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Old 03-04-2022, 03:55 PM   #11
Ria P
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Sorry to hear about Queen Flo being unwell but wanted to let you know that i would have gone for the same option as you.

A few of my hamsters stayed on the Metacam permanently when they got old or ill because it helped them a lot and they are so good at hiding pain that it can be hard to tell when they are suffering.

You will know should the time come when she needs to be helped on her way but until then enjoy every minute you have left with her.
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Old 03-04-2022, 06:38 PM   #12
jessandflo
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

SERENDIPITY7000:

I'm glad that you agree. It definitely felt like the safest method of helping her! I do feel a lot more at ease knowing that she has pain relief. She's nearly 22.5 months old, she turns 2 on 23rd April (bless her). Hopefully we can get to that milestone. It's really good to hear previous experiences with your hams and I'm sorry that some of them had to go through similar things.

That is true, on a day-by-day basis I think we're doing okay for now.

MEDS

She loves the Metacam but I think she's put off the syringe (since her other med is supposed to be syringe fed also). Since I started dipping the end of the Metacam syringe in some banana - she's all over it. She starts biting the end and can't get enough hahaha!

Buuuuut the other day she didn't want the syringe at all. I took a tiny bit of rich tea biscuit, put a drop of water on and then soaked the Metacam dosage into the biscuit. That worked a treat.

The Sulfratrim however, is a struggle! I really didn't want to force feed her meds so I wanted to try everything first. I tried to drop it in the middle of some folded kale / spinach but she could still smell it. The baby food suggestion is a godsend. I bought the Ella's Kitchen sweet potatoes, broccoli + carrots pouch. I put a blob of it on a tiny jar lid and mix the nasty meds in. Some days I mash in a bit of banana or other tasty things.

The issue with that is that she doesn't eat it right away, I just wake up in the morning and it's all gone... I've been putting very small amounts of dried food in her bowl so I'm hoping that she feels that she's got no option but to eat it. To start with she was standing in the baby food, but I non-toxic glued the lid to a flat rock in her tank so that she couldn't flip the lid.

My Boyfriend is currently away and I imagine he'll be a lot more hands on at sticking the syringe straight in her mouth (even when she fights it). I've literally tried everything to be as kind as I can to her. Thank goodness it's only for 10 days. Also, do you think I should be giving her probiotics with the antibiotics? I've read that they can be very beneficial.

COST OF VETS

I checked the invoice from the vet and the consultation was £36. The Metacam was very cheap at around £13? And the Sulfatrim was the most expensive.

TUMOR UPDATE

I've tried to handle her as little as possible as I feel that waking her for meds is already stressful enough. Today I bribed her with snacks and scooped her up to check on it. It had a much smaller scab on about 3/4 of it, and the other 1/4 was still quite ulcery-looking. It definitely hasn't got bigger (so far) which I'm extremely happy about, and it didn't seem as red, raw and inflamed as the above picture.

CAGE SETUP

Her cage set-up is currently this: PXL-20220302-131524126-MP — ImgBB - she's always had a certain type of sawdust that isn't sharp or dusty for the majority of the space. She has soft papery bedding and hay, but I'm tempted to get rid of the sawdust / hay completely so it doesn't stick to the ulcer. I'll also take the platform out when she's due a full cage clean. I since moved her foodbowl from up there so she doesn't have to climb any more.

I tend to do her bed just once a week. Any less isn't necessary and any more is when it starts to smell. She actually has a reptile house which is huge: Exo Terra Reptile Cave XX Large. I orginally bought it since her old house was wooden (no good for nest peeing). My plan was to put a litter tray / sandbath inside like you suggested, but with it being such an irregular shape I'm not sure if it would work.

