Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Hamster Healthcare

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-18-2017, 06:36 PM   #1
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Hospital cage problems

Hi

I recently posted a thread about my roborovskis foot injury. But now there is an entirely new problem so I thought I would post a new thread. I took my hamster to the vet once again and no sign of a foot infection or break, probably a sprain causing the swelling. The vet didn't want to prescribe meds at this point due to the risk of overdose in giving medicine to such a small animal. He advised I take the wheel out of the cage (which I had done the previous night anyway) for at least 1-2 weeks..... which brings me to my current dilemma

Tilly loves his wheel and is very active. I knew from a previous incident (the wheel I bought when I first got him was broken so I didn't use it in his cage the first night I had him and got a new one the day after) that he would be agitated and probably running up and down the sides of the cage. I thought this may be less of problem now he is in a larger cage to run around in but I was wrong He has been running around and trying to dig at the plastic. I gave him more substrate to burrow and a lot of different diy toilet roll tube toys but this hasn't really helped. For the first time ever, he came willingly to my hand to sit in and be taken out to have a run around outside. I kept putting him back after 10, 15 minutes or so. I would leave him a while but then he would want to come back out again.

Tonight is the fourth night without a wheel and things just seem to be getting worse. I checked his foot to see if the swelling had gone down, which it had However, there are now very sore patches at the back of each foot and bleeding. I think it is from overgrooming and biting as I have seen him groom more often and more vigorously than ever before .

Any advice would be great. It is heartbreaking to see my little Tilly like this and I feel powerless. Should I take him back to the vet? And is there anything I can do to reduce the risk of infection (other than keeping a clean cage) where the bleeding is?
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 12:54 AM   #2
cypher
Dwarf whisperer
 
cypher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

Sorry to hear you're having such a problem with poor little Tilly, it's really hard to know what to suggest, normally they do settle after a while in a hospital cage & it's best to just leave them to adjust but it does seem as though the stress is doing Tilly more harm than good so I think it might be better to give the wheel back, maybe just for a short period each evening or whenever he's most active & see if that calms him down, keep an eye on the swelling & sore feet to make sure they don't get any worse & go back to the vet if they do, there's not a lot you can do to prevent infection but if you see any indication of that he may need antibiotics.
Sorry I can't be more help.
__________________
Slave to Zak.
Always loved, never forgotten, forever in my heart
T'ycor, Ziggy, Zephyr, Flynt, Mickle, Little Whisp, Zen, Zeki, Tinwë, Zylvan, Míriel, Calyanwë, Gusto & Meri
❤️
cypher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 07:18 AM   #3
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I was very tempted to put the wheel back in last night. I gently woke Tilly today so that I could check his feet in natural light. The wounds did look wet last night but I think it was because they were fresh wounds, now they are dry, just rather sore looking. The swollen foot is much much better but still slightly larger than the other hind foot. By tonight, he will have been without a wheel for 5 days so I may try him with it tonight. I am thinking of allowing him plenty of time outside the cage as well as a little time on the wheel. Hopefully this will keep him from getting bored and stressed while also not putting too much strain on his injury.

I have ordered the 9" silent runner so hopefully running on that may be safer for him and lessen the likelihood of more injuries
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 09:05 AM   #4
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I was going to ask what wheel he had - but the silent runner will be good - what did he have before?

I agree with Cypher about putting the wheel back. Also suggest maybe trying a different vet - maybe an exotic vet who has more experience with hamsters. If you google exotic vet in your area something should come up although may not be as close as current vet. On the webpage it usually lists the vets and their specialities so if there is a choice of exotic vets try and find one with a particular interest in hamsters or "small furries".

Biting his feet and making them sore does not sound good. Maybe need to get to the bottom of that.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 10:27 AM   #5
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I actually just rung the vets to see what they thought. The advice I got from them was similar, they told me to keep an eye on it and if the wounds become infected to take him back in and possibly washing them with warm salt water (saline solution right?).

The first vet at the practice he was seen by wasn't the regular vet and she seemed inexperienced with hamsters and not very confident in handling him etc. However, on Monday he saw the regular vet at the practice who in my experience is very good. He gave Tilly a thorough examination, moving his legs to see if they were broken and checking for any signs of infection. To be honest I think its a bit of a tricky situation because the injury doesn't seem to be affecting Tilly at all, he is eating and drinking fine still, grooming with the injured foot and behaving normally apart from the stress over the removed wheel. I know hamsters are incredibly good at masking their pain but I thought I would just note here that Tilly showed absolutely no sign of pain when the vet was moving his legs, not even when he squeezed his little foot a little. The injury didn't prevent him from running on the wheel when it was in the cage and he also puts his weight on it.

