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Old 02-26-2005, 08:10 AM   #1
Emma
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Default Merry is in the wars :(

I've been out shopping, just got home and noticed that Merry was out eating and drinking during the day. So I watched him for a while, then noticed a dark patch on his rump. Got him out and had a closer look, and theres quite a large gash, very fresh. I don't know if he's caught himself on something (can't work out what it would be though) or if Pippin has bitten him - they've never fought before though, other occasional tumbles that last a few seconds, and that's very rarely and usually when one of then nicks the wheel/food/water bottle from the other.



It's such a large wound I want to give him some baytril to prevent infection. Brilliant timing, normally I'd just get it from uni with a student discount - but its Saturday afternoon, even if uni would let me in I can't get out there as my boyfriend has borrowed the car for the weekend (it's 15 miles away). So I have to walk to a normal vet practice about 20 minutes away, and it's going to cost me £30 just to get seen. I guess at least I'll get another opinion.



I'm not so worried about that though (credit cards come in handy!) but having to walk with him isn't ideal.



Wibble. I hope he'll be ok. The two of them aren't fighting at all now they're snuggled up in bed together as normal. I don't even know if they were fighting. Anyone think I should seperate them because of this, or leave them together?



Aargh this is stressful. Poor Merry.
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Old 02-26-2005, 10:02 AM   #2
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Update: just back from the vets.



They were very nice and didn't charge me the full out-of-hours consult fee (seeing as I really did most of the consult myself!). The vet hadn't seen Robos before and freely admitted he wasn't too hot on hamsters, we discussed options and agreed to go with some antibiotics to safeguard against infection. So now I have to make up a teeny amount of 20% baytril solution every day and syringe 0.1ml of it into Merry's mouth! Just done the first dose successfully. Merry has actually behaved himself rather well, I scruffed him no problem at the vet and he hardly wriggled at all, let the vet have a good look, and it didn't take too long for him to let me pop the syringe into his mouth for a second (he kept pushing it away with his paws at first!). I've put some probiotic in their water as well just in case



Phew! Stress over. Merry is still fine in himself - in fact running away in the wheel as I type. So hopefully this should heal up and not be a problem.



Now I just have to work out how he did it.



(edited cos I can't spell)
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Old 02-26-2005, 01:55 PM   #3
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Sorry you didn’t get a reply sooner, This is why I’m trying to tell people about the forum, the more active the faster response people will get in emergency situations such as these. It sounds as if your little ham seems fine, Imp curious myself about how it happened.



If you were to separate them for a time wouldn’t there be chance they would fight if you tried to put them back together after? I hope that everything is fine and they get along.



The dwarf tend to squabble I read but its not suppose to get out of hand in most cases..Hmm
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Old 02-26-2005, 02:34 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by candacebell
If you were to separate them for a time wouldn’t there be chance they would fight if you tried to put them back together after? I hope that everything is fine and they get along.


It's a distinct possibility, which is why I didn't even separate them to go to the vet, Pip came along for the ride. I really don't think it was fighting that caused this wound - it's just not consistent. It's too clean around the edges, its a single wound, no other sign of fighting, no history of fighting, and no signs of blood on Pippin.



Which means it seems he must have caught himself on something in the cage - so it's really my fault. I've gone over the cage and checked everything, really not sure what could have done it. I've take out some plastic bits that had been chewed and had jaggedy edges - they weren't very sharp though, at least I wouldn't have thought they could cut right through skin like this has. I really don't know what it could have been. But I'm now leaning much more to getting an aquarium or a duna for them - it's a shame I missed out on that ebay auction (by 2 minutes! argh). Thing is I really can't afford petshop prices of a new cage right now - I don't have enough money to last to the end of term as it is, I'm going to have to ask my parents for a loan. But I guess the hammys come first and my debts second. I'm going to need some more probiotic as well - I've only got 3 days supply, and I'd like to give it for at least a week.



Merry is still fine in himself, and just as active as usual. The two of them are getting along very well as usual, playing in the wheel together no problem.



