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Old 09-22-2019, 04:44 AM   #21
Coco61
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

The usual sign of diabetes is soaked bedding in the nest and a sickly sweet smell to the urine. As well as excess drinking. That obviously leads to increased pee. I was at CJ Hall the other day and this was among the reasons discussed for Maestro's drinking. (See his thread)
If you have tested Quigley for this then that does not seem likely.
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Old 09-22-2019, 06:01 AM   #22
AprilPearl
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Thanks Coco. No excessive drinking, peeing or soaked bedding and we did test him so I’m pretty confident he hasn’t got diabetes. I hope everything with Maestro turned out ok? I’m actually taking Quigley to CJ Hall on Wednesday about his not eating hard foods.
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Old 09-24-2019, 06:18 PM   #23
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

So pleased to see you back on HC, but, not pleased to hear your worries for Quigley. It's always difficult when they get older,. Good luck for your vet appointment tomorrow.
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Old 09-25-2019, 02:40 AM   #24
AprilPearl
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Thank you TL

Took Quigley to the vet this morning. I felt bad bundling him into his carry case. He tried to sleep in the car.

He was very good at the vets but I could tell he hated having his mouth forced open.

The vet said his teeth aren’t overgrown which is good although it does beg the question: why isn’t he eating his mix unless I soften it? Apparently one or two of his back teeth are a bit of a strange colour so that might be the problem although it is hard to tell. The vet gave us some pain killers and antibiotics in case there is a problem with the back teeth (an infection or something)... But I’m not sure I want to be giving him meds which could turn out to be unnecessary, especially at his age. I also don’t want to stress him out any further by forcing a syringe down his throat twice a day.

I actually think he’s just being fussy since he seems well. I might try not giving him any softened mix for a week or so and see if he will start eating his mix unsoftened again. But if he goes below 160g I will have to re evaluate since he used to be 205g before he went off hard foods.
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Old 09-25-2019, 04:08 AM   #25
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Good that his teeth aren’t overgrown. As mentioned before he is likely to have some arthritis and they can have arthritis of the jaw as well as toothache.

Is the pain Med Metacam? I would definitely try him with some of that. You don’t need to syringe it, it tastes nice and you can just put it in a tiny bit of softened food. Just a tiny bit so he eats all of it. I was putting it in baby food for Nugget.

See how he goes with that for a few dats. Otherwise it’s tlc and softened food xxx All sounds like ageing and arthritis which is normal at his age. Hope he gets over his vet visit quickly and had lots of nice treats to make up for it! Even a bit of cake woukdn’t do any harm at his age!

Last edited by Pebbles82; 09-25-2019 at 04:09 AM. Reason: Typo
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Old 09-25-2019, 04:51 AM   #26
Coco61
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

I agree with Serendipity about metacam in softened food or in baby food. Just a little on a teaspoon and once you are sure Quigley likes it then you can leave it in a small bowl or shallow dish/lid by his front door and he can eat it at his leisure. Unlike antibiotics, he could eat this over a little bit of time in the night.
Try this first before making the decision over antibiotics. That is more stressful as I know from this week. If you go for antibiotics, then I give Maestro a treat of baby food with hamster vitamins straight afterwards. To say sorry!
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Old 09-25-2019, 06:06 AM   #27
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Yes antibiotics are harder to give. Baytril tastes foul. Try the Metacam first (if that's what it is) as at his age, a bit of pain relief can't do any harm Metacam is supposed to taste of honey.
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Old 09-25-2019, 10:32 AM   #28
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Thanks Serendipity and Coco. Hopefully he forgives me! I’ll make sure to give him treats when he comes out this evening to make up for it. Actually he used to like Banana chips but he hasn’t had one of those for a while due to the sugar content. That might be something hard which he may actually chew, though.

The pain relief is loxicom and the antibiotic is septrin pediatric. Are these ok?

As suggested, I would probably start off with the pain relief and see how he goes on that first before deciding on the antibiotics. The vet mentioned that antibiotics can cause diarrhoea and I really wouldn’t want that. But will the pain relief definitely not have any bad effects on him if he doesn’t need it? I’m worried in case it slows his heart down or something.
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Old 09-26-2019, 06:29 AM   #29
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

I am pretty sure loxicam is Metacam (just a brand name). I would give it to him. Did the vet explain the dosage - it’s a tiny amount - about 2 drops usually but measured in a 1 ml syringe. I can’t remember the dose our last Syrian had and it goes on their weight but it was about 2 drops worth!

Hammies tolerate Metacam very well. It’s the equivalent to ibuprofen for humans. My feeling is it will help him a lot with any toothache or arthritis. You could see how he goes for a couple of weeks. It doesn’t affect their heart. I believe long term it can affect kidneys but we’re talking about an older hamster.

Personally I wouldn’t give the antibiotics either. Antibiotics for tooth infections only work temporarily and the infection comes back and it’s more likely to be toothache from decay which pain relief will help with. But that is just my personal opinion. From what you describe it sounds like an arthritic jaw - painful to open his mouth. Although - a tooth abscess could also cause a painful jaw - the pain can be all over the place. Best solution for a tooth abscess is tooth extraction though (if they know which tooth is the culprit).

I would try the Metacam for a couple of weeks first and see if it makes any difference to his general activity or eating. Most older hammies need soft food by this age for one reason or another and keeping them happy and comfortable is the priority really. 2 is a very great age!
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Old 09-26-2019, 08:06 AM   #30
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Older hamster not eating his food

Metacam is loxicom. You could try it for a couple of weeks. I am not sure how old your hamster is (sorry if you mentioned this previously) Metacam can affect the kidneys/liver especially in older hamsters, BUT you do have to weigh up shortening a hamsters life versus it being in pain and Quality of Life. I think it is down to individual circumstances as to what you choose to do. If you choose to give either medicine I highly recommend giving it in baby food, which is what members suggested for me when I was having problems getting my hamster to take antibiotics (baytrill). My Luna did not even like metacam and loads of people say they have no problems in their hamsters taking this.
I actually created this video on giving medicine to a hamster thanks to everyone's advice on this forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FGKt2d5KVE&t=1s
Goodluck in whatever you decide to do.
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