HELP! Does my hamster have diarrhea/wet tail?

HammyHamsterson · 07-12-2019, 04:54 PM

So I got my hamster Mr. Bean about 3 weeks ago. On Sunday I noticed he pooped a round, light brown soft poo that stunk a little bit. I wasn't sure if that type of poop was normal so I stopped giving him any fresh vegetables/fruits in the meantime. I was feeding him a little piece of egg white everyday cus I thought it would help with his poos but it wasn't making a difference so I stopped giving them yesterday.

His poops throughout weren't entirely liquidy, they were formed, but just mushy and stinky when you smell up close. He's pooped solid poops here and there, but for the most part they were soft. I thought maybe he had diarrhea and that it was caused by stress so I stopped playing with him yesterday and just left him alone. Today he pooped mushy poops again and I'm so worried. I looked in his hideout and there's one corner that has smear stains from his poops. I checked his bum today and it was a little dirty

, like with a greenish/dark brown stain.

His behaviour though has been normal, he drinks, eats, and runs on his wheel. What do you think he has? Is it wet tail? Just plain diarrhea? Or is it normal? What should I do? PLEASE help me, as I already had a previous hamster die recently before I got Mr. Bean

CharlieHamHam · 07-12-2019, 10:36 PM

I am so sorry this is happening. I am not an expert so I am so sorry that I don’t have any answers. I really hope that Mr. Bean will pull through for you! Stay strong and don’t give up. Best of luck!

stan · 07-13-2019, 03:07 AM

Are you just feeding him dried food at the moment? I would definitely stick to feeding him only dried food for a few days.

Do you have a vet nearby? Given he seems normal it might just be the food upsetting his stomach a little bit, but it is always best to have things checked by a professional.

As for your previous hamster, was it just old age, or something similar? Is the new hamster in the same cage?

Shannonmcn · 07-13-2019, 07:51 AM

Wet tail has other symptoms. They tend to go downhill quickly so if he's still happy enough in himself it might not be wettail. A vets visit wouldn't be a bad idea even so. Three weeks is a long time to be having weird poops.

HammyHamsterson · 07-13-2019, 03:13 PM

I have been feeding him his seed mix and pellet since Sunday. Yesterday and today I gave him oats to eat in hopes of getting his digestion right.

The pet store I got him from does have a guarantee where if my hamster gets sick they can take him to the vet and cover their bill (I'm broke from the vet bills for my last hamster), I'm just worried that a visit to the vet might stress out Mr. Bean as he is already kind of a skittish hamster.

My previous hamster died of a tumor in her cheek and tooth decay, she was over a year old. The cage and playpen we use for Mr. Bean are the same, but we made sure to wash them real good before putting them away and taking them out for his arrival.

stan · 07-13-2019, 03:23 PM

I wouldn't worry about your old hamster playpen, the issues seem very unrelated. If he is very much doing well aside from the soft poops, just monitor him over the next couple of days, but do not change his diet drastically. Just keep him on dried food, and make sure he is drinking. Maybe he was just getting too much variety in his food too soon. When I had my hamster new, I only gave him new foods in small chunks every 3 days or so, and checked how he went. He gets fresh food pretty much every day now (6 months on), and is fine, but sometimes it is better to take things slowly.

HammyHamsterson · 07-13-2019, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shannonmcn

Wet tail has other symptoms. They tend to go downhill quickly so if he's still happy enough in himself it might not be wettail. A vets visit wouldn't be a bad idea even so. Three weeks is a long time to be having weird poops.

I hope you're right and that it's not the oncomings of wet tail... I noticed his soft poops this past Sunday, if he had any before then I didn't notice. I am considering on having him get taken to the vet maybe tomorrow or the day after, I'm just concerned that it will cause him stress since he is a bit of a skittish hamster.

stan · 07-13-2019, 03:34 PM

My hamster is very skittish, and I took him to the vets after two weeks of him being at home because we thought he was peeing blood (turns out it was food dye...). But it is better to take him to the vets if you can and not worry about it stressing him, as they are the best people to check him over. It actually didn't really affect my hammy too much.

HammyHamsterson · 07-13-2019, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stan

My hamster is very skittish, and I took him to the vets after two weeks of him being at home because we thought he was peeing blood (turns out it was food dye...). But it is better to take him to the vets if you can and not worry about it stressing him, as they are the best people to check him over. It actually didn't really affect my hammy too much.

what did you do to make sure your hamster's visit was as comfortable as possible?

stan · 07-13-2019, 03:55 PM

I had a little travel cage that I put a nice hide, some substrate from his cage, and some toilet paper to nest with. I also took some treats in a bag for afterwards (mostly just sunflower seeds as he likes these) and some cucumber slices for fluid. I kept him covered with my coat the whole time (a towel etc that smells more like home will work..just to help block out strange smells / noise). When the vet picked him up he was squeaking for the first couple of seconds, but calmed down quickly (he has done this on occasion since we brought him home). When we brought him back we just let him relax in his house for a day before we bothered him too much. It was definitely better to have a small amount of stress to see a professional though.