Please HELP!!!!!! My hamster is sick.?

Question

OK, so my hamster has a little pot belly. She looks like a pot-belly pig. And she also looks like she has a wet tail. I looked up wet tail on google, but I couldn't find anything that said they get fat. She seems ok. She looks a little sick, but not like she's in pain, just tired.

So when I just went up stairs to take pictures of her she was shaking like she couldn't walk that good, but that could have been because I had to wake her up.

Please don't tell me to take her to the vet because I'm not doing that. I love her but I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollar to take her to the vet. If all you are going to do is tell me to take her the vet don't bother responding. Because I know half the people that say to take hamsters to the vet wouldn’t take there hamster to the vet.

http://petster.com/cgi/profile.cgi?profile_id=26985&pet_id=28795
These are pictures of her. Numbers: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 17. Manly numbers 17, 3 and 6.

I forgot to say. If Anybody has any idea of what this could be or if you know how to fix it please tell me.

To cesarsbabygirl & t he_happy_green_fish:
If I didn't love my hamster I wouldn't be asking this question and I would just throw her out into the yard or just let her die and not try to do anything about it. And I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a hamster that I've never been able to pick up because she is so mean. If I didn't love my hamster I would have gotten rid when I got her and found out she was mean. And I never said nobody would ever take their hamster to the vet I said "most" people.

Don't ever tell me that I don't love my animals, because I love my animals more then anything. If I didn't love my animals I wouldn't stay up with them half the night trying to nurse them back to health.

There is not way she is pregnant, but that's what it looks like. She has not been around any other animals since I got her. And she has never gotten out of her cage.

Oh, yeah and she's been like this for a few days and that's another reason why I don't think it's wet tail. Because that usually kills them within a few days.

And also to cesarsbabygirl & the_happy_green_fish:
I have nursed probably about 10 rodents (most of those being hamster) back to health without a vet.

I just thought about something. I've been giving her lots of different kinds of treat lately. Is it bad for hamster to have their diet changes everyday? Not the main food but I did give her different kinds of treats everyday. Because I know you can't change a dog’s diet, so is it the same with a hamster?

She has been drinking. And I think eating. I know she gets her food, but you all know hamsters and they just like to put it in their beds.

And I have taken my guinea pigs to the vet before when they were sick. Because one of them had a cold. And he was all better after that.

OK, so I just checked her butt and I'm pretty sure she does have diarrhea.

RodentLuver can you not read? I said that there is no way she is pregnant. And if I'm not caring then why are all of my animals nice and I can handle them and I've have most of them since they where babies and I've had hamsters in the past that where nice? And killedbyapenny is right ever if I took her to a vet she might not even live and most vets don't ever know how to handle rodents. Who knows, the vet might kill her because he doesn't know what he is doing. Why spend all that money when instead I could give it to a shelter and they could save who knows how many hamsters live. And it might be something that goes away, or I could fix at home.

Answer 1

Well you ruled out her not being pregnant, wet-tail is usually fatal pretty quick, and I am not sure what else.

She might have worms or something, which would be bad, and that may cause her to have diarrhea and a bloated belly.

I have had way too many hamsters and I have never seen a problem like this, except for my last hamster. He was pretty lean when I got him, and then within a month or so his belly was huge and he was acting weird and not running on his wheel like he should be. He died a few weeks later but there was no trace of any health problems.

Also, DON'T listen to those people who are telling you that you don't love your hamster or that you're a bad owner for not taking her to the vet. They are stupid.

From what you said, I think that you care about your hamster a lot because you wouldn't be so concerned about her if you didn't.

Just make sure she has food, water, keep an eye on her butt/tail and see if just giving her regular food without any changes helps.

I know that if you change a cat's diet, it isn't good for them, and I had to change my hamster's diet all the time because they kept running out of the food he liked, but I am not sure if that was his case or not.

Good luck with your hamster and take good care of her like you're already doing!

Feel free to message me on yahoo, sdch1012 for any questions and you WON'T be discriminated against like those stupid people did to you.

Answer 2

For the record - I do take my hamsters to the vet when I'm concerned. I had a hamster who had liver-cancer and we had her operated on. Some people think its throwing money away, but I look at it differently. My hamster gave me endless joy and the least I could do was give her the proper medical treatment. I can't put a price on a life.

But.. looking at the size of your hamster I'm wondering if perhaps she's pregnant. Wettail is something that is brought on with stress. The hamsters get diarreah and die from dehydration. However, there are plenty of other diseases and conditions that can make the hamster tired. Like pregnancy. As any woman in her 8th month, she'll agree with me!

Keep an eye on your hamster. Offer her her favourite foods, ensure that she has plenty of water.

if she isn't pregnant and doesn't seem to get better, try phoning vets and explain that you don't have a lot of money.

Answer 3

Hamster Illnesses Pictures

Answer 4

Has she been around any male hamsters recently?? Could be that she's pregnant. She looks a bit too bloated to be just wet tail. Maybe she's eaten something that dosen't agree with her, check her poo. Then again, it could be some other wierd disease that we definitely can't diagnose through a picture.

