New hamster- extremely small for "3 months old", w

[Rellen]

So I go to my local petstore, (a different one from the one that had super small campbells),
and I go to buy a new hamster.
The one I buy is EXTREMELY small...
i mean, EXTREMELY.
She was with a ton of other hamsters, the same size as her.
They are the size of a two and a half week old, except wayyy furrier.

I am 100% sure they're syrians, the girl said they were teddybears. The girl also said they were all about 3 months.

The girl said it was a girl, and when I got home to check it, I discovered it was a boy. (this pet store is obviously a bad one)

and I also saw some diahrea on its bottom ;(
Is it wet tail?
What should I feed it to stop the diahrea?
Rice?


PICTURE:


^He is the small one, obviously. And it's hard to tell just how small because her body is curved.
But when I put them together, he started licking her private parts as if he was going to mate with her!

Her fur makes her look even bigger!
She weighs next to NOTHING.
Like I can barely feel her when I'm holding her.

What should I do?
I'm afraid to give her fruits, veggies, pablem, no-sugar cereal, etc, because it might make her diahrea worse
but I want her to grow and gain weight.

[Francescamice]

I would take your hamster to the vets straight away to get it checked over just in case it has wet tail - VETS !!


fFran

[Rellen]

Originally Posted by Francescamice

I would take your hamster to the vets straight away to get it checked over just in case it has wet tail - VETS !!


fFran

My mom will not let me take her to the vet.
Is there any at-home remedy I could use?

[Gust0o]

My mom will not let me take her to the vet.

I'm sorry, Rellen, but I don't think this is good enough - given the severity of wet tail, the vet is essential, and I think you need to stress this to your mother.

In owning any animal you have to make allowances for their medical care, and be sure you are able to provide that care as required. I would have a serious think about that, if you are reliant on your mother for access to veterinary assistance.

The main concern with diarrhoea is the loss of fluids - I would suggest you ensure the animal is well hydrated, and made as comfortable as possible. Wet tail is commonly linked to stress, which is a common occurence when obtaining new animals, and I would avoid disturbing the animal, if at all possible.

With wet tail I'm afraid their is no over-the-counter treatment, of any effective measure, you will need to seek professional help - and you will need to seek it immediately, if symptoms are apparent, as wet-tail is often fatal within a short time-frame.

Let us know how you get on.

[Spuds Mum]

Rellen, the hamster needs to be kept well away, in a separate room from your other hamsters if it is ill. Im very worried that if it is ill then you have also put your cinnamon girl at risk by placing them together.
I know you were trying to show the difference in size, but its not a very sensible thing to do - female hamsters can be very aggressive and your cinnamon could have attacked your new boy as well as the health issue.

I dont think the hamster is older than about 6 weeks to be honest, and Ive heard you can buy an over the counter medicine over in america (possibly in Canada too) called dri-tail. I dont know whether it is affective at all - he really needs to go to the vets.

Its part of the responsibility of pet ownership - and especially if you are breeding - what if the pups need vet treatment - or Mum? How would you feel if the Mum got mastitis and couldnt feed her pups so they all passed away, when a visit to the vets and antibiotics would have helped and maybe saved them all?

Please Rellen, talk to your Mum, but also please think about all that Ive said before breeding or buying any more hamsters - Im not trying to be mean to you, I just really care about all creatures.

[Gust0o]

Dri-tail has mixed reviews - it's commonly seen as a tool for alleviating the symptoms of wet-tail, as opposed to providing any kind of cure.

Some good information can be found here, relating to this:

http://groups.msn.com/hamstersgalore/we ... ature.msnw

I think the consensus is vet, vet, vet! And definitely keep an eye on the second hamster in the above pic - it's not something I posted, but it should be borne in mind. Whilst wet-tail is triggered by stress, it is caused by bacteria in the digestive system, which could likely have infected the second hamster - especially as there has been physical contact.

The above link has some good tips for sterilising equipment, which I would heartily recommend - and please, in future, quarantine your new hamsters as a precaution against cross-infection.

[Rellen]

Originally Posted by Spud's Mum

Rellen, the hamster needs to be kept well away, in a separate room from your other hamsters if it is ill. Im very worried that if it is ill then you have also put your cinnamon girl at risk by placing them together.
I know you were trying to show the difference in size, but its not a very sensible thing to do - female hamsters can be very aggressive and your cinnamon could have attacked your new boy as well as the health issue.

I dont think the hamster is older than about 6 weeks to be honest, and Ive heard you can buy an over the counter medicine over in america (possibly in Canada too) called dri-tail. I dont know whether it is affective at all - he really needs to go to the vets.

Its part of the responsibility of pet ownership - and especially if you are breeding - what if the pups need vet treatment - or Mum? How would you feel if the Mum got mastitis and couldnt feed her pups so they all passed away, when a visit to the vets and antibiotics would have helped and maybe saved them all?

Please Rellen, talk to your Mum, but also please think about all that Ive said before breeding or buying any more hamsters - Im not trying to be mean to you, I just really care about all creatures.

I'm not 100% sure that it has wet tail.. I just noticed that it's bottom had a little old dry diahrea around it.



I just put the baby back by it's nest, and rubbed some of its bedding on it, while the mother was in her ball.
Then I gave her some broccoli when she went back in, and she just ate it for awhile, and then shoved it in her cheek and went back to her nest to feed her babies.
I don't think she noticed.. but I will leave her alone for now and hope for the best...

I convinced my mother to take her to the vet, but she said tomorrow morning.
About how much money do you think it will cost?
I have over 1000$ in my bank account but I'm saving it for university but I can take out as much as he needs. I dont want him to suffer.

[Rellen]

Originally Posted by Gust0o

Dri-tail has mixed reviews - it's commonly seen as a tool for alleviating the symptoms of wet-tail, as opposed to providing any kind of cure.

Some good information can be found here, relating to this:

http://groups.msn.com/hamstersgalore/we ... ature.msnw

I think the consensus is vet, vet, vet! And definitely keep an eye on the second hamster in the above pic - it's not something I posted, but it should be borne in mind. Whilst wet-tail is triggered by stress, it is caused by bacteria in the digestive system, which could likely have infected the second hamster - especially as there has been physical contact.

The above link has some good tips for sterilising equipment, which I would heartily recommend - and please, in future, quarantine your new hamsters as a precaution against cross-infection.

OK.
I'm going to move them each into separate rooms, just incase feggy isn't infected.
but the new guy (doesnt have a name yet! ) did lick her..
which worries me.
If she's showing signs by tomorrow morning, I will bring her in too.

[Spuds Mum]

fingers crossed for the little runt and the new boy too - I do hope they are both fine.

I dont know about vets costs to be honest - they vary a lot in England so even if I did a comparison of prices here it wouldnt mean much!

Lets hope they are all okay

[Rellen]

Aww thanks spud's mom!
Yes, I am crossing my fingers too
I hope the new boy can make it the whole night!

I have decided on his name!
Anchovy
Since he's so tiny.
(this is for the one I purchased today)