New hamster with wet tail

[livedinhogwarts]

Originally Posted by souffle

I wouldn't get another one from that store if he does not make it. As I said it is very hard with wet tail and a young and untame hamster. It is very contagious and the other hams may be affected too.
Good for you in having him back. I would call them frequently until you know how he does. If they refunded you the money for him then he is technically not yours and you do need to push them to get him back. I have seen this happen quite frequently.

I didn't refund the money, but there was free health care covered for him for two weeks when we bought him, hence why they took him for free. I feel they won't give him back unless he makes a full recovery though. They were quite clear about that.

I will call regularly to keep tabs on how he's doing for definite. I bought him from pets at home and they are quite a good store so I don't think it's the shop itself. Honestly, we did stroke him and try holding him a day after we got him, and while I didn't really know I shouldn't, I now feel quite responsible for the stress he was under.

[dreamtree1234]

Under the Hamster Health and Husbandry section of the Wiki Navigation portion of HC, there is a subheading titled Wet Tail - Proliferative Ileitis that is extremely informative and helpful. It states, "If you are going to use the cage again (not a good idea generally) it must be left MINIMUM of two weeks and must be properly disinfected several times. All wooden toys/ladders etc and food bowls and drink bottles should be chucked away and not reused at all.". I thought that this would be something important to share with you so you can be better prepared for when your ham hopefully comes back cured. You definitely don't want him to become reinfected with wet tail again.

Please don't blame yourself for your ham getting wet tail. I know the first thing we do as loving and concerned pet parents is to instantly blame ourselves or second guess our actions when anything wrong occurs in our pet's life. Although it is generally advisable to let your hamster take a few days to settle in, I truly don't believe that stroking or holding him a day or so after he comes home if he is receptive and enjoying it should cause wet tail. I have pet and held my hamsters from the pet store in the past, and they didn't get wet tail as a result of it. I truly believe that your hamster had health issues and may have already been exposed to wet tail prior to you taking him home with you. Wet tail takes a few days to show symptoms of it so that is why you realized them a couple days after you got him. Hugs to you!!!

[livedinhogwarts]

Originally Posted by dreamtree1234

Under the Hamster Health and Husbandry section of the Wiki Navigation portion of HC, there is a subheading titled Wet Tail - Proliferative Ileitis that is extremely informative and helpful. It states, "If you are going to use the cage again (not a good idea generally) it must be left MINIMUM of two weeks and must be properly disinfected several times. All wooden toys/ladders etc and food bowls and drink bottles should be chucked away and not reused at all.". I thought that this would be something important to share with you so you can be better prepared for when your ham hopefully comes back cured. You definitely don't want her to become reinfected with wet tale again.

Thank you so much for this! I was wondering what to do about the cage...Unfortunately I can't buy a new cage since I can't really afford one I read online you should dillute bleach and disinfect using that, then air out the cage for a couple of days and it should be fine. Do you think this would get rid of all the bacteria and make it suitable for him to use when he comes back? And about his wheel, how would I disinfect that? I guess this is something to take my mind off the worry aha

[dreamtree1234]

I have read that using 10 cups of bleach diluted in 1 cup of water is suggested to disinfect cages and cleanable (not wooden) toys, wheels, etc. , then rinse multiple times with hot water to remove all of the bleach scent, and let dry for several days. However, I have also read that bleach is toxic to hamsters due to the chemicals and strong smell. I have also read on the internet that they suggest substituting a diluted vinegar solution with hot water instead of the bleach, and then do the same process as stated above. I would probably go with the diluted vinegar route if I had to disinfect the cage, etc. because I feel it will do just as good of a job as the bleach and lots of sites state to clean other animals' cages with a diluted vinegar solution is best. You would want to make sure to remove all of the vinegar scent though. I am not an expert on wet tail though as thankfully none of my hams have ever had it. You may want to consider posting a new thread titled "How To Disinfect A Cage, Wheel, and Toys That Belong To A Hamster With Wet Tail" just so you can get many more responses to this question from other members, evaluate your choices, and go from there. Good luck and I will be keeping you and your beloved ham in my thoughts and prayers. I hope all goes well for the two of you.

Also, as I stated in my previous posting to you, please try not to blame yourself. Hugs.

