have any advise on wat to do?
ally is the wettail any better?
hi my sister thinks her hamster has wet tail and now im thinking it does too, when ever we put him in his ball he looks like he is a hunch back,so we bought her some wet tail medicine (osis) but its not helping my hamster is fine but she is really scared can you help me and her?
Just make sure taht you give the hamster the medicine by the mouth as recommended by the instructions, and hopefully your hamster will be fine. good luck
no her wettail is just as bad. the medicen will not work
I would suggest a vet so that you can find a stronger medicine. Good luck.
my mom refused to take her to the vet so she just got worse even with medicen until finally she died i was so upset but happy too because she was not having a great life but i made it as good as i could for her thanks for the advice tho
I'm sorry to hear that.
Hi, My hamster is a year old and I've noticed that she is always wet with urine on her belly right up to her front legs. (this is quite noticeable after she's been sleeping) Is there such thing as incontinence in hamsters? It's like she leaks urine when she's sleeping, her bottom is always wet. Does wet tail have to involve feces or could it be just urine instead? This has been going on for at least 1 1/2 weeks. I haven't noticed any feces or diarrhea in her cage and she hasn't had any poop stuck to her. All of her feces is solid pellets. Thanks.
I'm not sure what that is. It sort of sounds like wettail, but it's hard to diagnose without looking at it. I'd start the wettail drops just to be sure. Otherwise, consider a vet.
My boys hamsters have been overcome by babies!!!! Thought they were all boys! Anyways, Blackie has a little bit of wet coming from her "pee hole" as my boys would call it. I just heard of wet tail this weekend and was wondering what kind of luck would it be to hear and then have one of them actually get it a few days later? I believe she's due to give birth any day or hour....before birth is there any leaking, so to speak? Thank you and love your site
I'm not sure about giving birth, as my hamsters have always had their litters at night. I don't really mess with them before birth or weeks after. You can administer the wet tail formula right after birth if she'll let you without too much handling. If it is wettail and she gives birth she will greatly worsen. I've had a hamster nearly over wettail give birth, and eat all the babies soon after because of the illness she was suffering and it's animal instinct to kill the babies if you're not sure you're going to be able to care for them.
Hello I just found your site. y daughter has a teddy bear hampster. to make a long stroy short... she escaped form her cage and I almost cooked her in the broiler where she made a bed. can that cause wet-tail? will oatmeal help with the symtpons?
More than likely the stress of getting loose in the house caused stress, which caused wettail. No, oatmeal will not help. You'll need to consult a vet or purchase dri-tail solution.
I'm pretty sure my daughter's hampster has wet tail. Unfortunately I don't know how long she's had it. She lives in my daughter's room and my interaction with the hampster is to buy food and remind about cage cleaning. Anyway, long story short, a few hours ago is when we realized she's pretty sick. She's nearly 2 years old. We've had DriTail on hand, just in case. I didn't realize you could give them the dritail by mouth until I read so on your site, otherwise I'd have started the dritail this morning. Anyway, the poor thing seems to have a tumor on one of her legs and she feels kind of boney. She seems to drip and her anus seems permanently open. She pretty much doesn't move and seems to take gulps of air every now and then. At this point is there any reason to hope?
You want to go ahead and start the dri-tail. (Oh and if you read the bottle, it says by mouth or in the water, by mouth is jsut the most effective meants.) As for the tumor, a vet will need to diagnose it. As for all this on top of the age, there's not much hope. Sorry. Also sounds like severe respiratory infection, and the hamster is gulping for air, which means she's on her last leg, and will probably not make it through the night or tomorrow.
Next time you get your daughter a pet, make sure that it's taken care or properly because upper respiratory as bad as the hamster has means that the hamster has been showing signs for at least a week, probably 2, and at first signs co have been cured. Wet-tail could have been cured a while back as well. The tumor could have been removed, or just monitored. You never let a child sole responsibility of a pet. You wouldn't leave your child in the sole care of a new puppy would you? It's the same for fish, hamsters, birds, reptiles, etc. Please take more responsibility, as it boils down to being a parents job to make sure that the child is properly caring for the pet. Keep small pets, like hamsters, in an area where you can keep an eye on the pet.
my hammy has a wet tail b4 2 days and i searched everywere For dri-tail i couldnt find it cuz i live in uae dubai plz help me
The only thing that will help is dri-tail. Or you can go to the vet and get a prescription.
