New hamster with wet tail - Page 3

livedinhogwarts · 06-03-2018, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamtree1234

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.

Yeah definitely. I need all the advice I can get really aha. Thank you for all the help

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Do you know where I could buy the pet disinfectant? My hamster's wheel is one of those plate shaped ones, not the regular circular ones. I think I will have to buy some new stuff too though. Thanks for the help

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

I didn't know that rodent farms were like that. If they become frail then would they get other health problems too?

Thank you- I'll definitely check out the vircon. Do you know where I can find the bottle sterilising tablets?

Sally75 · 06-03-2018, 04:09 AM

You can get them anywhere really. Argos, amazon, mothercare. Have a look at those stores and compare prices and reviews

IamKat · 06-03-2018, 04:10 AM

Just been following this thread, I'm so sorry about your little ham that is so unfortunate. As many others have said, this is highly unlikely to have been your fault so please don't blame yourself. Just a thought, I know you've been talking about ways to disinfect the cage, just wondering if you had considered making a bin cage? They can be made using a storage bin and so is much much cheaper than buying a whole new cage, and often a lot bigger than pet shop cages too. There are loads of tutorials online and I'm sure loads of advice on the forum as well for how to do this. I just thought I'd put it out there in case you hadn't heard of this before, but obviously, if you would prefer to keep and disinfect your old cage then that is totally understandable.

cypher · 06-03-2018, 04:12 AM

Both Safe4 & F10 are available from various places online & it can be worth googling just to see where the best deals are as they aren't cheap but here's F10 on Amazon & Safe4 from Ratrations if you use Safe for you want the odourless one.

livedinhogwarts · 06-03-2018, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sally75

You can get them anywhere really. Argos, amazon, mothercare. Have a look at those stores and compare prices and reviews

Okay thanks- I'll have a look around to try to find the best one

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamKat

Just been following this thread, I'm so sorry about your little ham that is so unfortunate. As many others have said, this is highly unlikely to have been your fault so please don't blame yourself. Just a thought, I know you've been talking about ways to disinfect the cage, just wondering if you had considered making a bin cage? They can be made using a storage bin and so is much much cheaper than buying a whole new cage, and often a lot bigger than pet shop cages too. There are loads of tutorials online and I'm sure loads of advice on the forum as well for how to do this. I just thought I'd put it out there in case you hadn't heard of this before, but obviously, if you would prefer to keep and disinfect your old cage then that is totally understandable.

I've heard about bin cages before and they seem quite nice. I was considering making one possibly, but then I would also like to keep his old cage too so he has somewhere familiar to stay. Thanks though- this is a great suggestion! I'll try not to blame myself too much, but generally I find it quite difficult not to haha

livedinhogwarts · 06-03-2018, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Both Safe4 & F10 are available from various places online & it can be worth googling just to see where the best deals are as they aren't cheap but here's F10 on Amazon & Safe4 from Ratrations if you use Safe for you want the odourless one.

Okay thanks- I'll have a look at those for sure.

dreamtree1234 · 06-03-2018, 04:27 AM

I am so pleased that you are finding out all that you need to concerning the safest and best way to disinfect your cage and cleanable hammy items; that is such a relief. Everyone on HC is so extremely helpful and very supportive so you should be able to get your lovely home all ready for your darling when he returns home to your loving arms again. Good luck with the sanitizing and repurchasing items not able to be cleaned. I will be keeping you both in my prayers and hoping your updates on your cutie's health are positive ones. I will also be keeping my fingers crossed that he will be able to live a long and happy life with you.

Please try to find a way to not blame yourself. It truly isn't your fault; it was just very bad luck that he had health issues prior to coming to your loving, forever home. He is SO lucky to have such an amazing, loving, nurturing, and determined mum who will stop at nothing to make sure that he is alright and has the best life possible. You are a wonderful ham parent; it is so evident because you still want him back even though you were offered an exchange and you are working so diligently to find ways to keep him healthy after he return home to you. Try to stay positive and know that no matter what happens in the end, you are not to blame and he knows that you love him unconditionally. No ham could ever ask for more. Hugs.

souffle · 06-03-2018, 04:37 AM

You can the sterilising tabs in most chemists and supermarkets like superdrug, boots, asda etc - something like this https://www.superdrug.com/Milton/Mil...FciH1QodfGEOgA

Hamsters who have had wet tail sometimes have lasting damage in the bowel and can relapse very quickly with the slightest food change or stressful incident even as simple as hearing your vacuum. They sometimes don't absorb food well so are smaller in size. This is not the case for all but it does depend on how quickly it was caught and how intense the nursing was.
I have merged some of your posts. You can multiquote but you don't really need to quote as it does make the threads quite cumbersome. A good idea is just to address your question to the person like Souffle......and whatever you want to post or ask then on to the next person in the same post and that will make it easier for you to follow.
It takes a while to get used to the forum!
I hope your little one rallies round x

livedinhogwarts · 06-03-2018, 04:48 AM

dreamtree1234

Of course- I just want to make my hammy's cage the best it can be for when he returns. Just trying to think optimistically and hope that he recovers completely, so I'm going to buy some new toys for him as well. Maybe those cube toys or some tubes to play in. Thank you so much for those kind words. It's so sweet of you and it really means a lot. You'll also be in my prayers.

Awww ^_^ I'll try my best not to blame myself. You're so kind honestly. I never thought of myself as such a good ham parent, but you really made me feel more positive about the whole situation and I'll be patiently waiting his return. You seem like such a good ham parent yourself- how many hammys do you have? Hugs

livedinhogwarts · 06-03-2018, 05:05 AM

Thanks souffle! Looks like I'll be having a little shopping trip today to try to find all these things haha. Oh my, the complications of wet tail sound awful! We took him to the vet 12 hours after we caught the symptoms. Would you say this was pretty quick?

Aha I didn't really know how to reply since I didn't think people would know who I was addressing then. Yeah it does take a while, but it is a great community!

Thank you- I hope he does too x