[livedinhogwarts]

Originally Posted by dreamtree1234

I have read that using 10 cups of bleach diluted in 1 cup of water is suggested to disinfect cages and cleanable (not wooden) toys, wheels, etc. , then rinse multiple times with hot water to remove all of the bleach scent, and let dry for several days. However, I have also read that bleach is toxic to hamsters due to the chemicals and strong smell. I have also read on the internet that they suggest substituting a diluted vinegar solution with hot water instead of the bleach, and then do the same process as stated above. I would probably go with the diluted vinegar route if I had to disinfect the cage, etc. because I feel it will do just as good of a job as the bleach and lots of sites state to clean other animals' cages with a diluted vinegar solution is best. You would want to make sure to remove all of the vinegar scent though. I am not an expert on wet tail though as thankfully none of my hams have ever had it. You may want to consider posting a new thread titled "How To Disinfect A Cage, Wheel, and Toys That Belong To A Hamster With Wet Tail" just so you can get many more responses to this question from other members, evaluate your choices, and go from there. Good luck and I will be keeping you and your beloved ham in my thoughts and prayers. I hope all goes well for the two of you.

Also, as I stated in my previous posting to you, please try not to blame yourself. Hugs.

I've also heard that the bleach smell is toxic, but I thought airing it out would remove all the smell. I was considering using a vinegar solution but I don't know if that would work as well in removing all the bacteria. I think starting a new thread asking how to disinfect everything would help me evaluate my choices. I'm so glad that none of your hamsters have gotten wet tail; it's truly such an awful disease.

Thanks for all the advice and trying to reassure me It is possible he previously got the disease, or was more susceptible to it than other hamsters. I still wasn't very good at dealing with hamsters though, so when I tried to pick him up once (or maybe twice) he kinda moved away and jumped back a little scared. This was one time though, and after that I didn't pick him up except the one time I tried to clean his cage. By that time he was already showing symptoms but I was afraid I made them worse since he seemed very stressed and skittish. He didn't really let me pick him up though and sort of bit me aha...I totally get you though about the feeling of wanting to blame ourselves, even though most likely it wasn't our actions at all which caused the problem.

Thanks again for such kind sweet words ^_^ It really does mean a lot. Hugs!

[Jeanbird7]

Prayers for you and your hammy.

[dreamtree1234]

Originally Posted by livedinhogwarts

I think starting a new thread asking how to disinfect everything would help me evaluate my choices.

I think this is a very wise decision and would create it as soon as you can. This will allow members to realize that you desperately need help in this area as well. Otherwise, if they have already posted on this thread and given you all of the advice that they can on wet tail, they may not look at it again for a few days. You want to have as many members' input as you can and get your ham's cage, toys, wheel, etc. sanitized, dried, and reset up and ready for him as soon as possible so he can move right in whenever he is cured. You definitely want to have his return home as stress-free and smooth as possible since he will already be a bit worn down after recovering from his serious illness. Best of luck to you and your ham.

[cypher]

I'm really sorry to read about the problems you've been having.
As regards disinfecting I would use something reliable & pet safe like Safe4 or F10, you won't be able to disinfect anything like wheels that you can't totally submerge in liquid unfortunately, it's really not worth the risk of trying not to damage a wheel which you would if you cleaned it completely, better to get a new one.
Anything plastic or ceramic can be disinfected but anything made of wood or other natural materials like coconuts for example can't be disinfected, better to start a fresh with things like that too.

[souffle]

It was nothing you did. The baby hamsters are bred in rodent farms and are very susectable to disease. I'm really rooting for you and hoping he pulls through but be aware that they can be frail through their lives even if they do get over it.
I would recommend Vircon to clean the cage. Throw any wooden or fibre toys as they can't be cleaned. After cleaning you can then put it out in the sunshine for a few days then reclean. Sunshine is a great natural cleanser.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Virkon-09-1...eywords=vircon
You can use bleach but it needs rinsed and rinsed. You can use baby bottle sterilising tablets for the water bottle and bowls and again rinse well.

[livedinhogwarts]

Originally Posted by Jeanbird7

Prayers for you and your hammy.

Thank you. I hope he pulls through