Illnesses
ABSCESSES.- These are soft, closed swellings filled with pus. They appear after the hamster has been bitten or injured. Bathing with a warm salt solution helps. Mix one teaspoon of salt with a pint of water. Clip the fur around the abscesses and keep it exposed until the pus has drained away. You need to consult your vet for antibiotics if the abscess does not heal in a few days.
ACCIDENTS.- Falls, encounters with cats and mishandling by young children are the most common cause of injury. Fractures of the limbs or pelvis should be seen by your vet, but treatment is difficult. Hamsters will not tolerate splints or dressings! Simple fractures will heal on their own.
CONSTIPATION.- Not common ailment, but a potentially serious one. The hamster may suffer some discomfort from a swollen abdomen. A good supply of clean drinking water, fresh greens and safe bedding will usually cure (and prevent) this condition.
DIARRHOEA.- A sudden change of diet or too many greens can cause an attack of diarrhea. Beware of raisins and citrus fruit. The hamster will have staining around his bottom and may be off colour. Dehydration is a serious result of this condition and needs urgent veterinary treatment. Pinch a fold of your hamster's skin. If it slips back into place he is well hydrated. If the skin stays up in a ridge the hamster needs fluid. Feed only dried food and water for a day or two. A pinch of salt and a pinch of glucose may be added to the water.
HEATSTROKE.- Hamsters that are too hot collapse and become disorientated. Moving them to a cool, shady place may help, but it is better to immerse him gently in a bowl of cool water (but not the head). He will gradually regain consciousness as his body temperature return to normal.
HIBERNATION.- A sudden drop in temperature or even a series of dull days when daylight is depleted can cause your hamster to hibernate. A cool, stiff immobile hamster is not necessarily dead. Warm him in your hands or near a radiator, but do not over do the heat.
LUMPS AND BUMPS.- These should be investigated by a vet. Small external lumps can usually be removed. Don't wait until the lump is large or untreatable. Lumps are not necessarily cancerous.
RESPIRATORY.- Hamsters can develop "snuffles" especially after a period of damp weather. Humans may transmit "cold" to hamsters. ( Imagine a poor hamster kept in a classroom of five year olds, he must be permanently sneezing!) Put some Vicks or menthol crystals on a tissue near the cage. Keep him comfortable and warm, treat him to hot mash and hope for the best.
SKIN DISEASES.- Hamsters can be affected by Demodectic and sarcoptic mange. Hair loss and irritated, scaly patches are the first signs. Mites from both these manges are easily identifiable. Your vet can take a skin scraping and examine it under a microscope. Sarcoptic mange causes scabies in humans, an unpleasant, but not serious, itchy rash on the forearms. Mites found in hay can also cause intense itching in hamsters. Ringworm is relatively rare, but can be detected by an ultra violet light. The affected patches glow! Rings of dry, scaly skin are an indication of this condition. Hip spots are often mistaken for ringworm. All hamsters have two scent glands on their flanks. Sometimes they appear to be sore and wet and the hamster may rub them along the floor of his cage. This is quite normal.
TEETH.- Hamsters that suffer from misaligned jaws, or are given insufficient hard food, often develop overgrown teeth. Your vet can show you how to clip them Don't worry, it's quite painless!
TYZZER'S DISEASE.- This is a serious disease usually carried by wild mice. The hamster rapidly looses condition and dies. Mice can contaminate food, cages, shavings and bedding, even before you buy these products. You should be suspicious if you have a number of sudden deaths in your hamstery.
WET TAIL.- This condition should not be confused with diarrhoea, although the symptoms are similar. The animal quickly becomes vary ill indeed with severe diarrhea caused by a bacterium which is thought to attack mainly young hamsters. Ulcers from in the bowel and death usually follows. Stress, over breeding and weaning too early leave hamster hamsters susceptible to this nasty disease. Treatment by your vet is possible, but rarely successful. This is a highly infectious disease and sufferers should be isolated.