Dirty bottom on very old hamster

wendles42 · 01-22-2018, 03:33 AM

Hello, I'd like some advice please.
My sons male Syrian hamster is 2yrs 4 months old, and looks thin and aged. His ears are always flat to his head now and he always looks sleepy. (spends more time sleeping than a few months ago).
I know he is doing well to still be with us at that age.
just now he was having a drink from his water bottle so I spoke to him and he came to see me. When I picked him up I noticed he was smelly, so I had a look under him and noticed he's dirty on his bottom.
I tried tilting him back to wipe him gently with an unscented wet wipe but he struggled so I put him back to continue his sleep.
He's a clean hamster usually. I'll have a look this evening when he may be more awake. Has anyone else had this situation?
I don't want to stress him by taking him to the vet if I can help him myself.
He's a sociable little hammy so I have no concerns about handling him.
thanks for any advice you can give

souffle · 01-22-2018, 04:38 AM

Changes like this are always worrying with an older hamster. If his ears are back he isn't feeling well so I think you need to see the vet with him before he suffers and major pain. I'd book him in for a check up and make your decision depending on what the vets says. It could be any sort of bowel or bladder issue and being messy underneath is not a good thing for their health x Hope he can be seen soon.

wendles42 · 01-22-2018, 04:38 PM

thanks Souffle, I didn't realise that about the ears, I thought it was tiredness. I've had a look tonight as he's more perky, and his penis is partly out so I'm wondering if he has an issue in that area. I tried to wipe him again whilst he was trying to pouch the sheet of kitchen roll (!) but with minimal success. He was very interested in his food bowl though, but wobbly when he climbed off the edge.
Looks like he'll be having his first ever vets trip tomorrow

souffle · 01-23-2018, 12:52 AM

Yes he needs seen if the penis is prolapsed. There can be crystals form in the bladder and if they block the outlet for urine is is not good as the bladder will rupture. Could also be a urine infection. I'd increase his fluid intake with some sloppy porridge or babyfood to try and make sure he has enough fluid and take him to the vets. Hopefully hr will get a little treatment.

wendles42 · 01-25-2018, 04:18 AM

thanks for the helpful advice. I took him to the vet on Tuesday and he was prescribed antibiotics (orally) once per day, and probiotic powder to put on his food. Luckily he doesn't have wet tail.
the vet thinks it may be a dietary reaction (maybe too many treat sunflower seeds), he advised to avoid grapes altogether, limit carrot, and give small amounts of green veg.
He doesn't like the medicine, I'm sure he'd spit if he could!, so last night I gave him a tiny spring of broccoli straight after. He enjoyed eating it straight away. I also thought he looked a bit brighter last night, so I'm hoping he responds well to the medication.
The vet didn't give any guarantees, but did say he would recommend treatment rather than no action at all.
fingers crossed his ears are up again soon.

souffle · 01-25-2018, 04:48 AM

Good to hear he has some treatment. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
What is his name?

Pebbles82 · 01-25-2018, 05:41 AM

That sounds good after the vet visit. Sometimes they get toothache in old age as well and have difficulty eating hard food hence the weight loss. Souffle's suggestion about porridge and sloppy foods is good, but still put his regular hamster mix out - they still like pouching and hoarding it, even if they don't eat much of it.

Would suggest not doing too many clean outs as well so he can not have too much upheaval. Just spot cleaning can do for quite a long time (taking the odd whiffy handful of substrate out and replacing it with a new handful and mix it in a bit - maybe once a week). Also just leave his nest unless it's pee'd in.

Hope the antibiotics help. Sounds like you need to keep an eye on him though. If his ears stay down he may need pain relief medication. Also as Souffle says if his penis is still out that could indicate something serious going on.

Baby food tends to go down well also. On a teaspoon maybe. When our last Syrian was old I used to put out his regular hamster mix in his bowl, his piece of green veg (usually broccoli or cucumber), and put a teaspoon of the baby food in one of the lids from the baby food jars elsewhere in the cage. The age 4 months baby food is best as they tend not to have onion, tomatoes and spices (which should be avoided). Favourites here were chicken and pumpkin and grandpa's sunday dinner, and Boots fruity chicken.

Porridge you can just make in a mug - a teaspoonfull of porrdidge and 2 to 3 teaspoons of water and microwave it for a few seconds until like porridge. Then you have to wait for it too cool down (or stick it in the fridge). If you wait too long it sets solid! But you can always add a bit more cold water. Our hammy used to eat it off the teaspoon I held out. If you're making porridge anyway just give him teaspoonful of that (no salt though).

You can also give them a bit of scrambled egg now and then on a teaspoon.

wendles42 · 01-25-2018, 10:58 AM

thanks, that's so useful knowing how I can vary his food. I have porridge in the mornings made with skimmed milk - can he have that or should it just be made with water?
that's useful too, to know not to change gis nest unless he's wet it. He's not burrowing into it like he used to, so I've tried to mould an indent into it incase it's too much effort for him.
He is called Shooter - my son named him that due to his tendency to shoot around at high speed! (he's not so fast now, but still enjoys going on the flat disc style wheel).

Coco61 · 01-25-2018, 11:22 AM

Agree with all Serendipity has said about food for an elderly gent. I did this for my last boy. Porridge should be made with water. 20secs in the microwave I found to be enough. Also my boy didn't like fruit so with baby food he like veggie risotto and the veg mixes or chicken casserole. Since the jar can only be open for 48hrs in the fridge, I used to freeze the rest of it in an ice cube tray and then put the portions into a freezer bag. I could then take them out one at a time to thaw. Also I could have a rotation of flavours so he didn't get bored.