What to do about a hamster with diarrhea. Causes and treatment of diarrhea in a hamster. General hamster care

Hamsters are susceptible to many diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders. It is not difficult to notice it in a rodent. It is more difficult to identify the reason why a hamster is diarrhea and choose treatment.

Causes of diarrhea

Stomach upset can be caused by: natural causes and infectious diseases. These include the following diseases:

Salmonellosis is very dangerous disease, the outcome of which may be the death of the animal.
Tizzer's disease is an acute, rapidly developing disease. The pet may die two days after the first symptoms appear.
Colibacillosis - its occurrence is influenced by changes in diet and stress. Bacteria that are in the body in a normal state multiply rapidly under the influence of these factors. This provokes the appearance of diarrhea in the rodent.
Paralysis or pestilence - in addition to diarrhea, they cause the animal to have a runny nose, vomiting and coughing. The animal's breathing quickens, convulsions appear, and the fur sticks together.

In addition to diseases, diarrhea in a hamster can cause:

Changing the feeding diet. If you change your pet's usual diet, this may cause an upset stomach.
Overeating. You should not feed your hamster, as the stomach may not be able to handle large amounts of food.
Spoiled food. The rodent should eat only fresh and high-quality food. The food must be specialized.
Getting foreign objects, buttons, small parts into the stomach.
Poisoning. If a poisonous plant enters the animal's body with fresh food, the dzhungarik may develop diarrhea.
The presence of infections in the body.

There are many causes of animal diarrhea. Some of them can be identified and eliminated yourself. Consultation with a specialist and laboratory tests will help you determine with great accuracy what caused your pet's stomach upset.

Signs of the disorder

There are several signs, the presence of which is characteristic of a malfunction of the hamster's intestines.

Changing the stool. The stool changes color, consistency and smell. The stool becomes watery and mush-like. The rodent goes to the toilet more often.
The hamster's body becomes loose, soft and weak-willed. If you pick it up, the rodent may make sharp sounds and loud squeaks.
Clumped fur. The animal's hair changes color, becomes dull and matted.
Bloating. The hamster's belly becomes elastic, and rumbling can be heard in it.
The appearance of an unpleasant odor. Feces emit a strong and foul aroma.
Lack of appetite. During illness, the animal eats very little or refuses food.
Changes in behavior. The hamster becomes apathetic and passive. The animal moves little, sleeps a lot, and is reluctant to be handled. Any movement provokes an attack of acute pain.

If diarrhea in a hamster is caused by infectious diseases, their signs are high temperature, cough, runny nose and purulent eyes. Diarrhea is often fatal because the animal becomes dehydrated.

How to treat the disorder

What to do if your hamster has diarrhea? A specialist can best answer this question. The veterinarian will not only determine the cause of diarrhea, but also prescribe treatment. However, it is not always possible to consult a specialist for advice. At home, it is necessary to take a set of measures aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease and its consequences.

If the hamster is not alone in the cage, move it away from its neighbors. A sick animal needs peace and quiet. The dzhungarika's cage needs to be disinfected, the bedding replaced, the leftover food thrown away, and the water in the drinking bowl replaced with clean water. You need to give the rodent water with a 0.3% tetracycline solution or chamomile decoction.

If diarrhea is caused by poisoning, you need to cleanse your pet's stomach using emetics. What's the best way to feed a hamster? oatmeal, boiled rice or . During diarrhea, fresh greens and succulent food should not be given.

Before and after contact with a sick animal, you must wash your hands with laundry soap.

What foods are needed in a hamster's diet?

The health of a pet directly depends on nutrition. It is necessary to feed your hamster only high-quality and fresh foods. You cannot give food from your table, as it will not suit the animal. The diet of the dzhungarik should consist of the following products:

Specialized feed. They can be purchased at a pet store or made yourself. Typically mixtures consist of wheat, oats, buckwheat and legumes.
Sunflower, as well as melon seed.
Fresh herbs, lettuce, nettles, plantain, parsley and dill sprigs.

A rodent, receiving vitamins from these products, becomes healthy, vigorous and active.

Basic rules for keeping a rodent

In addition to the diet, the well-being of the jungar is influenced by the conditions of detention. The animal's cage must correspond to its size; the animal will feel uncomfortable in a cramped and small house. The hamster must lead an active lifestyle, so it is necessary to provide it with special toys.

It is necessary to wash the hamster's cage and toys. Change the litter at least 2 times a month, it is best to do weekly cleaning. Corn filler and sawdust from coniferous trees will not only strengthen the animal’s immunity, but also repel small insects.

Remove leftover food promptly and change the water more often. It is better to place a cage with a hamster in a room where there is an influx of fresh air and there are no drafts.

Diarrhea can be caused by a stressful situation. There should be no sources near the animal’s house loud sounds and strong odors. You should not show increased attention to the dzhungarik so as not to scare it.

Create your to a pet comfortable conditions and protect him from stress, then he will be healthy and cheerful.

Prevention of the disorder

Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Follow a few simple rules and diarrhea will not torment your pet.

If you want to switch your hamster to a new food, do it gradually, increasing the portion daily.
Do not overfeed the animal.
Wash fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs thoroughly.
Make sure there is always clean water in your pet's cage.
After each meal, remove leftover food from the cage.
Do not let the animal walk on the floor and ground so that it does not contract any disease.
Place the rodent's cage in a room where there are no sudden changes in temperature.
Provide the dwarf with the necessary time to nap. Rest is very beneficial for a rodent's health.