I just got 2 hamsters, they are my first, do I need to pre-treat all their water with dry-tail or do they just drink tap water? and one of mine never sleeps, he runs in his wheel no joke for at least 8 hours a day non-stop, is this normal? they are both boys if that makes any difference, one is calm and sweet, the other is hyper and has bitten me twice, should i be concerned, they are my childrens pets? please mail me at vthokiefan94@gmail.com with any answers you may have. thanks
I wish I had found this site a few days ago- I adopted a dwarf hamster from Petco about 2 weeks ago. He was pretty grumpy so I didn't handle him except to put antibiotic ointment on a sore on his tummy (used gloves). He was fine until 2 days ago-eating, drinking water, running on his wheel. He was sleepimg under his igloo when I left the house, and when I came home three hrs later he was looking bad. Laying on the bottom of the cage, flattened out, barely breathing. I picked him up and he died in my hand about 10 seconds later. I have been putting medicine on him every day since I got him. I never saw anything on his butt/tail until yesterday, after he died. Did I stress him out? He had plenty of poop in his litter so I thought all was well. Can they really die that fast? 24 hours? He was very small, only three inches long. I miss him and I would like to get another.
amanda, you shouldn't house multiple hamsters together, unless they are dwarf hamsters. IE if you purchased 2 syrian hamsters, you'll want to make sure to have them kept separate. As for the dry-tail, you don't need to pretreat their water with it. Regular water should be fine. If they have wettail, you'll want to give them the dritail by mouth and not water, as it is a much more efficient manner of clearing it up. If you just got them, you need to leave them alone for at least 3-4 days to let them acclimate, this is why they are biting, pls hamsters need slow socialization as they are prone biters.
chris, i'm so sorry to hear about this. he had to have shown signs of wettail sooner than 24 hours. it isn't going to set in and kill the hamster within that time frame.
Thanks so much Whitney, I have sperated them, they only spent the first night in the same cage because Petland only had one cage to offer that day. I have left them alone for a day or two and no more biting, Hammy has calmed down and they seem to like when the kids talk to them and watch them play. King Fluffy is very friendly and like to sleep, but loves to run around in his ball. Thanks for the info, you rock. Have a great Thanksgiving!
my hamster died last night when i gave him the wet tail medicine :(
amanda, that's good to hear. Have a happy holiday.
ana, i'm so sorry. he must have been too far along with the illness.
Our hamster Nick is sick. He does not appear to have diarhea, but otherwise, symptoms sound similar. He has no appetite, not drinking water, hunched over, sleeps all the time, fur unkempt, one eye seems to be stuck shut. I took him to the vet and she put him on an antibiotic called metronidazole, a probiotic called Pet Benebac, and milk thistle. I am feeding him through a syringe presently with a powder mixture called Critical Care that I mix with water. Any idea on what he has and what to do? Thank you, We think he isn't going to make it. We are crushed. He is so sweet. Any ideas on his eye situation? What to do? Thanks
It's me again. I just cleaned Nick's cage and in one corner where he goes to the bathroom after I feed him I realize IS probably diarrhea. Is it yellow? The only thing is that he doesn't have a stinky cage or a wet butt. I am anxiously awaiting your response to these two e-mails. I went to the store and got dri-tail and gave him 8 drops (by mouth) as indicated on the bottle, but I had to force it on him and I felt horrible afterward.
Wow, it doesn't sound like your hamster is doing well. I'm so sorry to hear about it. I would keep up the wettail drops, and the antibiotics from the vet. I'm not 100% what's wrong with your hamster, but definitely keep up all the meds that you have. With the hunched back, he's on his way out, so you just need to keep trying.
i wish i would of known earlier beacuz my hamster died today of that, but else im aware and should i clean out the cage right away?
You should clean the cage, especially if you plan on putting another hamster in the cage anytime soon.
will my hampster get wettail from too high or too low temputures. ifso what temp should i haveit at
Stress will give your hamster wettail
Hiya Whitney, this is a great page you have here... it's very kind of you to take time out of your day to help all these people.
I have had hamsters for quite some time now, some always last longer than others but we just purchased a Calico Hamster less than two months ago. She was never really social so we let her have her space aside from when we clean her cage she went into the "hamster ball". Although her cage is clean frequently I have noticed the overbearing scent of urine. She never seems to "store" her food but eat it straight as she gets it. A strange hamster of sorts but amusing none the less. Yesterday, her sleep schedule was a little strange as she was up and about in her wheel during the day. This morning I went to check on her and I seriously thought she died in the middle of the night, but when I opened the lid to her cage she stirred so I picked her up, there is a white milky residue on her bottom. Right now she will not move, I would run to the store right now and get that dritail stuff if I didn't have to work, I can go in a few hours though, I'd hate to put it this way but do you think it's too late? Or do you think there's a chance the treatment will work?
Sorry for the long post, thanks again for taking the time to read this.
Holly
Hi Whitney,
I realized after my last post that she was infrequently gasping for air. I called the vet immediately and scheduled an emergency visit. I have the sneaking suspicion she got something lodged in her throat, in a matter of minutes I was in the car on the way to the vet, but sadly she didn't make it.
Best,
Holly
Holly, I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
My chinese drwaf hamster just died resently and I didn't know the signs of wet tail. so I thought he was sick. I tried to find a vet that specilizes in hamster but there are only a few out there. so next time I will be prepared. also Im geting either a gerbil or a hamster next month it would be helpful if you gave me some tips on how to care for them better and not get wet tail.