Poor M. At least it doesn't seem to be bothering him, hopefully the antibiotics will stop it getting infected and the probiotics will stop the antibiotics causing any problems of their own!
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Old 02-26-2005, 03:45 PM   #5
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Default squabbling dwarves

Quote:
Originally Posted by candacebell
The dwarf tend to squabble I read but its not suppose to get out of hand in most cases..Hmm
You are right to be dubious. Unfortunately this is not normally the case - once these little guys get it into their heads they don't want to live with someone if we don't intervene and remove them they will be killed, sad but true. They can be really quite nasty to their own kind.

It certainly sounds suspiciously like he caught himself on something at the wrong angle, rather than sustained an attack from Pippin. Has the wound closed okay or did it require some assistance in the form of clips etc? I always like to give the probiotic for a week after a course of antibiotics too just to make sure there are no residual effects. I can imagine the fright you got, it is horrible when our little ones are hurt Best wishes for a speedy and uncomplicated recovery Merry, you silly boo scaring your mummy like that I always recommend having some camomile tea on hand when you own hamsters
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Old 02-26-2005, 04:13 PM   #6
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It is big enough to fit a stitch or small staple in but we decided against it - we'd have needed to knock him out for a few minutes to do it, with all the attendant risks, and it would only have drawn more attention to the wound and one of both of them more likely to bother it. It's quite a clean gash, the edges aren't too far apart, so hopefully *touch wood* healing should be quite straightforward.



It's been a bit of a bad few weeks - my mum broke her ribs and is signed off work, my little brother was threatened at knifepoint, my dog got into a fight and has nasty chest wounds, I've realised I've got serious money issues and on top of everything I've had a stinking cold!!! Nothing else can go wrong now surely!



Merry is tucking into peanuts and banana flakes. No wonder he's such a fatty. I'll let him have whatever he wants for now though!
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Old 02-26-2005, 06:37 PM   #7
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Default banana flakes

He'll miss the banana flakes when you change his food.

One of the things I like about the Burgess food is the lovely free "treats" that come in the bag, although Harry Hamster has the added prebiotic so better for them healthwise.
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Old 02-27-2005, 01:30 AM   #8
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I know, but that's really why I'm thinking of changing it. He can have fatty things for treats occasionally, but when they're available all the time he just scoffs them!

I didn't know HH had something added - is that a new thing? I used to use it a few years ago and don't remember that. I switched to Burgess as I use their SupaGuinea Excel for my pigs and they do well on it so I trust the brand.



I moved them into my bedroom last night so if they did have any squabbles hopefully I'd have heard. No problems at all - they must have spent half the night working on their nest move as it's gone from one corner of the cage to another!
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Old 02-27-2005, 05:15 AM   #9
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Default Harry hamster food

Yes it is a fairly new addition to their product. I used Burgess without pellet mix for a good two years before switching to Harry Hamster. It is slightly more expensive but still less than 99p per kilo if bought in 15kg bags. I also buy various seeds such as millet and dried fruit for treats from my local health food store. The Roborovski Dwarves in particular love millet sprays, and budgie mix added to their normal dry hamster mix.

Plus Harry Hamster is the only hamster food recommended by the National Hamster Council
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Old 02-27-2005, 03:35 PM   #10
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Update on Merry - he took his doses of antibiotic today without much fuss (he seems to quite like the taste of it, he licks the syringe!) and the wound is starting to heal a bit. Him and Pip are still getting on fine. They've moved their nest to underneath/around the wheel though, daft things, and then keep running in the wheel and spraying nesting material everywhere!



I've ordered some more probiotic to arrive Tuesday, which is when I run out of what I had in. So hopefully I'll have plenty to last for the treatment and a while after. I printed myself out a little tick sheet so I could record when I've given Merry his antibiotic and changed the water with probiotic - I'm incredibly forgetful otherwise would end up giving it twice in an evening or something. I always write important stuff down, and this week we have masses of guests staying to distract me (my boyfriend's band plus sisters and girlfriends are staying Weds for a gig and some till Thurs, then on Friday another band we know are arriving to record with my boyf over the weekend - it's going to be a full house, we only live in a 2-bed flat!)
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