The swelling on the injured foot has gone down before on two occasions while the wheel was left in the cage... so when he has been going crazy on it! So I am really hoping this break from the wheel will have done some good for the injury despite causing a lot of stress.

He had a flying saucer which is what the injury first happened on. I also have a ferplast wheel (I don't have the box for it anymore but I think it is this one but red: Silent Hamster Wheel Free Standing With Frame Ferplast FPI 4606) And this is what he has for the past few weeks now.

I am really hoping putting the wheel back in and giving him a little longer outside of the cage will help him. He is mostly active from around 9/10pm to about 2/3 am so I am preparing a space for him so he has access to water and shelter outside the cage.

Last night was pretty rough and sleepless so I am trying to be optimistic tonight I will look for an exotic vets just in case (unfortunately I am not sure my parents will be willing to take him further and my severe anxiety means at the moment I am reliant on them )
__________________
Best friend to Tilly
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 12:24 PM   #6
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I think you've done all the right things Ferplast wheel looks fine. The silent runner will be gentler on his feet if they're sore, so that's a good move. The ridges on the Ferplast one might aggravate a bit possibly, but I'm sure it's fine for now.

How old is he again? Yes it can be another pressure finding an exotic vet, so maybe just see how he goes and have that as a plan B. Do you have a photo of his feet? Some people on here are quite good with medical/health matters.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 01:07 PM   #7
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I have found another vet and on the website it says they treat birds, reptiles and small mammals as well as cats and dogs so I will take Tilly there if I have to

I am not entirely sure how old he is as I adopted him front Pets at Home and they weren't exactly sure on his age (also told me they were definitely sure he was a girl!) and estimated he might be 6 months maximum which would make him about 12 or 13 months now. There is a possibility he may be younger as my theory is they may have sexed him wrong because he was a young ham when he was adopted to me and might have appeared more female. The worker said she had roborovskis at home so I trusted her judgement until I noticed Tilly was quite boy shaped about a month later hahah.

I don't have any current pictures although I will try to take some.

This picture is from a few weeks again when his foot was previously swollen.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/little...posted-public/

__________________
Best friend to Tilly

Last edited by LazyHarpSeal; 10-19-2017 at 01:08 PM. Reason: I don't think the picture is working
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2017, 02:59 PM   #8
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

Aw he looks so sweet Looks infected to me - I think he already had antibiotics didn't he? Hamsters can get a condition called Bumblefoot. A vet should recognise it though.

There's a bit about it here

Hamsters Feet paws
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2017, 01:19 AM   #9
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

I'm sure he would appreciate someone saying he looks sweet :3

He hasn't had any antibiotics and both vets I saw ruled out infection. Bumblefoot was my main worry :/

I took Tilly out for over an hour last night and he was running around like crazy and exploring. He finally went to rest in his little rocket house and after he'd been in there for 20 minutes or so I put him back in the cage (in the house I didn't disturb him). But it wasn't long before he wanted to come back out again. I did bring him out one more time and then put him back. He wanted to come out again and was running up the sides of the cage and scratching again. I was so exhausted as I've had very little sleep so at this point I gave him his wheel that he was on straight away.

I checked on him this morning and where he had been biting still looked a bit sore but I don't think they are any worse and I didn't see him biting last night so at least that is one good thing. His swollen foot still looks a little swollen. But it's nothing like it was. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture because he wouldn't stay still and wasn't keen on being picked up this morning and I didn't want to stress him.

I am not sure where I am going to go from here. I think I'm going to monitor him for the next few days and if the swelling gets worse again or I see any sign of infection from the biting then I will take him to other vets I found (hopefully). I am a bit stuck because there is a possibility they will also say its a sprain and he needs a rest from his wheel, in which case there would be the risk of him biting again and stress so either way damage is being done The ridges on the ferplast wheel might not be helping so the silent runner might be a big help when it arrives
__________________
Best friend to Tilly
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2017, 03:26 AM   #10
LazyHarpSeal
Newborn Pup
 
LazyHarpSeal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Posts: 23
Default Re: Hospital cage problems

Just a little update I was spot cleaning and Tilly woke up and came out to investigate. I gave him a tiny piece of walnut and had a quick look at his feet. The wounds where he had been biting have scabbed over
__________________
Best friend to Tilly
LazyHarpSeal is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cage, foot, back, wheel, vet, night, previous, bleeding, risk, run, tilly, running, swelling, thought, thread, problem, infection, minutes, tonight, toys, reduce, leave, sit, hand, willingly

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:41 AM.