Try to reduce stress on the hamster. That's about all that you can do. You can consider adding dri-tail to the water on a regular basis.
I am have a little hamster and she has weat tail I am givin her some madication, and her pop was green and runny and now is black and runny, is it because its getting better or not?
It's possible. Definitely keep up the medication via the mouth, as that is the only way she will truly heal up. I haven't noticed the green and black runny poo during treatment, but it's possible.
Hi whitney, just found your site tonight thankfully. My hamster I am thinking has wet tail. I just got him wed, from petsmart. I considered taking him back but have got attached to him so I am going tommorow to pick up some dritail drops to see if that helps. How long would it take to see some inprovement. It isn't severe yet as i can tail i just noticed it last night (as he was fine on wed), and then today i haven't noticed it really in his cage, just on his bottom, (i first noticed it cause he had some litter stuck to him). He doesn't have alot of the symptoms, mainly just the wet bottom and the odor, I haven't seen him eat alot, but he has been eating some and drinking a little bit. This is the first hamster i have had with this problem so I was nerveous when i first found out. I am just glad to have found your site and that there are over the counter meds i can get that will (hopefully) work.
It can take a few days to a week to show improvement depending on how severe it is. But you want to keep the hamster on the dri-tail drops for at least 2 weeks, or whatever the bottle says.
Ok thanks for the info. I have another question though. I went to petsmart today, but they didn't have the dritail stuff. The only thing they had was the wet tail fizzy 6 pack stuff. Is that kind of the same? That was all they had there and only had one pack of that. He hasn't drank alot of water in the last 24 hours that i have noticed, so i mixed it in a cup then put part in his water bottle and another in a container so i can use a medicine dropper to get him to take it. I had thought about ordering some of the dritail stuff online but 1) who knows how long it would take to get here and 2) if this stuff works basically the same way then I will just stick with it. Sucky part is there are no other pet stores in my town, the only other close one is 45 mins-1 hr away and that is just another petsmart.
I have never tried that stuff. Putting medicines in the water will take much longer for the hamster to get the proper dosage and typically doesn't work as well. Dri-tail can be put in the water or syringe fed, and I have always found by not diluting the dir-tail and srynge feeding it straight to the hamster will clear up wet-tail much faster.
Ok well not sure what i will do now, May order some and see if i can get it within a day or two. He's only drinking it by what i give him in the medicine dropper, I doon't really know what to think or do right now because it seems that the diarhea has subsided but there was a little blood on him when i got back home tonight, mainly was just dried though. Thanks for all your help though.
Just thought i'd let ya know I apparently caught it to late, He was doing ok this morning but greatly declined all day even with the meds, and he passed away late tonight.
hey whitney 05 you helped me when my hamster got infected eyeand he got over it but now hes gott a humpback ad hes always had one since i got in in dec. is that a sigh of wet tail
hes a albino Dwarf hamster and thanks for the help with infected his eye is almost back to normal
My son has a black bear hamster and we noticed last Tuesday it was a bit matted on his underside but no diarrhea at the time. I purchased drops for wet tail and have been giving them to him orally and in his water. He did end up with the diarrhea but now 5 days later, there seems to be no more wetness on his bottom. He is just very matted. He is walking with a limp, very wobbly and having difficulty walking. Is he still very sick even though the diarrhea is gone. Do you think he will make it through this or is he at the end stages of wet tail?
Jen, I'm sorry for your loss.
Amy, a humpback is a sign of wet-tail. But since he's had the issue since December, it may be caused by something else, as wet-tail would have killed the hamster by now. How old is it? That's good that the eye infection is cleared up.
Michelle, It is possible that he may make it through, but it sounds pretty serious. Continue with the drops and consider a vet.
Thanks for replying back. Unfortunately Zeke must of just become to dehydrated and he passed away last night.
I'm sorry to hear that.
im soooooo scared a few days ago i noticed some brown stuff on my hamsters butt and i just thought that it was nothing then today i told my dad and he said that i was wet tail so i looked it up and i said that i the hamster isnt treated it can die within 24 to 48 hours but i notice it like 3 days ago so i want to know if my hamster is lucky or if it just got something else
Hi there,
NO! Your Hamster will not get rid of Wet Tail on his own! You must to the Vet immediately. My hamster died last night of Wet Tail even with Vet Treatment. Its a horrible internal infection and the sooner its treated the likely your hamster will survive.
Also, please note, the article on this website is WRONG! Dri-Tail will NOT cure wet tail it only covers the symptoms. Also, once a Hamster has had wet tail they CAN catch it again and very easily. Once a Hamster has been cured of Wet Tail unfortuantly they become a lot weaker as wet tail harms their interal organs quite considerably and often they won't live for very long afterl.
Please get your hamster to the Vet straight away! He/She will NOT survive wet tail on its own!
Hope this helps
..and one more thing. On the first signs of wet tail keep your hamster in a dark (ish) warm place. When you take your hamster to the vet, cover up the cage and make sure he/she are warm. Isolate your hamster from any other hamster or small animal you may have as wet tail passes on very easily.
