Simon had a Bath!

[Charlotte_Alice]

I agree, constructive criticism is the best way to be. I guess its hard for some people who have had lots of hamsters etc for a long time. I guess its just thankful it was a one off and hopefully won't happen again.

Animal ownership is trial and error, its like everything, the Internet is bursting with good and bad information. Everyone treats their animals as their children and everyones parenting styles are very different obviously.

I guess every bit of information needs to be taken with pinch of salt. I would always recommend speaking to RSPCA or a vet or specialist that deals with 'exotic' pets.

[Vonni911]

Originally Posted by Charlotte_Alice

I agree, constructive criticism is the best way to be. I guess its hard for some people who have had lots of hamsters etc for a long time. I guess its just thankful it was a one off and hopefully won't happen again.

Animal ownership is trial and error, its like everything, the Internet is bursting with good and bad information. Everyone treats their animals as their children and everyones parenting styles are very different obviously.

I guess every bit of information needs to be taken with pinch of salt. I would always recommend speaking to RSPCA or a vet or specialist that deals with 'exotic' pets.

'
Thank you, Charlotte Alice. There is difference of opinion on a lot of issues pertaining to hamster care. I shouldn't be held responsible if it just so happens that I follow some poor advice. I would never intentionally put my pets in peril.
I still do not think that it was worth all of these people flying of the handle at me and calling me names. How immature. All it would have taken was one person to tell me that they didn't particularly care for conventional bathing; and 'xyz' are the reasons.
I am a relatively new hamster owner; and yes, I do consider myself knowledgeable. I don't know all there is about hamsters; but I do know where to go to get the answers to any of my questions. I make mistakes sometimes. I was under the impression that we were all fallible. Judging by the responses within my thread; we have some picture perfect hamster owners who have been perfect from the first day they brought their pets home. They never had to do research or ask any questions; and they surely never made any mistakes.
I wasn't expecting those replies at all. Matter of fact, I figured that some more experienced hamster owner would take me under their wing and explain to me why some don't prefer conventional bathing for hamsters. They would also acknowledge where I got the information from. And they would certainly not attack me.

[Charlotte_Alice]

Hi Vonni

I am not an expert but I will try and help, and as I mentioned there are several good books, I would get a book as the information would have been approved etc. before publishing.

I have had a few funny replies to my cage thread but I know at the end of the day most people reply in worry and frustration for the hamsters overall wellbeing so for that I do not really get offended.

As I said above its Trial and Error, animals are wonderful things and teach you new things everyday.

[Panda's_mommy]

Do you own dogs? If you do, I have a question, would you give your dog human mouthwash??? The answer is probably no! Yes it upsets us that you gave your hamster a bath, but soap for humans? Come on, how can you not know better? How can you not know that it could develop wet tail or become very sick and ill from being completely wet? You said you know so much about hamster care, I have 1 hamster, first hamster I've ever owned! I ask questions on the board about simple things, like what is the healthiest food, I heard him squeaking, is that normal? Stuff like that! He has long fur and often gets pieces of bedding stuck in his fur that I cannot get out no matter how hard I try. I cut out the fur with the bedding and I give him regular trimmings. But you don't give very small furry animals baths, let alone one with any kind of soap! Who cares if a bunch of people on internet sites say it's ok, it's not! I'm glad your hamster is ok and hopefully will not get sick!!!!

[souffle]

Vonni nobody is calling you names and it is you who is taking comments the wrong way and interpreting them wrongly.
I feel that in your first post you were expecting a reaction already so I'm not sure why you even posted that fact you bathed your hamster.
Of course everyone has made mistakes and learned from them. Perhaps a nice idea if you are unsure would be to ask on this or another forum what would be the advice for a hamster who has mess in the coat before acting? Many of the people on this forum are very experienced with hamsters and I would value their opinions. You can of course take any advice you choose and either use it or not.
I personally have moderated the forum for years and kept hamsters for over 35 years as well as being a Syrian hamster judge and breeder and a Committee member of the Northern Hamster Club. I have a special interest in hamster health care and I hope my comments do help people make decisions. I'm always willing to learn and listen though and everyone has the right to make a valid comment especially if backed up by constructive information about the reasons of why to do something or why not to do it.
Look over what you wrote and then decide how the posters of some comments will feel about being insulted by you just as you feel you have been insulted by them.
The thread will be closed if it results in any more offensive posts so please keep them constructive from now on.
In future I would certainly advise not to bathe a hamster for the reasons already stated and to ask about things beforehand so you can read the comments and decide for yourself the best route forward
Again the reasons are that for a start hamsters would not bathe in the wild. They are not great swimmers and could even drown especially with a heavy long coat. Say your little child fell down they stairs - would you have thought 'I'll just get the hamster out the bath before I see to him'. If you do bathe them especially with a soap it removes oils and skin protective bacteria from the coat which can result in irritation and a flare up of mites.
It is very stressful. Stress hormones are released into the body which cause the animal's immune system to be lowered so it is prone to infection and also to problems with the bowel so it could trigger diaorrhoea. The hamster may become more fearful than it would normally be of handling and out time.
The hamster is a small animal and will lose heat from the body very rapidly and I mean rapidly! Think when you get out the swimming pool even on a warm day how quickly you get shiverry until you dry off. You are a large animal compared to a hamster so they can chill quickly and need dried very well in warm conditions and fed to keep the energy levels up to replace the lost heat.
I would always just cut out the messy area then sponge with a cotton ball and brush dry.
This is the answer I would have given if you had asked first.
Most hamsters will tolerate bathing and have no ill effects however there is no point to my mind in risking anything in case your hamster is one of the small percentage that does have something go wrong. I'm glad he is well and I hope you appreciate that our members are passionate and they only want to try and help you understand fo the sake of your hamster.

