How To Recognize Hamster Health Issues & Maintenance
How To Recognize Hamster Health Issues & Maintenance. One of the best things you can do for your hamster is to take good care of its health. From the Hamster Care section you learned plenty on how to recognize healthy behaviors. How about when your hamster seems in pain or lifeless? Let’s find out what it means and what to do about it.
Hamster Teeth
All rodents are defined by incisors (hamster teeth) that never stop growing. Besides for chewing, teeth are also used for carrying and digging as well. Learn how to protect this very important tool for your hamster.
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. I offer facts, knowledge of options, and my experiences to help you recognize danger. When your hamster displays symptomatic behaviors, always seek a licensed vet’s opinion. Save up a little stash for those times.
Teeth Anatomy & Function of a Hamster
A hamster has a total of 12 teeth. 4 pairs in the back and two pairs in the front. The gap between the back molars and front incisors allow larger foods to fit in the mouth and to the cheeks.
Hamsters need chew toys to file down their continually growing teeth. Many solid feeds rich in calcium will help, too.
Most importantly, the front teeth has to be aligned and the same length. A broken or misaligned teeth could mean your hamster cannot eat proper mean your hamster cannot eat proper.
Hamster Teeth Conditions
Yellow Teeth. Being used to seeing white, sparkily teeth, I was alarmed to see yellow, almost brown looking teeth. Before you wipe out the tooth brush, relax, yellow teeth is harmless for hamsters.
Malocclusion or Broken Tooth. Malocclusion is a condition where your hamster’s teeth doesn’t grow in alignment. Regular teeth trims are needed for the hamster to eat properly. A broken tooth will need one trim. I’ve read some vets will do this for free. Call and check.
Teeth & Gum Infection. If you notice swollen mouth, you hamster may have an infection. Bring to doctor.
Conclusion
Teeth are vital to a hamster. Luckily, they are also very visible when something goes wrong. A quick visit to a doctor should clear matters up. Hope this page gives you more insight!
Hamster hibernation temperature
Hamster hibernation typically begins when the temperature dips below 40 °F/4 °C.
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. When your hamster displays symptomatic behaviors, always seek a licensed vet’s opinion.
Deep Sleeping
Hamsters do not fully hibernate through the winter like bears. Instead they simply sleep more than usual. And when they sleep, they fall deeper into sleep. Sometimes, it may be hard to wake them from such a slumber.
Some hamsters have been said to sleep days. Even when you touch it, it does not wake. This may startle the inexperienced hamster owner as it may appear that their hamster died.
Personally, I have yet to see my Syrian hamster sleep that deeply. He sleeps many more hours than usual though!
If you do run into a deep sleeper, you can still make sure it’s okay by watching it’s breathing.
When you do wake your hamster, make sure to let it fully wake up before touching it as it may be grumpy.
Goodies For Winter
Hamsters love to nibble on their hoarded food when they’re cozy in their nest. For winter, provide plenty of food and water. Also, you may want to add extra bedding. Cotton in particular is perfect for snoozing on and keeping warm.
Conclusion
I love winter times. In those cold, merry days, I love snuggling into a couch and blanket with a good movie and hot chocolate. A perfect little addition would be my hamster, falling asleep on my warm laps! Wouldn’t you enjoy that?
Recognizing Illness Behaviors Hamster Illnesses
When dealing with hamster illnesses:
- Recognize healthy behaviors
- Always try to keep your hamster in a clean and stressless environment with clean water and food.
- Be observant with your hamster when you play with it.
- When it gets sick, isolate it from other pets. Clean the area and your hands as some disease may be transferrable to humans.
- Find a suitable vet and take it there. Follow their instructions.
Below are some common diseases, hopefully, you’ll never have to deal with…
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. I offer facts, knowledge of options, and my experiences to help you recognize danger. When your hamster displays symptomatic behaviors, always seek a licensed vet’s opinion. Save up a little stash for those times.
Visible Body Illnesses
Eyes: Hamster eyes are poor but should be alert and clear. Signs: dull, cloudy, discharge, shut. A vet may provide eye drops.
Ears: Like humans, if hamsters have ear issues, it may affect their balance. Signs: losing balance, scratching ear.
Nose: Respiratory signs may include: wheezing, sneezing, breathing out of mouth. Causes may be environmental (such as bedding) to internal infections.
Mouth/Cheeks: Cheeks could be scratched from sharp foods. Signs include swelling and loss of appetite.
Anus: Anus may be swollen, red, and loss of apetite. Causes are internal.
Other Illness Symptoms
Dehydrated & Heat Stroke: Hamsters should be kept away from direct sunlight (in the wild, they stay underground in the day). Signs can include weakness, inactive, stiff skin, faint
Diarrhea Causes may include Wet Tail, other stomach or intestinal issues, stress, excessive fruits and vegetables
Prolonged ConditionsHamsters are prone to developing chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity from combinations of stress and poor eating habits. In some cases, these issues are treatable. See a doctor.