Baby food is also really good for them to eat and try a little bit of boiled egg (cold) as this tends to help their insides but try and keep it regular as you don't want to change their diet to much.
No loud music, don't try handle them unless you're giving them their baytril as this stressed them out more.
Sorry.. but I'm a little paranoide as my hamster even ended up at the vet this whole entire weekend. Bless him for a little guy he put up a huge fight!
my hamster isnt doin too well either she seems to have a bad bottom ive been giving her medicine from a seringe and i have to see the vet again soon, she seems to be drinkin but not eating alot, she also seems a bit moody aswell and squeaks when shes sleeping. im just hopong that she will get better because i havnt had her for very long.
i'm sorry to hear that. definitely try the vet if you can.
yeh i will do, i just dont know if the vet will be able to give her anything else that will help cure her, but just hoping for the best really thanks for the advice anyway
anything is worth a try, and if anything the vet could give you an assesment of the hamster. i hope all turns out.
hey i posted a comment 6 days ago and i got a response if any one could look at it and tell me if its true then please tell me
The answer you received it correct. Wettail doesn't clear on its own.
is there any other drops that i could use
I went to the vets the other day and the vet gave me some anti inflammitary drops to put onto her bottom because he said she has got an infection. It should help the swelling and cause her less pain :)
Someone, essentially dri-tail drops or any wet-tail treatment will be the only drops you can use.
Jv, that is good to hear. Let us know how the medicine turns out for you. I've never heard of this as a treatment for wet-tail.
i dnt think my hamster has wet tail, she seems to have an infection, the drops are to stop the swelling but so far the treatment seems to be working okay
Hopefully it's not wet-tail, but it does sound like it from your description. Good luck.
Thanks but I really think my hamster has wet tail because he has a very bad oder. I can't get Dri-tail because by the time I go there he might be dead. So please wish him good luck and pray for him at night
Good luck. Hopefully you can get drops SOON.
unfortunatley i had to let my hamster go to sleep, she was gettin too ill and couldnt move or eat and was sufferin, so i thought it was the best thing to do. But think i will get a new hamster to help me feel happier thanks for the advice anyway :)
I'm sorry to hear that. You made the right decision. Good luck with your future hamster.
Thanks :) im sure i will :)
hi i just got my hamster today and i havent touch him today at all but then later i had to go to class for college and when i got back home the poor hamster got wet tail....? wat should i do... i mean the cage and water bottle and everythings new...
Follow the directions above.
i have my third hamster, and all of them, including this one seems to be getting wet tail after the first few days ive purchased them, and i dont know why they are getting wet tail. The cage is HUGE, i use clean water, i clean the poop and pee when they are sleeping using tissues, i havent touched them ONCE since i put them in the cage, and after one gets wet tail, i clean the cage THOROUGHLY with soap and water. i even bought the same food used in the display cases at the pet shop. what am i doing wrong?
It's stress related. The hamsters probably have wettail before you bring them home. Just the very initial stage of it.
im realy scared my hamster has wet tail and ther isnt a vet for ages here and i cant get hold of any of the treatment :(:(:( realy dont want it too die :'(
Most pet stores will carry dry-tail. That is going to be the only way to cure the hamster of wettail.
I wonder if you can help.
My daughter has a 2 year old hamster ..He was running around fine up until a week ago when all of a sudden he could barely breath and seemed like he was really struggling.His breathing seems a bit shallow now but he's not eating or drinking and he won't walk..All he's doing is sleeping.To touch him he's really cold even though the house is always warm.When you touch him when he's awake his head seems to fall to the side and he rolls over...Any advice would be greatful.
He's 2 years old, which is old for a hamster. I hate to say it, but it sounds like he's dying. Just make him comfortable.
Thank you! Even though my rat never had wet tail and has passed away now my friend has asked me about this and I found this very helpful!
Thank you!
Lorelie, I'm sorry for you loss.
I recently brought a hamster and she was 7 weeks old when i got her, well after having her for 3 days she got wet tail. I immediatly took her to the vets and she was put on antibiotics, the vet didn have much faith and was going to put her to sleep but i decided to try and make her better. she was so dehydrated aswell. I was given a seringe to give her the medicine so i seringed water down her as she was not drinking or eating, I am so please to say that i cured my hamster and she pulled through wet-tail. So dont think negative!x
That is good to hear.
First, although it was a year ago, and I'm sure the hamster has passed, the hamster that had the "sleep" in his eyes, and couldn't walk sounds like it had pneumonia. Anyhow, we do not have a vet here that specializes in hamsters (or appears to have much knowledge at all about them) and I am trying to figure out how to tell what is causing my 1 year old syrian hamsters diarrea. He is sleeping longer, but still getting on his wheel at night. He is still getting water, and still eating. How do you tell if it is wet tail or something else?
