[Pebbles82]

They are not experts in wet tail and that is used as an explanation for any diarrhoea. Diarrhoea causes dehydration very quickly but not the same as wet tail.

I am very sorry this has happened to you. It is absolutely heart-breaking. Your baby robo clearly had health problems before you got him. It is nothing you have done. Unfortunately there are hamster farms with terrible breeding programmes and that is where many pet stores get their supplies from. The Hamsters are bred inappropriately leading to a high risk of genetic illness. It sounds like your baby hamster may have been born with problems to start with and also acquired something else from the pet shop.

Stress lowers their immune system so they are more likely to go down with something.

I am very sorry for your loss and suggest you think about possibly getting a pedigree hamster either from a bona fide breeder direct next time, or a smaller pet store that breeds their own and is more reputable.

If you're in the US it can be hard to find breeders. In the Uk the National Hamster Council lists it's accredited breeders.

The other option is to adopt a rescue hamster - either from a pet rescue or via private ads -there are many people trying to rehome unwanted hamsters.

I always reckon if they've survived being ready to rehome, they are healthy!