Conclusion
There are many more hamster illnesses and conditions that you and your hamster may encounter in it’s lifetime. The best thing to do is be active and observant of your pet. Take good care of your pet, let it live a full time, and hope it’ll die of old age.
Hamster wet tail treatment pets at home
Hamster Wet Tail is actually a disease that can be found in a variety of rodents, but most commonly found affecting hamsters. This disease can cause death in a day or two. It is also contagious to other rodents.
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. I offer facts, knowledge of options, and my experiences to help you recognize danger. When your hamster displays symptomatic behaviors, always seek a licensed vet’s opinion. Save up a little stash for those times.
Causes
Wet tail is a type of bacteria in the small intestines that causes the body to deteroriate rapidly. Your hamster may catch this disease by ingesting fecal matter and being stressed.
Notice that stress is a important factor. This makes sense because healthy wild hamsters routinely ingest their own feces without any issues. But when a hamster is stressed and weakened, they may become susceptible.
Preventions
A hamster may become stressed for a variety of reasons. Here are some common ones:
- Cage cleaning may upset a hamster because it loses all the placement and goodies it thinks of has his or her home.
- Dirty habitat can also stress a hamster. A suggestion would be to clean out the cage once a week but keep one handful of old bedding to comfort your hamster.
- Too many hamsters in one habitat. Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and also the most likely to catch Wet Tail. Could there be a correlation?
- Pups are more likely to get Wet Tail. Pups need to stay with their mothers and siblings until weaned.
Recognize Hamster Wet Tail
Wet Tail can kill in a day or two and can be passed on to other rodents. Your best bet to save your hamster is to take it to a vet right away. Once you notice these signs, don’t wait:
- Wetness around the rear end and lower tummy area.
- Your hamster seems lifeless, hunched, not interested in food.
- Diarrhea.
- Smelly.
Conclusion
A vet will issue a drug that hopefully will treat your hamster in time. Hope this gives you some idea of what to do. If you’re concerned about the price, call several vets and ask what they’ll charge. Sometimes vets will reduce the price just to give the care your pet needs!
Hamster Mites
Hamster mites are treatable and easily visible condition. But they are a pain in the butt to treat. 🙁
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. Always seek a licensed vet’s opinion.
What Are hamster Mites?
Mites are parasites that may burrow under your hamster’s skin or live at the root of hair follicles. They feed on the oils and dead skin by biting the skin. They like to stay on warm bodies and may travel from one pet to another (i.e. dog to hamster).
And guess what? They can transfer to YOU, too!
Symptoms Of Infestation
If your hamster is losing hair and scratching itself a lot, check for mites. File through the fur, especially to look at the root. Mites are tiny and black but you can still see it if you look for it.
How to treat and cure hamster mites
There are cheap anti-mite sprays for these pests. You can see your vet for a recommended spray or buy one from a pet store/online. Make sure you got one that specifically says it’s safe for small animal use! Use the spray as directed on bottle.
I had a fly infestation a while back. I tried to isolate them in the room. Then I’d spray them down consecutively for 5 days. I had to do this because they kept coming back. The lesson is make sure you really got all of them.
Thoroughly clean everything afterwards. If you have other pets, treat them as well. And check to make sure you’re clear as well. Gross!
Hamster hair loss on body
Hamster hair loss is usually the result or symptom of a condition. If your hamster is experiencing hair loss, try to narrow down what may be causing this.
*Disclaimer: I am not medically trained nor does this site present itself so. When your hamster displays symptomatic behaviors, always seek a licensed vet’s opinion.
Normal Hair Cycle
Your hamster looses hair naturally when it gets older and in the summer. If your hamster is losing hair but is very active and healthy, it’s probably just old age or shedding. If it’s combined with other physical signs, then investigate.
Over Brushing And Petting
One possible reason to losing hair may be coming from human touch. Some people would comb their hamster’s fur especially if they are a long haired hamster. A little combing lightly with a clean toothbrush to untangle hair is fine. Anymore is unnecessary. Excessive combing, petting, and making hamster wear clothes may contribute to losing hair.
Mites
If your hamster is scratching excessively and causing bald spots, it might be a mite.
Infections And Skin Disorder
Sometimes the problem may to topical. You may see that the skin is red, sore, or glacious from a skin disease. If you see these conditions, seek a vet.
Diet
Just like humans, a poor diet will cause a range of physical manifestations. Always provide commercial feeds as a staple and then ocassional treats. A diet largely consisting of treats will most likely not provide the needed amount of nutrients.
Other Causes
There are other diseases and conditions that will cause your pet to lose hair but can be hard to determine. Allergies, liver, kidney, and other internal diseases may also cause hair loss. To make sure, visit your vet.
