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Pebbles82 · 11-11-2020, 07:15 AM

Good to hear the antibiotics worked- your vet prescribing probiotic sounds good too as that helps prevent the antibiotic wrecking their gut so his gut goes back to normal afterwards. He sounds like back to normal apart from the sore. You could try putting a bit of Manuka honey on the sore bit although the good stuff is a bit expensive. Safe to lick off and it can help with wound healing. Some people also use thyme tea - dabbed on with a cotton bud (when it’s cooled of course). That has antiseptic and antibiotic properties. I wouldn’t do both at the same time though. Thyme tea is just a teaspoonful of dried thyme in a mug of boiling water then cooled.

A lot sounds like old age but they can get all sorts of things when they get older. How are his nails? They can start getting long when they’re older and less active and can make them sore when they scratch. I currently have a hamster the same age whose nails started to get really long. Clipping them is tricky but patience is the key - I do one or two nails each time he is out of the cage by just giving him some tasty food on a spoon (eg porridge) and waiting till he’s sitting still and eating it. But you need good eyesight! And a tiny pair of nail scissors. Also look up on Google about hamster nails - you can only snip off the very end tip so as to avoid cutting the quick which is painful and they can bleed a lot - I have never had that issue as I’m careful just to get the very tip but cornflour nearby would work as a styptic. If they have got very long it is then a case of regularly taking off the very tip - maybe once a week or more - you can’t shorten them in one go but taking off the tip means it won’t cause wounds and they can walk better. Anyway maybe his nails are fine!

11-11-2020, 07:15 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Need help and advice! Good to hear the antibiotics worked- your vet prescribing probiotic sounds good too as that helps prevent the antibiotic wrecking their gut so his gut goes back to normal afterwards. He sounds like back to normal apart from the sore. You could try putting a bit of Manuka honey on the sore bit although the good stuff is a bit expensive. Safe to lick off and it can help with wound healing. Some people also use thyme tea - dabbed on with a cotton bud (when it’s cooled of course). That has antiseptic and antibiotic properties. I wouldn’t do both at the same time though. Thyme tea is just a teaspoonful of dried thyme in a mug of boiling water then cooled. A lot sounds like old age but they can get all sorts of things when they get older. How are his nails? They can start getting long when they’re older and less active and can make them sore when they scratch. I currently have a hamster the same age whose nails started to get really long. Clipping them is tricky but patience is the key - I do one or two nails each time he is out of the cage by just giving him some tasty food on a spoon (eg porridge) and waiting till he’s sitting still and eating it. But you need good eyesight! And a tiny pair of nail scissors. Also look up on Google about hamster nails - you can only snip off the very end tip so as to avoid cutting the quick which is painful and they can bleed a lot - I have never had that issue as I’m careful just to get the very tip but cornflour nearby would work as a styptic. If they have got very long it is then a case of regularly taking off the very tip - maybe once a week or more - you can’t shorten them in one go but taking off the tip means it won’t cause wounds and they can walk better. Anyway maybe his nails are fine!