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Old 06-11-2018, 12:36 PM   #1
peridotgreen
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Default Hamster had chocolate :(

My hamster licked chocolate off my hand, is he going to be okay?

He also has a small black dot near the edge of his eye, is this something i should be worried about?

EDIT: Im not actually 100% sure what it was now i think of it, i had a chocolate bar and poured myself some soya coffee

regardless of which one, will he be ok? or do i need to take him to the vets?

Last edited by peridotgreen; 06-11-2018 at 12:51 PM.
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Old 06-11-2018, 01:30 PM   #2
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

I would go with your instincts , if you feel it is needed to visit a Vet then do so. You really need to try and decide was it coffee or chocolate as the later is quite harmful for a hamster.
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Old 06-11-2018, 03:11 PM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Just observe him tonight. If he takes a turn for the worse then call an emergency vet number for advice. If he's fine in the morning he'll probably be ok. Fingers crossed it was just a tiny bit and hasn't caused any harm.
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Old 06-12-2018, 01:00 AM   #4
peridotgreen
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Default

Blugh. This Is so frustrating, I don't like worrying

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
Just observe him tonight. If he takes a turn for the worse then call an emergency vet number for advice. If he's fine in the morning he'll probably be ok. Fingers crossed it was just a tiny bit and hasn't caused any harm.

He doesn't seem unwell, but was biting the bars alot and didn't go on his wheel, but he was biting before I let out. He also didn't take much food last night if any, not sure if this is cause for concern. I will monitor it

I'm buying some bamboo pegs off ebay to try and stop the biting, as I read bamboo is safe. I'll try to take a picture of the cage at some point

Last edited by Fluffagrams; 06-12-2018 at 12:05 PM. Reason: Consecutive posts
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Old 06-12-2018, 01:30 AM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Best thing is to cut some strips of cardboard (old cereal box or something) and weave the cardboard strips in and out of the bars where he is biting. That can deter them or he may move to another area of the bars - so you add a bit more. At least if he is chewing cardboard it's good for his teeth. Bar chewing can lead to sores or broken or damaged teeth. Not heard of bamboo pegs - I'd just try the cardboard.

You never know if they've taken much food or not as they have hoards they snack from. Does he have veg each day? I use that as my guideline because the tiny bit of veg is always taken (they love a bit of fresh veg) and if that is left I would think there was something wrong.

Maybe what he licked did have some effect but he sounds active enough so just keep monitoring and hopefully he'll settle down again.

If his cage is a bit small he may be bar chewing because he feels stressed in there and wants to get out, or because something else isn't right in the cage (eg wheel too small, not enough substrate, nowhere dark to hide, water bottle not working). Because sometimes behaviour like bar chewing can be to alert you to something. So check his water bottle has water in and is working ok, his wheel isn't jammed up with substrate and won't move etc.

Hope he is fine xxx
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Old 06-12-2018, 01:42 AM   #6
peridotgreen
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
Best thing is to cut some strips of cardboard (old cereal box or something) and weave the cardboard strips in and out of the bars where he is biting. That can deter them or he may move to another area of the bars - so you add a bit more. At least if he is chewing cardboard it's good for his teeth. Bar chewing can lead to sores or broken or damaged teeth. Not heard of bamboo pegs - I'd just try the cardboard.

You never know if they've taken much food or not as they have hoards they snack from. Does he have veg each day? I use that as my guideline because the tiny bit of veg is always taken (they love a bit of fresh veg) and if that is left I would think there was something wrong.

Maybe what he licked did have some effect but he sounds active enough so just keep monitoring and hopefully he'll settle down again.

If his cage is a bit small he may be bar chewing because he feels stressed in there and wants to get out, or because something else isn't right in the cage (eg wheel too small, not enough substrate, nowhere dark to hide, water bottle not working). Because sometimes behaviour like bar chewing can be to alert you to something. So check his water bottle has water in and is working ok, his wheel isn't jammed up with substrate and won't move etc.

Hope he is fine xxx
I know he didn't take much food because I cleaned his house out and emptied it. So knew what the new bowl of food looked like

His wheel is fine, so is his water bottle. The cage is 83cm long, 43cm high and wide.