It could be wettail. I would definitely purchase dri-tail as a just in case. Wettail is essentially really bad diarrhea
i bought a hamster and within 6 days of bringing it home it got wet tail, ive had hamsters with it before so i knew wht it was, but i just hope ive caught it in time as he was so lovely. I took him back to pets at home and they are treating him with dri tail there, but how effective is it really as think i caught it quite early on?
thanks
The earlier you catch it the better the prognosis. It would have been better for you to have treated him at home instead of moving him to the pet store and then back to your house.
Wettail is sort of like chicken pox...you develop immunities to it.Thanks Whitney.
You arer correct. Once a hamster has had wettail and is treated, it is highly unlikely to ever get it again.
I am(was) a new hamster owner. We bought our daughter a hamster last Thursday 4/16. She was doing great. We did get her a new food. On Sunday (4/19) We had several people over at the house and even thought the bedroom door was closed it did get noisy thru the house. That evening we noticed some diarrhea in one of the tunnels in her house. She continued to play on her wheel and eat/drink. Thru out the week she continued to eat and drink but just did not look right. I did not ever see any more diarrhea anywhere in her cage nor was her tail ever wet. I was looking. She was sleeping a lot. On Friday night very late I went in to check on her and she was still sleeping and this time her tail was wet. I took her to the vet (I work there) on Sat and we gave her some fluids and started her on Baytril. She died an hour later. My question: How would I know she had wet tail when her tail was not wet and she was not leaving diarrhea around anymore. When I cleaned her cage I did not ever find anymore other than that one spot. And we are going to get another hamster so if this condition is stress induced why is it important to clean her cage with bleach, that kinda makes it sound like this could be contagious. Should we get another hamster from the same pet store as before? Should we not have given her a new diet when we bought her? Sorry for the long post we are going to store tomorrow and want to make sure we have it covered? Can we start the dri tail meds as a prevention or will it cause a problem doing that? Thanks again
If the tail and rear area wasn't wet, then it wasn't wettail. It is highly possible that it something else. As for purchasing from the same pet store, that's up to you; there is possibility that the next may have the same health problem, but then again it may not- that's the risk with buying from pet stores. Generally, if there is a death within a certain period, you bring back the body and receipt and they'll replace it for free. You can start on dritail right away, but again if the rear end isn't wet then your other one probably didn't have wet tail.
We had a hamster die on Friday evening we had him for about 1 year. Of course we did not notice the signs and I had not even been aware of wet-tail. Well he had another mate in the same cage. For the past 4-5 days his booty has been wet. So after the one hamster died Friday I decided to check on this other one's symptoms on the net. I come across wet-tail. So I purchased some of the dri-tail sold at petsmart. He has had two doses of the med. I believe its working cause his booty is drying out.
After the other hamster died we took the tubing off the cage and can now see where the other hamster had some diarrhea.
Do you think this other hamster is going to be ok or should I still call a vet on Monday? So far the hamster is active, eating (again) and drinking fluids.
Thank You,
Jen
Jennay as long as you get the hamster on treatment as early as possible, then it should be fine unless the illness is too far progressed. Make sure that you've cleaned out the cage.
I do believe the surviving hamster has/had wet tail. We bought drops and he has been on them since Saturday. As of today his tail end looks to be drying up.
Thanks for this site...very helpful.
Jen
That is good that the other hamster is healing well.
We are relatively new dwarf hamster owners. My girls own two sisters that share a cage. We've had them for about 8 weeks and they were 3 weeks old when they were purchased. It's been a wonderful experience for the entire family. This morning one of the girls had what appeared to be a cut or something? above her tail. It even had a trace of blood. I've noticed no change in behavior, eating, or drinking. Tonight it seemed a little better. Could this be at all realted to wet tail? I cannot imagine what could've happened to her. She was fine last night & this morning this was on her. Suggestions? comments? We are all so worried about Petunia....should we seperate the girls until we figure this out? Please help!
There's no way they could have been 3 weeks old, as they should not be separated from their mother for at least 5-6 weeks. Most pet stores don't get their hamsters that young, and most breeders know when to sell their hamsters.
It doesn't sound like wettail, but a cut. Plus, wettail doesn't heal on its own. It could be rough play, or something rough in the cage.
i had two robo hamsters until yesterday when they both died. they seemed fine the last few days, running, playing, eating, etc...
when i came home from work, they were skinny and flat as pancakes with encrusted poop on their butts, breathing hard, barely moving.
i took them out of their habitrail and placed them on a heating pad. i held them and told them i loved them and how sorry i am for doing something that hurt them and begged them to forgive me and then they died.
