Diarrhea

From Hamster Central WIKI

Biology

The stomach of a hamster is divided into two distinct regions, the forestomach (pars cardiaca) and glandular stomach (pars pylorica). They have a long coiled small intestine approx 40cm long and a large, sacculated caeccum which is folded over on itself in a complex arrangement. Normal Syrian hamster feces is almost black, very dry and about 10mm long by 3mm diameter, being proportionally smaller in dwarf species. Coprophagy (eating faeces) is normal in the hamster and allows them to ingest B vitamins produced by the microflora of the caecum.

Causes of Diarrhoea

• Dietary Change – This is typically bought on when a hamster is fed too much fresh food, especially food with high water content such as lettuce, celery or cucumber. Symptoms include loose droppings and soiling, but the hamster may initially remain bright and continue to eat. Treatment is to remove all food except for the dry mix, and perhaps offer burnt toast or cooled boiled rice. Green food should not be reintroduced until 3-4 days after diarrhoea has stopped. If the animal’s condition worsens then similar treatment to “Wet Tail” should be followed.

• Antibiotic Associated – Caused by overgrowth of normal gut flora following administration of certain antibiotics (for this reason, the range of antibiotics that can be given to a hamster is restricted). Symptoms usually occur 4-10 days after antibiotic treatment, can be similar to “Wet Tail” and progress very rapidly. Treatment including fluid therapy and supportive care as for “Wet Tail” should be followed. Administration of probiotic supplements after antibiotic treatment can help prevent this condition.

• Tyzzer’s Disease – Caused by the bacterium Clostridium piliforme, this affects the heart and liver as well as the intestines. Symptoms are a watery yellow diarrhoea, lethargy and dehydration, but in very acute cases the first symptom may be sudden death. Treatment is generally unsuccessful, but fluids, supportive therapy and antibiotics can be tried. This disease can be passed to other hamsters, rats, mice and gerbils.

• Other infectious causes – Diarrhoea in hamsters can rarely be caused by agents such as Salmonella and E.Coli. Salmonellosis may present as diarrhoea or as sub-clinical disease (general loss of condition), but is a zoonosis, meaning it can affect humans too.

Proliferative Ileitis – “Wet Tail” Also known as Transmissible Ileal Hyperplasia, almost all hamster owners will have heard of this disease. See Hamster Ailments - A resource of hamster related illness's and diseases for more on Wet Tail