[Tam909]

Hi, sorry to get involved, i just looked it up online and almost everything says no. A few things say its okay but not the majority. I've noticed with alot of people, not you, just in general that people seem to see what they want to see or is most helpful even if not neccessarily true. I'm sure you didn't mean to cause your hamster stress or harm and i agree some people on here are being a little harsh. Bathing your hammy can cause stress, a chill, and clean away the natural oils in the fur for washing and keeping warm. I'm glad he is okay this time but please if this happens again or even before i advise getting a sand bath or using a cotton pad on the area Hope i helped Xx

[squishyhammy]

i would of tried other ways yo get rid of the poop. bathing in water is only for extremecases which include harmful chemicals not poop. and only if reccomended by a vet. recently a very knowledgeable hamster owner (whos on this forum i think but dont know her username) Erin posted a very good video on hamster bathing. again as said it would of been a good idea to ask on here before you did anything
HOW TO BATHE A HAMSTER! - YouTube

[Scampi16]

Originally Posted by Vonni911

Most of the knowledge that I have about hamsters come from the internet. I am trying to grasp this: I become unfit to own hamsters because I follow instructions that I find on what are supposed to be reputable hamster sites? I could understand it if there was a resounding 'no' when it comes to giving hamsters baths; however there is not.
I am floored that you would come at me with such hostility after I do something which I see, that in THIS PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, is a no-no. What would make more sense, that instead of personally attacking me and calling me names; you could redirect me and acknowledge my confusion; and then tell me while other sites advocate conventional hamster bathing; this site does not. And then explain it to me.. It's not like I did something that nobody does. There seems to be some conflicting advice out there at ow to take care of hamsters. And yes, I am very knowledgeable when it comes to my triad; although I happen to do one thing that this particular community doesn't subscribe to.
I completely resent the venom that I am receiving from members. I take it that you all were perfect when you got your first hamsters and didn't have to rely on publications and the internet when learning how to take care of them. I guess that none of you have ever made mistakes when it comes to taking care of your pets, so it becomes unfathomable that I make one.

I don't think people are meaning to 'get' at you, but you did follow poor advice, this is a mistake. the only time that a hamster should be bathed is in extreme circumstances such as the hamster being covered in something sticky like treacle, on this occasion it would have been best to just use a damp cloth / cotton wool on the affected area to soften the poo & remove it.
It is unfortunate that you saw and followed poor advice, but please note that people on this site are very knowledgable on hamster care and are only trying to advise you for your hamsters welfare and also so that you can gain a better understanding on hamster care, i am sorry that you have not liked the comments made, but they were made with the best intention, people here are very passionate about hamsters and their care.

[Clairealex]

On reading your initial post and subsequent replies etc, I understand that you would never intentionally have caused your ham any harm.

I’m also a relatively new hamster owner (I only got my guy in June and before then had not had a hamster since I was 12, so 15 years ago) and can’t claim to be a fountain of knowledge, however I know the internet is full of bad and good information and it’s very important to thoroughly research before accepting information as fact. I very quickly searched ‘Can you give a hamster a bath’ there and whilst there are a couple of guides (as well as yahoo answers saying yes, which you should never solely base your findings on!) the vast majority of them state that hamsters should not be given a bath unless they have come into contact with some harmful or toxic substances and it’s a matter of urgency.

Originally Posted by Vonni911

There are quite a few hamster sites that advocate conventional hamster bathing in extreme circumstances

I think the problem lies in your interpretation of 'extreme circumstances'. I always took that to mean that the hamster had managed to roll in bleach or something as equally extreme (not that that's likely to happen - the only hypothetical example I can think of!). A bit of poop isn't like to poison him and, although not too pleasant, it isn't likely to cause him damage. Of course you want to get it off if he can't, but it's certainly not an emergency. A damp cloth, a brush and trim would have done the same job and wouldn't carry the risks of rapid heat loss and too much stress.

There are loads of very knowledgeable people on here, so if anything like that pops up in future, it could be a good idea to ask what people think. I know I’ve always appreciated all the advice I’ve gotten, and there would have been plenty of times I’d have worried over nothing had it not been for these forums!

Anyway, thankfully it seems there has been no harm done and I’m sure it’s been a learning curve. Hope your wee man manages to keep his poop where it belongs from now on

[GhostsInSnow]

The fact you anticipated people diving on you about it suggests that you at least partially figured you'd done something not quite right.
As has been said, bathing with water should only ever be done in extreme situations. This means when something is so sticky it can't be groomed out or cut out of the fur or something toxic like chemicals or paint or something.
Some people have offered some great advice on what to do if this happens again and there are also small animal wipes available (much like baby wipes but specifically for small furries) which can aid removing stubborn stuff from the fur.