Here we can see, “What Is a Hamster’s Wet Tail?”
Wet tail, arguably the most prevalent hamster ailment, can be a dangerous and fatal condition if not addressed immediately.
What Is Wet Tail?
“wet tail” refers to your pet hamster’s damp tail. This wet tail is caused by proliferative ileitis or regional enteritis and is characterised by diarrhoea or loose stools. An excess of intestinal bacteria is assumed to cause diarrhoea.
What Causes a Hamster’s Tail to Get Wet?
A wet tail is typically caused by stress. Young hamsters are moved from a breeder or vendor to a pet store, a new home, and occasionally back to the store, all within a few weeks. This would be stressful for anyone, let alone a tiny baby hamster. This stress causes the bacteria in the gut to overpopulate, resulting in diarrhoea.
Wet tail is highly contagious as well. As a result, if your new hamster was kept in a large cage with other hamsters with wet tails, your hamster and the other hamsters could also have wet tails. Therefore, when choosing a hamster to bring home, make sure it is active and running around to reduce having a damp tail.
What Is the Best Way to Treat a Wet Tail?
To treat a wet tail, you must first determine if your hamster has a wet tail and not diarrhoea from another cause. Remember that because the wet tail is a bacterial infection that produces diarrhoea, your hamster may have diarrhoea for reasons other than the wet tail. For example, your hamster may consume some fresh fruit or vegetables with high water content and diarrhoea. This diarrhoea is most likely caused by all of the extra water he ingested, not his wet tail. If you’re unsure what caused the diarrhoea, the best place to start is with an exotics vet.
If he does have a wet tail, your exotics doctor will most likely prescribe hamster-safe medicines and possibly some subcutaneous fluids to rehydrate him. If he isn’t eating, you may have to syringe feed him special hamster food (Oxbow Critical Care or Emeraid) or vegetable baby food.
If you cannot take your hamster to an exotics veterinarian, you can give it moist tail drops at home. These drops are orange-flavoured and contain an antibiotic. They can be bought without consulting a veterinarian and placed in a water bottle or straight in the hamster’s mouth. Take it to the vet if your hamster does not get better after a few days on these drops. Exotics’ health deteriorates rapidly, and wasting time could have a tragic consequence for your hamster.
How to Avoid a Wet Tail
Some exotics veterinarians may advise you to treat your hamster with wet tail drops as a prophylactic measure when you first bring home your new hamster. Mix the required amount of wet tail drops into your hamster’s water bottle.
When purchasing a hamster from a pet store, ensure that it is active, that its eyes are open, and that its rear end is dry and clear of faeces. To be even more cautious, do not bring home a hamster living with another hamster who does not appear to be in good health (i.e., eyes closed, sitting in the corner, wet bottom).
If you have more than one hamster and one has a wet tail, separate them and wash your hands after handling the sick one and before handling the healthy one.
It is advised that you have your hamster examined by a veterinarian within the first month of ownership to ensure that it is healthy and doing well. This can aid in detecting indicators of dehydration, diarrhoea, and any other issues you may have with your new pet. This is also a wonderful moment to address any other concerns about your new pet.
User Questions
Do hamsters survive wet tails?
Some hamsters may survive “wet tails” with adequate care. However, “wet tail,” also known as Proliferative Ileitis, is one of the most dangerous hamster intestinal illnesses. Despite therapy, many hamsters die, frequently within 48 hours of exhibiting symptoms.
What are the signs of a wet tail?
This illness results in severe watery diarrhoea, matted, untidy fur around the tail, loss of appetite, and dehydration. Hamsters with the condition may also sit slumped and have blood around their rectums. This disease has the potential to kill hamsters. Death might occur within a few days to a week.
Why do hamsters consume their offspring?
Being pregnant, giving birth, nursing, and caring for several offspring is a demanding experience for anyone, including hamsters. If a hamster becomes overly anxious, it may consume its young. 2 It may feel that caring for its young is too much for it, and it will, tragically, kill and consume its infants.
Do hamsters consume their faeces?
Hamsters consume their faeces because it is the only way to absorb all of the nutrients in the meals they consume. The hamsters will consume the soft stool formed to obtain the nutrients required to survive.
Do hamsters need a litter box?
Obtain the necessary equipment. Once you’ve determined your hamster’s preferred locations, all you’ll need is a litter box and litter to begin your potty-training adventure. Some commercial litter boxes come with a cover to keep the odour at bay. Others are corner pans that take up less room in your hamster’s cage.
Conclusion
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