Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Hamster Healthcare

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-28-2021, 08:19 AM   #1
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Unhappy Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Im worried about My dwarf hamster, Chester.
Hes a male hybrid dwarf and hes about 1 year old.

Lately hes been loosing a lot of weight. About 1 gram every 1-2 days. Hes a chunky boi so I sorta overlooked it for the first week until I realized that he had lost 10 grams. Right now he weights 56 grams. 2 weeks ago he was 68 grams.
That is cause for concern. Isnt it?

Yesterday when I was doing a health check on Mr Chester I realized that his scent gland wasnt as it used to be. This time it was yellow and waxy. Frankly it looked like earwax. I looked up what to do and everywhere said to clean it with a damp cotton swab, so I did that. I then realized that that the top of his scent gland had off-white stuff coming out of it.
Also his scent gland is very stinky.

Heres a photo of it: 3983-ADDD-E4-D9-4224-A89-F-52511-FF06526 — ImgBB


Are there any home remedies for this?
Does he need a vet? How urgent?
Will he be okay? Wok thyme tea help?

Also his cage is clean and the right size and there isnt anything dangerous or sharp in there. He eats a diet of Higgins sunburst and pure bites dog treats. I decreased the protein in his mix about a month and a half ago. He eats veggies and crock complete hamster treats, and his seeds as snacks.

Last edited by BuddyBearHam; 07-28-2021 at 08:28 AM.
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2021, 09:18 AM   #2
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Whenever i have concerns about my hamsters health i take them to the vet for a check up.

One of my dwarfs has a scent gland like that and i clean it with warm water and a cotton pad.

Personally, i would take him to a vet who knows about hamsters in case the scent gland has become infected. They don't normally stink so he may have an infection.

I would also get his teeth checked and mention the weight loss.
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2021, 09:59 AM   #3
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Whenever i have concerns about my hamsters health i take them to the vet for a check up.

One of my dwarfs has a scent gland like that and i clean it with warm water and a cotton pad.

Personally, i would take him to a vet who knows about hamsters in case the scent gland has become infected. They don't normally stink so he may have an infection.

I would also get his teeth checked and mention the weight loss.


I cleaned it off but it just looks swollen, red and kinda infected.
I’m going to try thyme and then if he doesn’t improve then I will take him to the vet.
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2021, 04:23 PM   #4
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Whenever i have concerns about my hamsters health i take them to the vet for a check up.

One of my dwarfs has a scent gland like that and i clean it with warm water and a cotton pad.

Personally, i would take him to a vet who knows about hamsters in case the scent gland has become infected. They don't normally stink so he may have an infection.

I would also get his teeth checked and mention the weight loss.


I got the thyme for him. What’s the best way to make thyme tea?
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2021, 04:39 PM   #5
Amethyst_ice
Moderator
 
Amethyst_ice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 8,026
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Lots of these home remedies go around on the internet sadly and many times they don't work. I believe the thyme tea thing is mentioned for resp issues anyway

If it is infected he will need antibiotics and some pain relief possibly.

He would be better to be be seen by a vet
__________________
Feel free to ask me about rat advice too
Amethyst_ice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2021, 05:22 PM   #6
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice View Post
Lots of these home remedies go around on the internet sadly and many times they don't work. I believe the thyme tea thing is mentioned for resp issues anyway

If it is infected he will need antibiotics and some pain relief possibly.

He would be better to be be seen by a vet


I’ll call the vet as soon as I can. I’ll see if I can get a weekend appointment, but they’re quite busy. I’ll get the soonest one I can though.
Thank you for your help.
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2021, 11:44 AM   #7
Amethyst_ice
Moderator
 
Amethyst_ice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Birmingham
Posts: 8,026
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Good luck, soemtimes you have to be quite forceful and stand your ground, don't downplay things. Small animals can go downhill very quickly. Keep us updated
__________________
Feel free to ask me about rat advice too
Amethyst_ice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2021, 01:18 PM   #8
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice View Post
Good luck, soemtimes you have to be quite forceful and stand your ground, don't downplay things. Small animals can go downhill very quickly. Keep us updated

Okay. I think he’s going to the vet next week so I’ll update y’all then
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2022, 08:17 PM   #9
BuddyBearHam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Under your bed
Posts: 42
Default Re: Dwarf hamster help please!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice View Post
Lots of these home remedies go around on the internet sadly and many times they don't work. I believe the thyme tea thing is mentioned for resp issues anyway

If it is infected he will need antibiotics and some pain relief possibly.

He would be better to be be seen by a vet


I forgot to update..

But he went to the vet and they prescribed antibiotics wipes for him because it wasn’t very severe.. his infection has came back a couple times since then and the wipes have cleared it up. He just seems especially prone to it.
BuddyBearHam is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
dwarf, grams, he’s, realized, scent

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:14 AM.