Edit: gave him some carrot and he scoffed it lol

Last edited by peridotgreen; 06-12-2018 at 01:47 AM.
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Old 06-12-2018, 08:22 AM   #7
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

He’ll be just fine No need to worry over the chocolate at all. In fact, there have been cases where hamsters are given chocolate to aid in respiratory infection treatment as well as chocolate in general for studies Aside from that, a small lick is nowhere near the LD. You can take a breath, he’s going to be just fine
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Old 06-12-2018, 01:36 PM   #8
peridotgreen
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Tried weaving some cardboard, he's still biting and he pulled it off the bars (i did it as tight as i could, was difficult, awkward openings in the cage) ((

Anything else i can do?
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Old 06-12-2018, 06:54 PM   #9
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Just wanted to mention that it's not good to clean a hamster out so much that you remove all of their hoard. And that would make him bar chew! Their hoard and their nest are very precious to them - and their hoard is important because if a human ever forgets to feed them they have plenty to snack on for some time. It's also part of their natural behaviour. It's fine to leave dry hoard food for quite some time and always leave a fair bit of it if it starts taking over and you remove some. If the hoard has to be removed because it's pee'd on then always put new hamster mix back in exactly the same place. It can cause all kinds of behaviours if you steal their hoard! And it will cause stress.

Likewise with their nest. No need to remove it unless it's pee'd in. Even then try and save a little bit that's dry so it smells familiar and put lots of new nesting material out (torn up strips of plain white toilet paper is safest and they like it) somewhere in the cage, not in the house, so they can pouch it and take it to rebuild the nest.

Doing full cage cleans and too often can also stress them. And stress can lead to bar chewing. If you have enough substrate in you can spot clean mainly, just replacing the odd handful now and then. And just do partial cleans - so clean the wheel a different week to the substrate and any toys a different week again. That way something always smells familiar and they get less stressed.

To help keep the cage dry and clean you can provide a litter tray which Syrians will use if you put it in the right place (ie their chosen pee spot - usually a corner of the cage) with chinchilla bathing sand in. Then you just empty the potty every 5 days or so and the cage stays clean so you can go longer before further cleans. You can use any kind of dish as a litter tray (low sided though) and it can also double up as a sand bath.

Don't worry about poops - they're not dirty or smelly and they eat them sometimes for extra vitamins and emergency food supplies. So if you've cleaned out his cage completely and thrown his hoard AND his poops I'm not surprised he's frantic - they are natural hoarders and hard wired to only feel secure if their hoard is safe.

If its the cage clean that's set him off (and he will be anxious if his hoard has gone) he'll need chance to settle again. Maybe give him extra out of cage time, hide a few treats in his cage to keep him occupied and distract him but it can take some time to settle down again and it can become a habit if it goes on too long.

If the cage is a bit small that could be part of it too.
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Old 06-13-2018, 01:10 AM   #10
peridotgreen
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Default Re: Hamster had chocolate :(

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
Just wanted to mention that it's not good to clean a hamster out so much that you remove all of their hoard. And that would make him bar chew! Their hoard and their nest are very precious to them - and their hoard is important because if a human ever forgets to feed them they have plenty to snack on for some time. It's also part of their natural behaviour. It's fine to leave dry hoard food for quite some time and always leave a fair bit of it if it starts taking over and you remove some. If the hoard has to be removed because it's pee'd on then always put new hamster mix back in exactly the same place. It can cause all kinds of behaviours if you steal their hoard! And it will cause stress.

Likewise with their nest. No need to remove it unless it's pee'd in. Even then try and save a little bit that's dry so it smells familiar and put lots of new nesting material out (torn up strips of plain white toilet paper is safest and they like it) somewhere in the cage, not in the house, so they can pouch it and take it to rebuild the nest.

Doing full cage cleans and too often can also stress them. And stress can lead to bar chewing. If you have enough substrate in you can spot clean mainly, just replacing the odd handful now and then. And just do partial cleans - so clean the wheel a different week to the substrate and any toys a different week again. That way something always smells familiar and they get less stressed.

To help keep the cage dry and clean you can provide a litter tray which Syrians will use if you put it in the right place (ie their chosen pee spot - usually a corner of the cage) with chinchilla bathing sand in. Then you just empty the potty every 5 days or so and the cage stays clean so you can go longer before further cleans. You can use any kind of dish as a litter tray (low sided though) and it can also double up as a sand bath.

Don't worry about poops - they're not dirty or smelly and they eat them sometimes for extra vitamins and emergency food supplies. So if you've cleaned out his cage completely and thrown his hoard AND his poops I'm not surprised he's frantic - they are natural hoarders and hard wired to only feel secure if their hoard is safe.

If its the cage clean that's set him off (and he will be anxious if his hoard has gone) he'll need chance to settle again. Maybe give him extra out of cage time, hide a few treats in his cage to keep him occupied and distract him but it can take some time to settle down again and it can become a habit if it goes on too long.

If the cage is a bit small that could be part of it too.



Hey

Thanks for the advice.

He does pee in his nest, it's a nightmare trying to only pick out the ones that's been urinated on.

Iv'e tried the hamster potty (with no luck) as said above, it seems like hes using his nesting area for pee'ing!

Does it matter if poo is mixed in with his hoard of food, or will i need to remove it? How do i know if it's been urinated on? This is what concerns me. as he's not urinating in the actual cage very often
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