Bad Advice = HUGE STEESS! Please help!

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 09-09-2015, 08:06 AM

So I was advised to do a full cage clean because Little Bear might have had a respiratory infection. Thinking that it was for the best I cleaned everything down with some water and vinegar.

I placed him in his cage and he had a MAJOR freak out. This was around 2am I just woke up and he seems just as terrified as when I first placed him in there. It's been 7 hours.

My biggest concern is wet tail or him getting sicker because he was already at risk of being sick.

What can I do to help him calm down? How long should I wait? I've already placed towels on his cage.

Nancy's Hamsters · 09-09-2015, 08:31 AM

Do you have any of his old bedding left in the bin? If so you can place a small amount back in so he has at least one familiar smell in the now completely foreign cage.

I can't at all see a connection with a respiratory infection and doing a full cage clean out myself but am figuring it was a Vet who gave this suggestion to you. If he is sensitive to something in the cage you would not want to change everything as you would still have no clue what it was which was removed which caused his health issue.

Cleaning out the cage will not help get rid of and infection that is internal. Only antibiotics would help with that. Hopefully all this new won't cause him more harm but all you can do is what you've done cover him to seclude him from outside stimulus, leave him be (which if he is on medication is not possible) and pray for the best outcome.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 09-09-2015, 08:40 AM

It wasn't vet advice. I followed some advice that I was given here by another user. It's the first time I've had advice backfire on me.

He's still wheezing a bit here and there.

BrainGirl · 09-09-2015, 08:50 AM

Personally, I prefer to take advice only from established members who I already know have hamster experience from reading their posts. That or waiting for many replies to see if there's a consensus. Sorry you got bad advice, I'm sure that as he lays down his scent he'll calm down, but as Nancy's_Hamsters suggested, if you've got any of his old bedding left I would bring some of it back.

Pebbles82 · 09-09-2015, 09:02 AM

So sorry to hear Little Bear is so freaked out. Good suggestions above. Also maybe the tissue trick? Then there is something that smells familiar of you too. Also does he have somewhere dark to retreat to in his cage? When Charlie's cage all changed, I set it up so he had a tunnel to go down which led to a house that was dark inside. He shot straight down there, racketted about in it for a bit and then built a nest in there. Just thinking - it is done now, so something that will help him feel safe, like a retreat inside his cage. A shoe box would do, with a door cut out - nice big dark place - and some kind of tube or tunnel over the door so he feels even darker and safer.

I also find, after a bit cage clean, that scattering food and hiding tasty treats in various places does help to distract a bit from the panic - not completely but it does distract Charlie a bit, so that might help.

Ammunition · 09-09-2015, 09:34 AM

I feel that I may be the person you're referring to, so I am sorry you feel I am responsible for the current state of your hamster - my suggestion was of course based off of my experience, and if you have a restless hamster, or one that is prone to getting distressed easily then I imagined it is understood to take an anecdote with a grain of salt; my suggestion for what I would do (not knowing that your hamster can get distressed under these circumstances, or other details of his behavior and personality) was in response to your question about if a hamster had a respiratory disease, and if the cage hadn't been cleaned in awhile - I mentioned my friend using this method for his rats that had respiratory diseases since your initial question pertained to that.

I, and many others also commented that you hamster could have just gotten a bit of the illness that was going around the household; being that we aren't there to observe your hamster and understand what behavior is typical of him, you need to make a decision on what is the best course of action for him. Didn't you mention cleaning the cage just a few days ago, and there wasn't an issue?

My hamster has never had an issue with her cage being cleaned, and really enjoys poking around after the fact, but perhaps your Syrian is different, or the respiratory issue is still causing them distress.

Did you save any of the old bedding to place back into the cleaned tank? This is a general rule of thumb whenever doing a cage cleaning; it is always best to set aside some of the previous bedding (that contains their scent) and re-introduce it into the cage after it's been cleaned out.

Can you elaborate on what sort of behavior is being displayed with his "major freak out"? Is he eating, drinking, etc?

BrainGirl · 09-09-2015, 09:41 AM

Hamsters have very poor eyesight and navigate by scent. To lose all of their scent trails leaves them feeling vulnerable and uncertain of locations of things and therefore their safety. It is always best to avoid full cage cleans unless absolutely necessary and even then to save some of the old to mix back with the new. They're not exactly like other rodents.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 09-09-2015, 10:15 AM

I did place my pj tops and a short I was wearing around yesterday and it did help. Right now he's in his top bin and is terrified of going to his bottom bin. Everything in his bottom bin is the same as it was before. Placement and same toys. The only new element is the vinegar. So I've limited him to his top bin and going to clean out his bottom bin with water and air it out for a couple hours.

As for his behavior, he didnt pee or drink water while I slept. He's still eating. When I moved his water up he drank for a good minute.

Yesterday's freak out was that he jumped around his cage from fear. When I placed my hand it he scaled it up so fast to get out. If I put him back in he'd freeze and hold his ground in my hand.

Ammunition, no need to worry or take it personally. Right now my main concern and top priority is to get him distressed and feeling better. So rest assured that I'm not mad or wanting to cause drama. All my focus is on improving his situation. Honestly, it was my final decision to cleaning thinking it was for the best.

Does anyone know of a vet prescribed medication that can help with stress?

kelza · 09-09-2015, 03:48 PM

I don't know about medicine to help with the stress, but a visit to the vet might be a good idea to see if Little Bear does has a respiratory infection or not.

Re-cleaning the bin is a great idea, and hopefully will decrease his stress.

Pebbles82 · 09-09-2015, 03:58 PM

The cleaning is done now and I think he will soon feel at home again. It's hard watching them being frantic, but maybe just leave him to his own devices for a day or two - when Charlie was stressed like that he seemed to be worse if I was there and settled down when I wasn't in the room. I don't know of any vet prescribed medicines either. Chamomile is soothing and relaxing, so you could put some camomile flower heads in his substrate and he might have a nibble on them, or if not the smell of them might calm him. A Herbal shop should sell them.

According to this health link, certain foods have calming properties on the brain. This article is for humans but bananas and brazil nuts feature on the list and both would be a nice treat for a hammy and maybe help calm him as well. I sometimes give Charlie a piece of banana or half a shelled brazil nut (I cut the nut in half with a knife and eat the other half first just to check it's not a foul tasting one!)

http://www.naturalnews.com/038747_ne...ing_foods.html

It certainly might distract him - Charlie goes potty for a bit of banana or brazil nut - he adores them - so maybe Little Bear will too.