Hamster going to the vet?

[Fidgetthefirst]

My hamster is going to the vet, for a general health check, but also because of the white 'dandruff' on his back, but one problem i have is getting him there. I know there are special carriers to take hamsters out but i havent got any round where i live, is there anything else, homemade? something else? I could take him in?

[suga]

If you have a plastic tub that you can put holes in the lid that would be okay. Obviously put the holes whilst the hamster isn't in though eh?
when is the appointment and how far do you have to travel?

[souffle]

You can buy plastic travel boxes for hamsters and small pets from most pet shops. You could also buy a plastic storage box from the £1 shop and just punch some holes for air in it. Put some bedding and a little food inside so your hammy is warm.
The white specs in her fur may be fur mites which can be seen with the naked eye. These are treated with invermectin drops and cleaning the cage every week. You also need to spray the area around the cage with mite spray as they can live in the carpets and furniture.

[taylr1996]

why dont you just take the cage if it is not to big of course .....

[Fidgetthefirst]

It isnt far at all its just up the road really, like 1-2 minutes in the car. And thank you, ill do that the container and put holes through

[suga]

Let us know how you get on

[Fidgetthefirst]

Thanks, and i will do, i just hope he's going to be okay

[Fidgetthefirst]

Well, he's been to the vets and the container we had, when he tried to put air holes - it just snapped. So that went. Then we went up the pet shop and they gave us a cardboard little box ( the ones you get when you get a new hamster ) and he chewed through it when we got him. So i used the top & bottom of his old cage and put the box in that so he could keep warm. And when it was our turn, he was being grumpy as usual and was 'swuawking' when the vet picked him up, but he didnt bite and she said he was really bad ( the dandruffy thing) and she said, he looks a bit manky, which is true. and she said it probably is mites, so she gave him this thing which should get rid of most of it. She said in 2 weeks if its got worse, bring him back in, if its got better just let us know. Hopefully he'll be okay, and also, when she asked us if he werent eating as much, i realised he werent, she said he was a bit thin- which is true. I give him fresh food and water daily and he takes a few bits and thats it . Also with the fruit sticks, he'd have them gone in two days maximum,it takes about a week to get through them now. He's an oldie, and come around April 2010 he'll be 2 years old.
I also got these mats from the pet shop to put over the bars.

[souffle]

Well I'm glad you took him and he has some treatment which will hopefully help.
He is quite an elderly hamster now fidgett and some of the things you describe do happen in our oldies.
There is a useful article here with some helpful suggestions
The Care of Elderly Hamsters - Hamster Central WIKI

[Fidgetthefirst]

Thanks i'm not really sure how long Fidge' will last as he is showing all of those things on that page and quite badly "/ but i do hope he'll atleast make it to, two years old