Poorly little ear!!

[Fluff_ball]

Hi guys. Last Tuesday I noticed that marshmallow had a bald spot behind his ear. The skin didn't look sore, it was a nice pink colour and no cuts or sores. I did notice the inside of his ear looked a little bit bloody and sore though so I took him to the vet.

Now the FIRST thing the vet told me is that marshmallow is FAT. I mean he was saying morbidly obese! Which really shocked me because I thought, sure, he's a little fluffy but not that bad??

I was told he was a Russian dwarf when I got him but as he grew, he grew quite a bit more than I imagined he would do for a dwarf? (He's the first Russian dwarf I've had. I've had syrians and robos previously. ) also someone mentioned in the introduction forum that he may be a hybrid?

Now if he actually is morbidly obese obviously I want to change this so any tips and help with regards to his diet would be fantastic!

Secondly with regards to his ear, the vet seemed to think he has an ear infection. He's taking 0.3mil of antibiotics a day. He said to pop it into a grape so he'd take it easier? And the nurse said to just keep giving him the antibiotic until the bottle runs out.

I researched giving hamsters grapes and it was a huge no no as they can be poisonous to a lot of animals. So I've been popping his antibiotic into tiny hollowed out blueberries which he has been eating.

Also the bottle must contain at least 10mil of liquid in there so surely I'd be administering the antibiotics for a long long time if I were to wait for the bottle to finish? I'm really confused.

Any help gratefully received xxx

[cypher]

Has there been any improvement in the ear?
Firstly the antibiotics, I haven't had to use them for a while but I think it's normally been just one drop a day for about five days to a week maybe, not that long, grapes aren't a good idea, I usually mix the drop with baby food (check it's ham safe) the favourite with mine is the cow & gate baby cauliflower cheese for under 4 months, another thing you can mix it with is porridge but I've found not all my Russian hams have been too keen on porridge. Blueberries are fine though if that works for you.

Regarding weight they do vary quite a lot. Have you weighed Marshmallow yet?
What are you feeding, mix & treats?
You should never put a ham on a diet as such, they rarely over eat unless given an inappropriate diet & it's always better to encourage more activity than try to cut down on food which can be very stressful for them.

[dreamtree1234]

Snowflake doesn't look obese to me, let alone morbidly obese, but I am not an expert on dwarf breeds. There are many members who are extremely knowledgeable on all things dwarf so I am sure they will be able to give you great advice on diet, etc. Seedless grapes are on the HC's list of hamster safe foods so I give my ham Eros one for a very special treat once in a long time. She is a Syrian though and isn't as prone to becoming diabetic. Since your Snowflake is a dwarf, he is more likely to become diabetic, and I would therefore not give him any sweet treats including grapes. I would stick to nonsugary hamster mixes, mealworms, and veggies (not carrots due to its sweetness). I would not put Snowflake on a diet but increase his exercise if you are concerned about weight issues.

I am so sorry that Snowflake has an ear infection. I know that a lot of members use baby food to disguise meds and it works great. Thankfully, I have never had to give Eros or any of my other past hammies any meds so I would personally listen to the vet and see what others have to say concerning the meds.

I am so sorry that I'm not as much help, but I will be praying that Snowflake will continue to take his meds without any problems and has a complete and full recovery from his ear infection. Good luck to you both. Hugs to you and cuddles to your very adorable Snowflake.

Edit: I just noticed that Cypher posted her message while I was writing this post to you. Cypher is great with all things dwarfs and has tons of knowledge and experience. I would listen to her wonderful advice. Good luck.

[Fluff_ball]

Originally Posted by cypher

Has there been any improvement in the ear?
Firstly the antibiotics, I haven't had to use them for a while but I think it's normally been just one drop a day for about five days to a week maybe, not that long, grapes aren't a good idea, I usually mix the drop with baby food (check it's ham safe) the favourite with mine is the cow & gate baby cauliflower cheese for under 4 months, another thing you can mix it with is porridge but I've found not all my Russian hams have been too keen on porridge. Blueberries are fine though if that works for you.

Regarding weight they do vary quite a lot. Have you weighed Marshmallow yet?
What are you feeding, mix & treats?
You should never put a ham on a diet as such, they rarely over eat unless given an inappropriate diet & it's always better to encourage more activity than try to cut down on food which can be very stressful for them.

The inside of his ear looks absolutely fine now and it looks as though the fur is starting to grow back.

The vet weighed him and I *think* He said 9grams... does that sound about right? He's really quite long when he stretches up.

I feed him a mix of two foods. One is a dwarf hamster mix with meal worms and the other is like a grassy mix. He does have treat sticks too though and also he had a treat roller type thing that had carrot in it. Upon reflection it might have been too big for him.

[cypher]

It does sound as though the antibiotics have done the trick with the ear so I doubt you need to use them any more.
Do you have any kitchen scales? If not I would get some & get into the habit of weighing him weekly as part of a general health check, He's going to be way more than 9 grams
Most of my Russians have averaged around 60g once fully grown, some a bit more some a bit less, there's no one ideal weight but it's a good idea to keep a check on any changes.

Can you be more specific about food? Brands, amounts & which treat sticks?