It is a very good idea though, do you think it'd upset her if I gave her a different house? She's always loved her bed so much and I feel that she's quite attached to her current nest area. She uses the irregular shape as different compartments for her goods :')

THANK YOU

I just want to thank you so much for your helpful advice and for responding so fast. It's really nice that forums like this exist and has definitely made me feel more at ease about the situation. Compared to the other day I feel a lot more accepting of it, and so far I think we're doing good (or as good as we can be). I'm literally doing everything I can in my power to make her comfortable (which makes me feel a lot better as well).

Jess x

Last edited by jessandflo; 03-04-2022 at 06:54 PM.
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Old 03-04-2022, 06:43 PM   #13
jessandflo
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by cloudy View Post
It sounds like you have a wonderful vet. I would have chosen the option you decided on too. Queen Flo is clearly so well loved and cherished. I really hope you have a lot more time together. Her 4ft tank sounds amazing.
I was really impressed actually! So glad she treated Flo with the same care and attention that a vet would give to a dog/cat. It's good to know your opinion on it. She is very loved indeed. I bought her at the start of the first lockdown so she's had countless hours of attention! Since about 6 months ago she's become a lot more nocturnal and stays in bed a lot, but I still see her at times. Thank you so much, so kind of you! X
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Old 03-04-2022, 06:45 PM   #14
jessandflo
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanza View Post
So sorry to read Queen Flo is unwell, wishing her better and hope the meds work to keep her comfortable and well. Best wishes.
Aw, that is so nice of you to say. I really appreciate the well wishes! She's doing okay so far. Thank you so much x
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Old 03-04-2022, 06:51 PM   #15
jessandflo
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Sorry to hear about Queen Flo being unwell but wanted to let you know that i would have gone for the same option as you.

A few of my hamsters stayed on the Metacam permanently when they got old or ill because it helped them a lot and they are so good at hiding pain that it can be hard to tell when they are suffering.

You will know should the time come when she needs to be helped on her way but until then enjoy every minute you have left with her.
Thank you for your message. It's really nice to know that you'd have picked the same option as well! I read somewhere that Metacam isn't supposed to be given long-term but I would disagree if it manages the pain.

Exactly, I feel so much more at ease knowing that she has it. It's a sad thought that when a hamster shows signs of pain, you know that they're badly in pain - I'm so glad it didn't have to come to that point.

Really appreciate the support. Once again, thank you so much x
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Old 03-04-2022, 07:05 PM   #16
jessandflo
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Also, I love to see people's hamsters when they're mentioned on here! It's nice to know who you're referring to. And because lovely Flo has a whole thread, here are some pictures of the sassy lil' Queen herself x

PXL-20211201-222007408-MP — ImgBB
IMG-20200808-214013 — ImgBB
00000-PORTRAIT-00000-BURST20200611000858486 — ImgBB (Baby Flo)
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Old 03-04-2022, 09:03 PM   #17
cloudy
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Flo is so beautiful! It is lovely to see her. I used to have guinea pigs and one was on metcam daily due to arthritis. I felt quality of life was more important. You are giving Flo the most amazing care. Her cage looks brilliant too.
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Old 03-05-2022, 01:41 AM   #18
Ria P
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jessandflo View Post
Thank you for your message. It's really nice to know that you'd have picked the same option as well! I read somewhere that Metacam isn't supposed to be given long-term but I would disagree if it manages the pain.
It's supposed to cause kidney damage if given long term but that's not something i ever worried about.

As for the antibiotic, the only way i was able to administer it to my late Syrian was via a syringe. I drew up the antibiotic first followed by a little undiluted Ribena. I picked him up and slowly squirted it into the corner of his mouth giving him time to swallow it.
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Old 03-05-2022, 06:36 AM   #19
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Pleased to hear the scab is looking a bit better I think that sometimes as they get to old age, we never really know a clear diagnosis, and it doesn't actually matter - all that matters is they are kept comfortable and enjoying their home as long as possible. Things can have a kind of remission as well.

