Very Worried about Tabitha update

[newtohamsters]

Tabs is behaving completely normally, eating running around coming out etc

but she smells awful and seems to have some kind of discharge around her bottom, there is isn't much and it is not wet, but dried and sort of creamy coloured.

I am thinking infection? that thing beginning with P?

I will get her to the vets asap tomorrow but they arent too great with Hamsters.

should I do anything in the meantime?

aside from panicking and checking her. she is being very normal.

please help.
thanks.

[Spacemonkey]

You are thinking of Pyometra. Lets not panic yet, maybe she is just in heat? They do get a slight discharge like that

[newtohamsters]

hmmm thats good to know. thanks

poor girl has been poked and prodded* and smelt! she keeps chattering her teeth at me. I am not sure its her bum that smells it may be her mouth.

have to exercise rats now so will leave her alone for a bit.

xxx

* i mean examined, I honestly wasn't mean to her. she is very patient with me thank God.

[Spacemonkey]

If she still has the discharge tomorrow then I'd be a bit more worried, continuous leaking from that area normally is the dreaded Pyometra. But if its gone and she smells a bit sweeter then I'd put it down to her heat cycle, hopefully that's all it is

[souffle]

Girls can get quite whiffy at certain times in the cycle which is normal. It is a smell you learn to detect and can pick up if it changes. If she does have a persistant and abnormal smelling discharge it may be the start of a pyo and I have to say if her tummy is swollen at all and any bloodstaining is present go straight for a spay. There is no point messing about with antibiotics with a pyo other than to get them fit enough for a spay. If she is bright, strong and eating well and the vet says she has a pyo opt for the spay. Pyo always comes back even if they seem to improve and the only cure is to remove the womb. Spud's mums princess has done very well after her spay.
If the smell is from the mouth, she may be licking herself to clean the discharge or she may have a mounth problem. Feel the pouch areas for any food in there. Sometimes food gets impacted and can go bad in them. A pierced pouch can lead to an abcess as can bad or broken teeth. Overgrown teeth can cause problems and a bad smell too. Check all these areas and when you go to the vets, if you need too, make these suggestions to him. They are usually happy to listen.
I hope she is just normal and you don't need a vet at all.

[newtohamsters]

right, today she doesn't smell!

so that's good. had a good humilating sniff she looked most annoyed and did the same thing to Willow, its amazing what you find yourself doing as a pet owner but hey ho. neither smell, perhaps the cages were dirtier then I realised??

the only weird thing she did today was tonight as I was exercising the rats she made this sort of squeaking noise a huffy kind of snort. and it sounded as tho she was trying to clean her airways? sort of sighing??

I was very worried I mean she squeaks in her sleep - a proper eek noise tho, so I put tats away and got her out again, she ran round on the bed no noise, put her in the run no noise, good 15 minutes no noise.

put her back in the cage and she is making the noise again, it took about 20 minutes ( my God i was meant I have an early night otnight!)

ok really weird she is answering me? (yes I am sitting here squeaking at her )

what the heck does that mean? she is eating happily sat chewing on a grape running around like mad. is it all the heat thing?
Poor Willow looks most confused.

good night.

and thanksxxx

[Spacemonkey]

I'm glad the smell has gone today, sometimes my girls get very vocal calling for the males when they are in season, maybe she was doing that? It doesn't sound anything to be really worried about, I doubt shes in pain or anything, normally you can mistake those noises.

[happysaz133]

Glad she's doing better now it does sound like she was in heat, they do tend to get a bit whiffy around then!

[newtohamsters]

Me again with more paranoia!

I have just had her teeth done not two weeks ago, the vets said that they weren't that bad, and that it iwas ok to do them now but not neccessary - best to aviod any pain.

so I don't think it be her teeth, but she is dribbling again? she used to do it loads when I first got her and so I have her teeth cut cos one vet who didn't like hamsters said that would be it, the next vet couldn't see a huge problem but did it cos it had been done before.

so what else causes dribbling? she only does it sometimes? like every few days and its always worse when she has just woken up

any ideas.

(thanks so much for this)

xxxx