Rodney is sick.
I'm glad that i took Rodney to the vet today. His poops have become smelly and a little soft and lighter coloured. I've also noticed that his nose is a bit dry and scabby.
Rodney had never been woken up since he's been living here so he wasn't happy and appeared tired but stressed.
He pooped while the vet examined him so she had a good look at his poo and noticed a parasite in the shape of a worm or part of a worm.
Many animals carry parasites including hamsters but often they go unnoticed unless symptoms like weight loss etc become apparent. Rodney hadn't lost weight but his appetite had decreased lately.
He's old and the anti parasite treatment may affect his system more than a younger hamster who has a better immune system but we'll have to wait and see.
I have to keep him apart from the other hamsters for now so will set him up a play area with washable toys downstairs.
Parasites can transfer to other hamsters and humans but i've always been the one who does the hamsters cleaning so i'm not worried about that.
I'm going to keep the other hamsters in seperate play areas as well as a precaution because i suspect that Clive may be affected. He poops a lot when out but always in the bathroom so i can keep an eye on that.
Must go because i have a lot of cleaning and washing to do before anybody gets out tonight.
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