I'm going to ignore you and tell you to take her to the vet. If you really loved her you would. There are charities for vet fees for people who genuinely have no money, and if you can't afford to keep her then why have her in the first place?? People on Yahoo are not going to be able to diagnose your hamster through a photo. The only reason I answered this question is because I feel sorry for your poor wee hammie who may now die because you won't take her to a vet.

And I have taken my hamsters to the vet more than once, and it helped. You might want to try it.

Answer 5

It's very possible she has a number of different things, ranging from an intestinal disease to a tumor. Further diagnostic questions would be needed in order to even begin to identify the problem.

"Wet tail" is basically diarrhea. If she doesn't have diarrhea all over her bottom (which is why it's called "wet" tail), she doesn't have it. Lethargy (not moving much), no eating, and extreme dehydration is basically what happens when they have it. Death is usually quick (within a day or two) due to dehydration. There is a medicine you can buy at pet shops called "Dri Tail" for wet tail, but it doesn't sound like this is probably your illness here.

Most likely you will never know what she has without a vet, and yes, potentially some costly diagnostics. The illness will either resolve itself or she will die. If you will not take her to the vet to be cured, the best you can do at this point is keep her comfortable.

Keep her food and water fresh, put her cage under a lamp with a bare bulb (for warmth) if possible (if she is sick, a lot of times they can become chilled), and give her something to lay in, like a little box house so she can feel secure.

If you do not choose to take her, that is your choice (and yes, I have spent literally hundreds on my guinea pig; once even to the Vet ER, so some people DO spend that on their pets), and you do have that right to make it. At least make her passing comfortable.

I wish you both well.

P.S. Dri-Tail worked very well for me (I've had over 20 hamsters {I bred them} as well as worked at Petco and saved a whole shipment {approx. 15} of Wet Tail-inflicted hamsters. However, I gave it to them directly {not in their water} and fed them water directly with a dropper as well to keep them hydrated.) Feel free to try that other brand of wet tail remedy, but note that depending on how sick the hamster already is, he/she may need to be force-fed the medicine, as they will no longer drink on their own because they are too sick.

Answer 6

Sometimes hamsters can just have a quiet few days, but there could be signs of illness. Check tail for wet-tail Check ears and eyes for signs of infection Check how much he eats Check his poos - does he have diarrhoea or constipation? Check other things like skin and breathing, anything you notice straight off If he knows no obvious signs of illness, keep an eye on him for a couple of days. If he goes off his food then possibly take him to see a vet. Sometimes hamsters either become active when you are asleep, or just have a restful few days!

Answer 7

Why on earth wont you take her to the vet?? And don't tell me I wouldn't take my hamster to the vet because I just did!! She had a parasite and she was in and out of the vet for 3 weeks! I love my animals and I would do anything to save their lives...you say you love your hammie but letting her die is not love! Taking her to the vet is really the best option for her so they can properly diagnose her illness and treat it accordingly. If you are not going to do that and you think it is wet-tail all I can tell you is to get some "dri-tail" from a pet-store and put the drops in her water. Clean her cage and change her bedding, food, water, toys and chew blocks every day and keep an eye on her...make sure she is eating and especially drinking! With diarreah she will get extremely dehydrated and that will cause her to die. I'm sorry though, without the vet you will probably lose your hamster within a few days if not less...poor hammie, I feel so sorry for her.

Oh, thats good Erin P...give me a thumbs down because I actually care about my animals and take them to get proper medical treatment when necessary! You say you love her and that is why you are here asking this question but you know as well as everyone else here that nobody on here is going to be able to properly diagnose and treat your hamster through PICTURES!!!! Only a licensed veterianarian will be able to do this. If you cared your hamster would be at the vet getting proper treatment, you can't put a price on a life...especially if you love her.

Answer 8

Oh boy.
If she has wet tail and shakes when she wakes up, stumbles around or moves funny then there's not much you can do for her anymore, you caught it a bit too late.
You can try a bit of pepto bismol, I use it for all and any of my animals when they have diarreah, they also use it at vets offices :)
I understand you not wanting to take her to the vet, it could be very costly and she could end up passing away, that's all that money gone for something that couldn't be saved, and a lot of vets won't even look at hamsters.

Giving her a tiny bit of different kind of veggies and fruits everyday is fine.
If you gave your lil ham a lot of it though that could've caused wet tail.
Or if the bedding is not changed often enough, an unclean living environment is a main reason for wet tail.

Best of luck to you and your lil hammy.

Answer 9

Others are right. If you really love your hamster, you would do the best for her and bring her to the vet. Who knows! Maybe you aren't going to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars! Maybe only less than a hundred! You should have thought of this before even getting the hamster. If she was mean, you probably weren't caring for her right or handling her right.

When did you get her? If less than 3 weeks or so, she probably got pregnant from another hamster at the place where you got her.

Answer 10

Most of the hamster illness had the diarreah sympton .Could be lack of vitamins (better food),a dirty cage (fungus) or the wood sheedings(an allergy).You will get -take him to the vet -because accurate diagnoses cant be made online.Could you ask at the pet store were you bought him ?Usually are very helpful and sometimes they had a veterinarian or vet. students as workers.Or call your dog vet and ask him about your hamster.

here are some interesting links about hamsters:

http://www.ehow.com/how_6041_care-hamster.html
http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterEmergencies.cfm

You better take action ,as hamster sare very fragile .
Hope all works well for you two :)