I'm sorry for your loss. You have tried your best.
i remember having hamsters at a young age and never had a problem with them getting sick, so all this is new to me. I just bought a hamster yesterday, her mood has changed completely since yesterday, i noticed this morning she was sleeping a lot and she wasnt moving around a whole lot. she has some "mess" under her tail from diarrhea. she seems really weak as if walking is a big task. i went to the pet store and bought some dri-tail and gave her the recommended amount. can it be too late?? she just seems in bad shape and i guess i just want reassurance that she'll be okay. You think shes still able to get better?? I even tried to give her some water thru the dropper as well. I know she has to be dehydrated also which doesnt help the matter. Any help or reassurance would be appreciated :)
The hamster should be fine as long as you keep up the dritail. Since it came shortly after you got the hamster, you should hopefully have time. I'm just not sure why it hit so hard without any previous signs. Good luck
well i noticed she had diarrhea when i got her home, but she was acting okay so i didnt think much about it. I hope she can pull through this :) thank you!
nevermind. R.I.P.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Hi Whitney05 I have just been to the vets today and i found out my hamster had wet tail the vet gave me antibiotics and i was just wondering if this will keep him alive?
Thank You If You Answer My Comment
If the antibiotics cure the wet-tail, then yes, but I still recommend purchasing dri-tail, as I've seen dri-tail medicines cure wet-tail faster than the antibiotics. It's always better when you catch it earlier than later, so if you caught it earlier enough there shouldn't be a problem. Good luck.
He only got it two days ago is it to late he has been giving fluid and i have to give him his first treatment tomomorow i live in the uk so i dont know if they have dri tail ! thanks if u answer me
If you caught it early, he should be fine. Just make sure that you start treatment as soon as you can. I'm sure even in the UK there is some form of dri-tail. If you have pet hamsters, you'll find some brand of wet-tail medicine available, as wet-tail is the most common hamster illness.
Ok Thank You My Vet Said Most Hamsters Dont Live Long I Started his treatment today but i dont think he will survive he isnt eating or drinking i was just wondering if he will eatin his own time
Also i think the antibiotics is called baytril is this good stuff to cure it
Hamsters live on average 1-2 years. Baytril is good stuff, but again I've seen hamsters still die of wettail on Baytril. It all depends on the extent of the wettail before medications were started. I'm not sure why you waited to start the baytril until today if you've had it for a few days now. It should have been administered from day one.
I never knew he had it until 2 days i hope he lives i love him so much
Also the vet gave him some before i started today
If you caught it at the beginning stages, then you should be fine. Typically baytril is given daily. That's what I'm trying to get at versus every few days. Unless it's a higher dosage or strength. Giving every few days may not help, but you want to follow whatever the vet said.
Yes I have to give it twice a day, the vet told me that if he doesnt get any better then i have to put him down and that is what i think is best to do instead of him suffering i just get all upset because he means the world to me
So, why did you start today when you've had it for a few days? Next time, I would consider purchasing dri-tail before it gets this bad. That or administer twice a day without skipping days, as that sounds like what you've done. I'm just really confused as to why you waited till today to start if the vet said twice a day. And, yes it's much more humane to put the hamster down before it continues to suffer if it doesn't heal up.
Becuase The Vet Told me To Start a day i visited the vets becuase the vet gave him some baytril when i was there do you get me now lol ??
Oops Sorry IMeant A Day After cause he gave him some treatment while i was there
Gotcha... I thought you were starting a few days later. That I didn't understand- why the hamster would get the one dose and then not another for a few days.
I have just noticed hes skinny and when he sits u can feel his back bone why is this ???
It's just where he's very ill.
he had to be put down today i miss him so much
I'm sorry to hear that.
I just bought 2 new hamsters about a week and a half ago, and I think one might have the wet-tail disease. I seperated the 2 hamsters ( as I read it is extremely contagious ) and cleaned all of my cages thouroughly. Her butt end is very stinky and is covered with poop. At first I thought it was just because she had been sitting in her own poop and pee, so I gave her a bath ( only to find the same thing the next morning ). Please help, Thank you, Matthew-
Do not bath the hamster. You should not bath hamsters at all. Use a damp paper towel and wipe the bum to remove the infection. Also purchase dri-tail and start administering it right away.
My hamster is 2 years old and we noticed diarrhea almost two weeks ago so we called the vet and the pet store. they told us to stay away from fruits and veggies for then, and to try to get her to drink so we did that and the diarrhea went away. then my mom went out and got her new food two days ago and yesterday we noticed more diarrhea so my mom called the vet again and she basaically said the same thing as before plus said we should change her food back to normal. then today i noticed my hamster nicki had stuck her head in a corner of the cage and just stood there gasping for air.she had all the symptons-hunched back, diarrhea, gasping for air. we immediately tried to give her some dri tail in from the dropper but she didnt take it, then we put some in her water but she isnt drinking her water either. she is just sitting with her head in the corner gasping for air. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! neither the pet store or the vet told us about dri tail BOTH TIMES WE CALLED we called a freind about it and she recommnended it!!! thank u so much i am 13 and i care so much about my NIcki
oops actually it was more like a month ago we first noticed wet tail. i wish we knew about dritail then.