Yes vets vary on the Metacam thing - and it is supposed to cause kidney damage if given for a long time (or if the dose is too high), but the point is - an older hamster isn't going to live for a very long time and they generally start to get kidney failure in old age anyway (you notice them drinking more and peeing more) - as with humans, their organs gradually start to fail but they can go on for a long time comfortably.

I have never had a problem giving metacam with older hamsters. Glad she likes it. If she eats the antibiotic in baby food I would carry on with that - enriches her life a bit

I just use about half a teaspoonful of the baby food for meds - you can still put the same amount of hamster mix in her bowl as she'll still hoard that and eat what she wants and eat the baby food as well. It doesn't matter if she only has it during the night as long as she has the once a day dose (assuming it is a once a day dose). I've also found they tend to prefer eating it during the night (which is their day really).

The hide is really lovely! Tricky. Normally I'd say just take it out leaving everything inside in tact, and pop the new one over the top in the same place. But - as she really likes it. She would probably adapt easily but maybe you could add it somewhere else instead and see if she chooses to move in. The sand bath is quite large - could a new house possibly go there instead of the sand bath and put a sand potty inside the house instead? I've found ours use a sand potty as both. Ours would pee in the very back corner of the potty and sit in the front part for a wash. If the new hide is dark inside and big enough she might just decide to move her nest into it. If not it's an enclosed sand bath and extra hide! Or she may just use it as a toilet area and not pee in her nest.

The way to get a shoe box house dark inside is put a bendy stick bridge over the door (light doesn't go round corners) - that also provides a ramp onto the roof of the house.

I would agree with removing the hay. In fact it's possible that the scabbing could be some mites from the hay? Hay is notorious for having different kinds of mites - I don't use it after one of our hamsters poked his eye on a sharp bit, but when I did I used to freeze it for a week first in case of mites.

I also think a paper based substrate might be easier too. If you are going to replace the substrate. But generally it's best not to clean anything else at the same time if you replace the substrate as it can stress them to have all their familiar scent removed. Eg wheel another week and any other items or spot cleaning the nest, a different week again.

Any substrate will stick to a sore a bit but easier for them to clean off a bit of paper themselves maybe. The other thing is hamsters can be allergic to any kind of wood - whether it's softwood or hardwood. It's unlikely but it's possible the sore could be an allergic reaction. Something like Fitch or Kaytee clean and cozy is a good option. I use Fitch and get a 10kg bag and like it - it's dust free. Kaytee clean and cozy does come in a natural colour though if you prefer that but I find it works out a bit more expensive.

When doing that I'd add more so it's much deeper. At least 6" deep. She'll then enjoy burying her hoards under her nest and burrowing down a bit.

By increasing the height of the substrate as well, it will make the ramp to the shelf less steep. The legs of the ramp may get in the way of a new larger house. Unless you could turn it round maybe? So the longer side is at the back.
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Old 03-05-2022, 06:44 AM   #20
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Red sore / lump on my female Syrian's bum. Need advice!

Alternatively - if you don't mind the cost of buying a new house like the one below - it could replace the ramp and sand bath altogether and make a new shelf. I've used this house for our syrians and they always move into it The front left compartment is nice and big for a nest and it's the darkest area. The back centre compartment fits a litter tray and they seem to like having their toilet there, next to their nest.

It's not cheap though and it would need to be supported underneath in case tunnelled under as could squish the hamster. They do sell legs for it but if you didn't mind a bit of diy you could just glue some dowels on for legs. Although it's wood, you can just paint the inside with plastikote and then it's wipe clean. My first one I didn't paint and although the toilet area did get a little bit of staining in the long term it just scrubbed clean. But if plastikoted it's just wipe clean. I just do the inside - the outside stays fine.

But you may not want to spend all that for an older hamster ....A shoebox house would be fine too if it's large enough for a big nest and also fit a litter tray. And that's light so would just sit on top of the substrate.

Rodipet® Hamster House Maze DaVinci 41x26 cm, Ų 7cm +terracotta
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