New adopted dwarf hamster behaviour change on medication for infection

Kensa · 09-10-2020, 04:04 PM

Hi all I am new here and have my first hamster companion ever!

At the end of July after returning from my masters I decided to adopt a russian dwarf hamster who I named Winston (roughly 5-7 months old now) and he was immediately extremely friend, curious, relaxed, not scared of me etc.

Back story:
What started out as taking him to the vet for what i thought may be mites ended up him needing antibiotics for a slightly obstructed scent gland. 2 weeks of baytril 2x a day and he was getting worse!! all of a sudden he started screaming/whimpering 1-2x a day and I would rush over to see him and when i checked his scent gland it seemed to excrete pus and I went back to the vet immediately who put him on a new antibiotic as well as pain killers and I have a new appointment next week at which it will be determined if he needs surgery.

Anyways... he started becoming quite aggressive and whenever I have tried to handle him (an absolute minimum only to speedily check his gland) he always ends up panicking and biting so I bleed.
I was able to feed him baytril on a spoon with some baby puree which was less stressful for him and I turned his cage into a temporary 'quarantine cage', which seems to help! But he absolutely hates this new antibiotic even when i mix it with puree... which means I need to scruff him 2x a day, which is excessively stressful for him.

What started out as a very friendly and relaxed hamster is now scared of me, runs into a house as soon as he sees me and jumps to attack when anything is near him e.g. spoon with puree - which he really loves.

I know scruffing is the best thing for him in the long run but my worry is that he is scared of me and hides so I can't see him (i put a towel over part of his cage so i don't startle him) and scruffing will only make this worse. I'm worried of how much stress and pain he is in (hearing him whimper hurts me so much) and how this will affect my bond with him afterwards, especially if he ends up needing the surgery and even more antibiotics after that.

I'm sorry this is so long he is my first hamster and I would do anything for him.
I know he is most likely aggressive and scared because he is in pain and I know the vet he has now is the best one he could have (i already had to switch), but is there any way to know if he will ever forgive me and be more relaxed in his own home and with me again? Has anyone experienced something similar? It pains me so much to see him this way.

Salem13 · 09-11-2020, 04:25 PM

I personally adopted a dwarf hamster that was almost 2 years old at the time, had rarely been handled properly (rough grabbing by young children), and would slap at me when I tried to spot clean. It has taken several months but they are now comfortable enough with me that they lick my fingers and will walk confidently over an onto my hand. I think you may very well have a friendly hamster when this is all over. However, for now his health is more important.
If he were my own pet I would personally go about gaining trust the same way one would typically tame a new hamster. Talk to him in a soft voice, give him tissue that smells like you, and taking things very slowly. You could perhaps give him a treat after he takes his medication and any time you have to go into his cage. Eventually if he is ready you could start spending a bit more time by his cage talking to him and work up to resting your hand in or on it while he eats some snacks.

You could also be right that he may not return to trusting you the way he did before- which would definitely be sad but not the end of the world. I feel he will likely regain at least some trust. In the event that he becomes a look-don't-touch pet you can at least find peace in knowing that you helped him and he is in safe hands.

LunaTheHamster1 · 09-11-2020, 04:59 PM

I think when he is out of pain he will trust you again. I struggled to get medicine into my Luna (Syrian) she used to put her teeth round my fingers as a warning, she never bit down though. It was the funniest thing. When i managed to get her medicine in with baby food it all went much better.

cypher · 09-11-2020, 11:25 PM

It must be really distressing for you to see such a happy tame little ham become so afraid when you are doing everything you can for him, some meds are harder to administer than others so it is stressful for them. It will probably take time for him to become more relaxed & calm around you again but I agree that once the meds are finished & he is no longer in pain or having to go through stressful procedures then he most likely will come round & trust you again, it will take time & patience but he should get there ok.

Maker · 09-11-2020, 11:28 PM

It is so hard, I feel how much this upsets you. I’m sure that he will easily forgive you. It’s hard when the antibiotics are many times a day as waking them is the hardest thing. Talk to the vet to see if you can do a twice day dose one late at night and one early in the morning, that way you can just put the spoon of baby food in and let him eat it. If more often you may need to do your doses over night which will upset your sleep but might be achievable. I really think once the pain has gone he will be much happier. I really don’t think they bear a grudge.
I don’t like scruffing, do you think you can do it without picking him up at all? Scruffing is just what a bird of prey would do before eating them and I’m sure they have a natural response to it.

Maker · 09-11-2020, 11:32 PM

Just read he doesn’t like the antibiotic. Can you try a little ribena with it to mask the taste? I know augers not great but it’s about the lesser of all the evils. Maybe porridge. Have you tasted it? Is it horrible?

Kensa · 09-12-2020, 02:07 AM

Thank you all for your replies and advice, I really appreciate it! I put him in a little caddy from which I pick him up (he enters it all on his own every time) so he doesn't associate his cage/home with me picking him up and i scruff him for a few seconds and he gets treats immediately afterwards. I haven't tasted it but as soon as he smells or tastes it he thrashing and wriggles so much and it's only a small dose so getting it in has been hard. He absolutely hates it, but i will give ribena and porridge a try! Funny thing is he still comes to take treats out of my hand even though he is very unsure of me.