The hamster is 2 years old, if it is wet tail it's probably a side effect of old age and stress. There's not much you can do at this point. If she's gasping for air, that's usually a very bad sign. I'm sorry. Even if you did dritail drops a month ago, the hamster is still very old for a hamster. Also, typically wettail doesn't last for a month, it is usually fatal within weeks, so it's probably not wettail.
oh ok thank you
My hamster miley has got wet tail but we have given her some boiled rice and bread as we have been giving her alot of dried food so i would like to know as she is only 7-8 weeks and i have only had her for 1 week is there anything else i could possibly do for her and she has a tubed cage and is sleeping in the tubes also her eyes look sore and her ears have gone right down and has lost weight from nicole
You need to feed regular hamster food and dri-tail. Without dri-tail it's not going to get any better.
my hamster died 2 weeks ago... she did survive the night we wonder if it might have been wettail plus a stroke or something...is it possible for hamsters to have a stroke?
It could have been wettail, stroke, upper respiratory infection, or a number of other illnesses.
Hello
I just found this page whilst looking up information in sudden death in hamsters. I have had 3 who have died suddenly. The first one Maggie was about 1 year old and was ok the night before with no problems at eating, drinking, running about normally. The next day I found it lying on the bottom of the cage and having problems breathing. I put it in my hands for a while it was making squeeking noises and hardly breathing. I had it lying on the couch beside me after thats and kept her warm and keept an eye on it. It died a few hours later.
The other two hamsters Dusty about 6 months and Pinky was only 10 weeks old when I found them dead in the corner when they were ok Dusty the night before and Pinky upto an hour before. The last one who just died today had a wet dry wet bottom which I just noticed when she died so not sure if she had wet tail before he died. I noticed over the last few days that Pinky had a very small bauld patch between her nose and eyes but just thought is was caused by her chewing the cage wires and wearing away.
None of them had what I think I had looked like diarrear although they all had more poo in there beds which were pellety more wetter looking and bigger.
The last two were really cold when I found them when It wasnt cold.
Also do you know if wet tail or any other hamster related illnesses or problems are harmfull to humans?
I am thinking about getting another one but want to make sure that we are not causing these poor wee things to die.
We often have kids in the house running about and sometimes handling the hamsters.
Thanks
It is highly possible that it was wettail, which is not contagious to humans. Most hamster illnesses are not. Because wettail is stress related, it is possible that the children are causing it, if they are being rough or handling too much. I'm not sure what else the problem could have been unless they were ill or the newest one was ill to begin with and passed it to the others.
Hello I hope you can help me determine what to do next. I purchased a hamster for my daughter maybe five days ago and he was immediately shaken up and looked very scared. We left him alone for three days, undisturbed, just as the pet store said, and on the fourth day my 15 year old daughter stuck her finger in the cage to pet the hamster. He bit her finger. But i can understand, her finger may have looked like food.
Today, she reached in to try and hold him. He bit her again. I was not aware of the incident until i heard my daughter yelling at the hamster and hitting the cage out of anger. I went in and tried to calm down the hamster, but it was in vain. I noticed very large and wet poop in the cage, and the hamster was very very very frightened and just extremely shooken up. right now he is biting the cage as if trying to escape.
Please help!!
Hitting the cage of an animal is a direct sign of problems. I realize your daughter was angry, but that's generally not a good sign. Wettail is highly possible, especially with the nastiness that it's encountered. The hamster is stressed. Consider wettail medicines especially if your daughter is going to continue yelling and shaking the cage.
hi.I got a male teddy bear hamster yesterday afternoon.His name is Bear and i love him soo much.he is adorable.i heard they sleep during the day and are up at night.i noticed that bear slepped all day today and im pretty sure she still is.Im nervous cuz his poop seemed different from yesterday.yesterday it looked rounder and harder today it was kinda skinny looking and long and was just a lil mushy.I was holding him a lot tho wich i really regret.I put him in his rolling ball and stuff.I didnt feel if his booty yet to see if its wet becuz i dont wanna hadle her anymore.im soo nervous.I was starting ge5t really attach to him.Do u think he has wet tail.if so is there anything i can give him besides dri-tail....? plz help!
It's possible that it's wettail since the hamster didn't have time to acclimate to its new home. I'd go ahead and get the dritail and start administering it. If not dritail, then there are a few other over the counter medicines. Other than that there isn't anything else you can do besides go to a vet and spend a lot more to get baytril or another antibiotic. Dritail just works faster from the cases I've seen.
well im not very sure if he has it since his poop isn't soft its hard last time i checked.i had him in his hamster ball earlier he seemed fine im no sure tho he was acually learning how to roll in it. but it's so confusing to know if he has it or not. but if he doesnt have it is there something i can give him to prevent it like some sort of veggie or something?
