Is my hamster getting wet tail?

[jmlxy]

I am a new hammy owner and got a Syrian female hamster about 4 weeks ago from another owner. She is apprx. 10-month-old.

Since day 1, I noticed she had soft poop all the time. I thought it might be caused by stress and the changing environment. I feed her oxbow essentials as main food and occasionally give her some mixture. She is a picky eater and usually just left oxbow behind.

To some point, I find that she doesn't eat her soft poop at all and rarely has those normal droppings like other two hamsters I have. Today I noticed she had more diarrhea like droppings while she ran in the exercise ball.

Base on what I know about wet tail, she seems not having it because she does drink, eat, exercise, except she sleeps more than other two hammies. I wonder if she is actually sick or if I should change her diet. AND, I wonder if all hamsters would eat their soft poop.

I have no idea how I can help her. PLEASE HELP!

[cypher]

If she seems generally healthy & just has soft poo then it doesn't sound like wet tail & although that is often brought on by stress it is more common in younger hams so it does seem less likely, actually having diarrhoea is more of a problem though & if that continues you need to get her checked by a vet.
Do you know what she was fed on before you got her?
Leaving pellet food like oxbow in favour of a mix isn't unusual, what mix are you giving her & does she have any veg or fruit? If the mix has dried fruit in it or any sugars that could cause a problem.
You could try giving her some probiotics which would help her digestive system & overall health generally.
Hams do generally eat some of their soft poo but you don't always see them doing it so it is still possible she does.

[jmlxy]

Originally Posted by cypher

If she seems generally healthy & just has soft poo then it doesn't sound like wet tail & although that is often brought on by stress it is more common in younger hams so it does seem less likely, actually having diarrhoea is more of a problem though & if that continues you need to get her checked by a vet.
Do you know what she was fed on before you got her?
Leaving pellet food like oxbow in favour of a mix isn't unusual, what mix are you giving her & does she have any veg or fruit? If the mix has dried fruit in it or any sugars that could cause a problem.
You could try giving her some probiotics which would help her digestive system & overall health generally.
Hams do generally eat some of their soft poo but you don't always see them doing it so it is still possible she does.

Her poops are mushy. I did not know what she was fed on. Her previous owner gave me some unused oxbow (same as mine) and papaya treats and that's it. so I think she should have same diet as before. I am not sure if I should take her to vet cause she seems normal to me.

I did feed her a carrot and a small broccoli last week. Then her poops just appears more loose. later the week, I noticed her poops had some small undigested broccoli leaves. Does it mean she can not take fresh veggie anymore?

In addition, she does not groom often and likes to leave her poops in many places in the cage, which is quite annoying. In summary, she behaves a bit different than my other hamsters.

Where can I get probiotics? how can I feed her?

[cypher]

In my experience all hams behave differently so you just have to get to know their habits & work with them!
Undigested broccoli doesn't sound too good so I think something isn't working quite right, I can understand not wanting to take her to the vet if she seems fine in herself but if she does have diarrhoea rather than just soft poo then she could take a turn for the worse & that does need sorting out properly.
I'm guessing you're in the US so I have no idea where you get probiotics but it shouldn't be too hard to find, probiotics for small animals are readily available here so hopefully it's similar wherever you are.

[jmlxy]

Originally Posted by cypher

In my experience all hams behave differently so you just have to get to know their habits & work with them!
Undigested broccoli doesn't sound too good so I think something isn't working quite right, I can understand not wanting to take her to the vet if she seems fine in herself but if she does have diarrhoea rather than just soft poo then she could take a turn for the worse & that does need sorting out properly.
I'm guessing you're in the US so I have no idea where you get probiotics but it shouldn't be too hard to find, probiotics for small animals are readily available here so hopefully it's similar wherever you are.

I am in Canada. Do you know where I could find it? Thanks for your input!

[Nancy's Hamsters]

Get probiotic capsules at any Walmarts, or any Grocery store like Krogers. You will find probiotic capsules in the Health supplements section. You can spend a bit more and go to any health food store as well. Human grade is perfectly safe for any mammal including Hamsters. To boost her good digestive bacteria I would actually pour a 1/2 capsule worth slowly right in her mouth and wash that down with Pedialyte to also boost her electrolytes as soft or runny poo also removes them quicker then the body can replace them. After the first few times of actually giving the Probiotics orally I would then offer her some oatmeal made with bottled water and sprinkle one full capsule on top and offer her this mixture no more then twice a week.

I would skip any and all veggies and fruit treats and just offer her dry Hamster food until her stool firms up as with undigested Broccoli it shows she lacks the proper enzymes and good bacteria which aids her in properly digesting her food and thus her body is pushing undigested food quickly to prevent it from fermenting inside her body. This process is why her stool is soft and at times actually runny. If doing the above doesn't correct the problem then a Vet visit will need to be done as internal parasites(some which YOU can get from her) have to be ruled out. A simple stool check will reveal if any parasites are found and then medication that will kill the parasite will be given. Not sure if your near Hekomi on here or not but she has and outstanding pocket pet Vet who has tended many of her Hamsters with very happy results in most cases.