New Hamster soft poop advise please

ilovepets · 03-15-2016, 04:15 AM

Hello. all

Well got a syrian hamster (charlie) around 10 days ago. he's been settling in really well and seemed healthy until yesterday.. i took him out and after doing an odd shaped dry poop he then did a big soft poop in my hand which smelt bad like diarrhoea. i watched him closely yesterday and he was eating fine and playing well on his wheel.

I fed him porridge oats yesterday, Checked on him this morning and his bed had a few soft poo's in it but they are dried out also his bottom is stained with poop but that's dried on too .
this happened after i bought him a hanging edible treat toy. i have now removed it.

Do you think he's on the mend? also should i try to clean off his bottom?

thank you

hrl20100 · 03-15-2016, 05:46 AM

Hugo, one of my hamsters has soft, smelly droppings for a few days after i got him. I took him to the vets and he was given some probiotics. You can get it at petsathome too, its a special powder mixed in the water or on food to help strengthen the good bacteria in their guts. It worked really well and now he is fine

It might be stress due to the new toy, or that his tummy isn't used to new treats like that. It could also be due to poor breeding, that his guts don't have many of the good bacteria in them. So I suggest trying to get hold of some probiotic powder, it works really well.

Sounds like he is getting better though, so maybe it was down to the new treat toy he has?

Basil_18 · 03-15-2016, 07:01 AM

please don't worry! thats normal! hamsters produce two different kinds of poop... one hard which is waste and the other soft which contains vitamin b12! the cobalt salts get converted to vitamin b12 in the intestine ! later on he will eat this to gain the nutrient! its healthy for them.. hope i helped

but if other symptoms like not eating come up then take your hammy to the vet!

Basil_18 · 03-15-2016, 07:03 AM

but other symptoms seem like he might just be having an upset stomach... feed him light food don't feed him veggies or any treats for a week

cypher · 03-15-2016, 07:17 AM

I agree about the probiotics, they really can make a big difference.
The oats, removing the toy & laying off veg for a bit if he's started on those should help too.

ilovepets · 03-15-2016, 08:12 AM

just to update. i have decided to pop him to the vet just to be on the safe side so i'll let you know how we got on later. thanks for the replies eveyone.

flowerfairy · 03-15-2016, 08:46 AM

Hope all goes well at the vets.

ilovepets · 03-15-2016, 12:59 PM

Thanks Flowerfairy

The good news is Charlie doesn't have wet tail.

vet thinks its just an upset tummy so i have changed his food back to the one he was used to at the pet store. i will continue with the porridge oats and i'll get him a pro biotic as recommended. Hopefully he'll make a speedy recovery. my only concern is his weight. i weighed him 9 days ago and he was 70g the vet weighed him and he is now 61g i knew he was lighter just by picking him up. He seems to be eating ok though but i'll have to keep a check on it.

Rsclio197 · 03-15-2016, 01:15 PM

I had the exact same problem with my girl just days ago. I took her to the vet and anti biotics were prescribed. She had the poops for 4 days on total but she's fully recovered now. She was eating drinking fine etc when she has diarrhea too. Just sleeping more cos she clearly had a poorly tummy.

I bought pro biotics from p@h but didn't use them. I simply administered the anti bio, put her strictly on Harry hamster/basic muesli mix and perished without milk twice a day. It worked an absolute treat. Good luck I hope your ham recovers swiftly.

Just get on top of the problem sharpish so it doesn't worsen.

Rsclio197 · 03-15-2016, 01:16 PM

Oh and my girl only 50 g last weds at the vets, not sure how much she is now but she's 100% put on weight since recovery. Sounds identical to my issues with my girl.