Hot and humid weather, cause of bacteria infection?

Nichole · 10-18-2018, 06:38 AM

Hello, I was wondering if hot n humid could contribute to my hammy having a skin infection? He gets all itchy and his neck, arms and lower body has some fur loss. He was in a big cage but I had to get him a wired cage which my vet told me to get for more ventilation. He’s currently on his third week of antibiotics and this is the second time he has had this problem. He has been treated for mites with revolution so it’s not a mite problem. As I live in a country that is hot n humid all year round is it possible this is why he has this skin issue? He’s currently on carefresh natural bedding, previously he was one crittercare natural(also paper based). I’m changing his bedding twice a week but he’s not getting any better.Should I wait n let the antibiotics work ? Cause last time it took him one month to heal and grow his fur back completely.

cypher · 10-18-2018, 09:08 AM

The weather could well be a contributing factor so all you can do about that is keep the cage as cool as you can, maybe put some ceramic or terracotta items in, you can put them in the fridge for a while to help keep the cage cool.
If it's not mites then I wouldn't be changing the substrate as the stress of having his scent constantly removed could even cause the kind of symptoms you're trying to treat.
See how he goes when the antibiotics are done but I would keep cleaning to the minimum possible & see if that changes anything.
What's his diet? That may be a contributing factor too.

Nichole · 10-23-2018, 04:07 AM

Sorry for the late reply. He’s currently on a versele laga hamster complete diet (the best I could found in the pet store as others are no name brands, too low quality) Also I bought a Bene bac plus pet gel for him . How much do I feed him ? As I read that hamsters on antibiotics should be supplement with probiotics

cypher · 10-23-2018, 04:39 AM

I can't find an exact dose of benebac for hams anywhere, I did read one person saying their vet said to give one drop which sounds about right but can't say for sure, you could try asking your vet.
If you do give it put it on some food not in water & give it as far apart from the antibiotic dose as you can.

Nichole · 10-23-2018, 05:50 AM

Alrighty thanks for the info , I gave him a drop and he likes it . Do you know how often I should feed him the gel ? I read online that it says 2 time with 3 days apart and I was confused. Also how long would it last ? I have a 1g tube.

mangoandmimi · 10-23-2018, 04:53 PM

Yeah I think the dose is 0.05-0.1ml which is about a drop. Not sure where you read that info about 3 days apart, I've seen people administer it every other day but without antibiotics. You need to feed it a minimum of 4 hours before each dose of antibiotics. Not a clue how long it'll last though I'm afraid.