the reason y im asking is becuz i dont think i will be able to purchase dri tail until friday.... i really hope he doesnt have it since thats too long to wait.If he dies im not really gonna blame myself i didnt know ur not suppose to hold them since the pet shop clerk let us hold him so its not my fault.of course i dont want him to die.He is precious in every way but there is nothing i can do.My mom has been bringing me everywhere to get him toys and things and i don't want to bother her anymore.She int gonna go out today and i dont think tomorrow either soo idk what to say.I guess i just wont handle him much keep his cage clean and try to make him less stress.The other bad thing is that his cage isnt very big so he kinda always wants to get out that might be causing his stress.o well ill hope for the best.thanks for the info and if u have anymore advice i would be pleased if you can share it with me. thanks again!
oh and not to sound gross but what is hamster poop suppose to look like? i have to compare and see if he is okay ... thanks so much
okay well nvm u'll probably answer my message tomorrow.... but bears waste is hard so im hoping it will stay that way. he's sleeping right now he becomes very active at night. but last night i finally quieted him down and he fell asleep. but thank you very much and what ever ?'s i had earlier you can still answer them i still wanna know. I hope bear will be okay oh and is it really common for hamsters to get wet tail. It will be hard the whole time having bear getting nervous he will get it. =[
hoping for the best,
-Jay
If the hamster has the beginings of wettail then there's nothing you can do to stop it or make it better without treatment. hamster poo is usually hard- not dry- but not too moist or wet. Wettail is the most commong illness of hamsters. It's caused by stress and is common for new hamsters.
but idk cus his poop is hard now..so idk if he has it. i havnt really been bothering him lately so yeah.i just let him rest and stuff.
That's your choice. Wettail doesn't cure on its own and is fatal. If you think that the hamster has wettail, then you shouldn't sit idley by. If the poo is normal and the back end isn't wet, then it's probably just stress and not wettail, but remember stress causes wettail.
um well im only a child i cant drive so its not my choice in the matter. But im most likely going to target today so my mom will bring me to a pet place to get dri tail. he doesnt have diharear ( spelt that wrong) so idk if he has it. but all i can do now is get the dri tail and ssee if it works. Oh and if he doesnt have it can i still give him dri tail to prevent it or no?
oh i got the dri tail dont know how to apply it . Says you need to weigh your hamster. I dont have a scale. but i got him a new cage it really big and tall. He falls sometimes. I dont know if that will injure him severally . He climbs the metal bars and then falls =[. I dont know how to stop him.
Uh, my hamsters both have wet bottoms, but they are VERY active and run around a lot. Is that still wettail even though they are active?
Oh an I forgot to mention, their whole body is wet... is that wettail? I need to know because I need to know because I just got them yesterday from the pound and I'm already attached to them (Family). But after a while, they dry up and seem normal! Once again is that wettail?
Jay, generally it's either a half a syringe or a whole syringe I can't remember. I believe it's the whole syringe. It's easier to administer through the mouth and not by putting it in the water bottle because it gets in the body quicker. You can't really stop him from climbing the bars.
kaitlin, I'd separate the hamsters if they're syrian/teddy bear hamsters as they are solitary and are much better separate than in pairs. if the whole body is wet that is very odd. wettail wouldn't dry up. what are they doing to get wet and then to dry up?
umm syringe? lmao. Ok well i have the wet tail. I really don't think bear has it tho. At least not now. He is active and drinks eats and is on his wheel at night a lot his poop is hard and idk he seems ok. Do u think it's wet tail still?
if his poo is fine and his bum isn't wet then it's not wettail.
ok. thanks
I think that my hamster has wet tail now/. How much dri tail medicine should i give him a day???? please answer this fast!!! urgent! thanks
Jay, you need to make up your mind as to whetehr the hamster has wettail or not. You seem really iffy about the situation and keep going back and forth. I told you before that one syringe however many times a day the bottle says is what you need to do for however long the bottle says. If the hamster is not fully grown, do a half a syringe.
ok listen it is not my fault ok i just got the hamster. Im being cautious. Things can happen. There is no need for you to get mad about it. i thought you had this website to help people out .not blame . but if you don't wanna help me then nvm i'll go on yahooanswers and ask them. And F.Y.I the back of the medicine says the amount of grams ur hamster is feed it the amount of drps. the dropper says 1 to 4 drops idk it's weird. But nvm ur not being a very big help to me! soo good byee
I'm sorry that you've taken it as rude or mean. I'm just saying it's time to make up your mind, as you've been very wishy-washy. It's always best to err on the side of caution which is what I told you before when you first decided that the hamster didn't have wettail after thinking that it did. Typically a few drops takes up a good bit of the syringe as it's a small syringe. If you can't weigh the hamster, then do your best at estimating.
well what im saying is im not a hamster expert! ok i don't know every little thing about hamsters. I'm not positive my hamster has wet tail. Alright. yes the dropper is small so are you trying to say just put a few drops ?
Whatever the bottle says. If you have a kitchen scale you may want to use that to measure the hamster to make sure the weight. If you have absolutely no clue whatsoever, then some is better than none.
RenaSherwood says:
2 years ago
Thanks. Beautiful pictures. Well organized. My condolences on the deceased hamsters. Answerede my questions about wet-tail.