hamster question?

Question

whats wet tail?? my sister has a dwarf hamster and for a couple weeks its bottom has wet and oily....does the hamster have it?? what would happen??

Answer 1

Sounds like wet tail....
Wet tail is caused by bacteria that causes extreme diarrhea. You can tell it is wet tail because of the "wet" and dirty tail. There will also be a bad odor. Wet tail causes severe dehydration which also causes the eyes to look dull and sunk in the head. you can easily tell a hamster is dehydrated by pinching the skin on the back of the neck. If it stays sticking up when you let go it is dehydrated. Younger hamsters are more affected by this.
I noticed wet tail caused more often by stress. When children buy their new baby hamster they want to hold it constantly. This frightens the hamster, and causes stress. Wet tail is also VERY contagious amongst other hamsters, so you must treat them all. You can buy medication at petsmart specifically made for wet tail, or try a vet that specializes in hamster care. It is very important that you treat this very quickly because it gets worse quickly, and will kill the hamster(s).
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?... This site has good info.

Answer 2

Wet tail is when the hamster has diareea.
When the bottom of the tummy is wet, it means that is happening. It can stop up there digestive systems and get them very sick and full of germs.
You need to go to the vet, this is a serious problem.
The hammy can die from it.

Answer 3

Is the hamster walking fine or are they hunched up and seeming to be in pain. If not it is most likely not wet tail just normal Diarrhea. If it is you need to take it to the vet as you will need to give it antibiotics do not waist your money on the over the counter stuff as that only works for regular diarrhea.

Answer 4

Hi, unfortunately wet tail is a disease hamsters can die if it isn't caught in the early stages, they can get dehydrated and they can show signs of not eating and drinking as well.
you will need to take your hamster to the vets they might be able to save it and give you something for him (one of my hamsters had the same thing), I'm sorry but most die.
once a hamster dies from this disease you must get rid of the cage and its contents, because if you get another hamster even if you have cleaned this cage your hamster is in, this wet tail will infect another hamster.

Take your hamster the vet, this is all you can do for him.

kind thoughts.

Answer 5

I'm guessing it's the anal gland secreting fluids. Unless that is the sign of the hamster being in heat. Is it a male or female?
Perhaps you should call the Vet and ask one of the techs what their experience has been, with dwarf hamsters.
I would also ask if you could shampoo the bottom with baby shampoo and blow the little one dry.
Good Luck!!

Answer 6

Gosh that sounds awful, i have kept hamsters and never heard of it before. I took a look on the net and I dont think that is what your hamster has, if it did it wouldnt be here anymore. I will copy and paste it for you and give you the link, but if you are easily distressed dont read it. Please take the hamster to a vets for a check up though.







Wet Tail is a disease that is thought to be stress related and often affects young hamsters around the time of weaning, as this can be a stressful time. Therefore it is important when buying a new hamster that its cage is prepared before its arrival home and it is left to become familiar with its new surroundings in peace apart from feeding for a day or two to keep stress to a minimum. It is also thought that Wet Tail can be caused by bad living conditions, etc which could also cause stress.

Wet Tail is a bacterial infection or an imbalance of the natural bacteria in the hamster's stomach or intestine and is often confused with diarrhoea. Although a hamster with Wet Tail has diarrhoea, the diarrhoea is so severe that the hamster is wet and/or dirty not only around the anus but usually around the top of the tail as well. The diarrhoea is accompanied by a strong unpleasant smell. Droppings are pale in colour and extremely soft and may contain mucus. The hamster often walks hunched up, is weak and lethargic and may squeal in pain.

Symptoms take 7 days to appear and the disease is often fatal with death occurring as early as 24 hours after the appearance of the symptoms. Therefore it is vital that veterinary treatment is sought immediately if a hamster shows symptoms of Wet Tail. Do not rely on over-the-counter products such as Dri-Tail to treat Wet Tail as these are often not effective against severe cases of Wet Tail. These should only be used if it is not possible to get the hamster to a vet immediately and veterinary advice should still be sought at the earliest opportunity, but do ensure if you have used any over-the-counter product that you inform your vet when you visit.

Hamsters suffering from Wet Tail often die from dehydration rather than from Wet Tail itself, or they simply refuse to eat or drink. Also, because of the severe diarrhoea Wet Tail can lead to rectal prolapse where the intestine is pushed outside the body through the anus.

Veterinary treatment will consist of a course of antibiotics, anti-diarrhoeal medication and help with rehydration. The hamster should be kept warm and quiet whilst undergoing treatment and be disturbed as little as possible. Wet Tail is contagious to other hamsters and so any hamster suffering from Wet Tail should be isolated from other hamsters. It is also a good idea to wash your hands thoroughly after handling a hamster suffering from Wet Tail, to avoid passing the infection back to the hamster worsening its condition and certainly before handling other hamsters (this is best kept to a minimum). It is a good idea to remove droppings from the cage at intervals and disinfect the cage with a disinfectant designed for small animal cages when cleaning the cage. Although it is important to keep stress to a minimum it may help to clean the cage of a hamster suffering from Wet Tail every 2 or 3 days.

Any equipment occupied or used by a hamster that has died from Wet Tail should be disinfected thoroughly with a disinfectant designed for small animal cages and left to stand for a few weeks before being used by another hamster.

Wet Tail is a disease associated more commonly with the Syrian Hamster and is not associated with Dwarf Hamsters. Dwarf Hamsters can suffer severe diarrhoea but it is not clear at present that they actually suffer from 'Wet Tail'.

Susceptibility to Wet Tail is also thought to be genetically inherited and so it is best not to breed from any hamster that has suffered from Wet Tail during its life.

Answer 7

Yes it has 'wet tail'. It has diarrhea. Hamsters can die from this. I am a vet and if you don't take him to the vet...bye bye to hammie

Answer 8

I'm not sure, you should go to a vet.