Diarrhea for a hamster is very dangerous disease causing discomfort to the animal. If it is caused by infectious diseases, the result may be the death of the hamster. When treating, it is very important to show the rodent to a specialist in time and identify the cause of the disease. To avoid diarrhea and many other diseases, provide your hamster with proper care and attention.

Rodents can get sick various diseases. One of them is diarrhea. It would be nice if they could tell themselves what hurts them and what needs to be treated, but unfortunately this is impossible. Therefore, pet owners need to learn to see the problems of their pets and the symptoms of diseases themselves. When a pet starts to get sick, not every owner can help him. The main reason is that people simply don't know what to do. Let's figure out what to do if your hamster has diarrhea.

First you need to understand what causes diarrhea in rodents. To prevent in the future and know what to do now. If he has diarrhea from a certain food, then no treatment will help until you stop giving him the irritant. So if your hamster has diarrhea, let's find out why.

Spoiled food. Never give him spoiled food. Even the one that seems to be just starting to spoil, but you can still eat it. If the human body copes with it without visible difficulties, then small organism the animal may not be able to withstand it. Keep the feeder clean. Sometimes there are leftovers of food that gradually spoil. The feeder must be cleaned and washed from time to time to avoid this situation. Also, pay attention that the rodent does not bring food into its pantry that can quickly spoil. If your hamster has diarrhea, then it’s worth checking the pantry, maybe the reason lies there. Some products began to spoil.
Changing your diet. If, out of the blue, the rodent's diet has completely changed, its body may not accept it. Therefore, it needs to be changed gradually.
Overfeeding. Perhaps you are simply overfeeding your animal. You can’t do this, no matter how much you love him.
Wrong diet. If your hamster has diarrhea, you may be giving him foods that he cannot digest. Read the article: . There you will find a list of prohibited foods for rodents. It is possible that you added to daily diet Animals are those products that are recommended a maximum of 1 - 2 times a month. For example, they switched it to one green. He could also simply swallow something extra, for example while walking around the apartment.
Disease . Diarrhea is a serious symptom of many diseases in a hamster. Among them there are those that can kill within 48 hours, for example Tizzer's disease. There are a lot of diseases, so we will list only a few of them:

Colibacillosis. The hamster is severely emaciated, the smell of excrement is very pungent. The rodent falls into apathy, lies still and refuses to eat.
Paralysis and pestilence. Such a disease is noticeable immediately. In addition to diarrhea, the animal frequent seizures, runny nose, festering eyes, matted fur, heavy breathing, coughing and vomiting.
Salmonellosis. The color of the diarrhea is green-yellow and has a strong odor. Bloating, critical temperature change. First, it quickly rises to 41 degrees, and then just as quickly falls below normal for these rodents. Within two days the hamster may die.
Enteritis. This disease is critical as only 10% of pets survive. Its symptoms: loose diarrhea and elevated temperature.
Wet tail. Main sign- diarrhea and wet back of the animal. Often leads to the death of the pet.

Symptoms of diarrhea in a hamster

Smell. If the process has already begun, you will notice a sharp, nasty odor. When the cage is in another room, the smell will be noticeable as soon as you enter there. During this time, the whole room can already absorb it well. This should draw your attention to the hamster. If you experience this symptom, your pet has a stomach disorder.
Grumbling in my stomach. When your attention is drawn to the first symptom, or when you unsuspectingly approach the cage, you may hear a strange sound. It comes from the pet's belly, corresponding to the grumbling. You might think that he is very hungry, but he is not. Most likely this is one of the symptoms of diarrhea in a hamster.
Feces. If the cage has not been cleaned before challenging task, then now it’s a disaster. There may be feces all over the cage. During diarrhea, the hamster can do its job several times more often. But the worst thing is that now these are not just balls of feces, but more watery, with a characteristic odor and a different color. Not a pleasant thing. In some cases, if you did not notice the onset of the disease in time, there may be blood in the stool.
Hamster humps. This animal sleeps soundly during the day. But as night falls, he becomes active. He is interested in everything and runs and explores everywhere. But if he hunches over and loses his former activity, this is a symptom of the disease. Most likely he is already feeling bad.
Hunger strike. The once active animal has now lost its cheerfulness and does not even want to eat. Rarely eats anything or nothing at all. We need to sound the alarm. Usually these creatures are voracious. Therefore, if your animal refuses to eat, this may be a symptom of diarrhea in a hamster.
Wool. It will have a characteristic color, like a wet reflection. In the area of the butt, the fur will be untidy and dirty.
Behavior. In addition to loss of activity, he may lie in one place and do nothing. This symptom of diarrhea in a hamster is immediately visible, especially if you have played with it often before. Since he no longer has the appetite he used to have, there will be rapid weight loss.
When you try to pick it up, there can be two options for behavior:

— The rodent will squeak and moan so as not to be touched. He just wants peace and every movement can cause him pain.
- The hamster will show indifference and act as if inanimate object. The rodent's body became soft to the touch.

If you notice symptoms of diarrhea in your hamster, treatment must be started immediately. Despite the fact that this disease does not seem to be as critical as we used to think. In rodents, diarrhea can lead to fatal outcome. Common cause death is dehydration.

Hamster diseases are often incurable. But for a loving owner, this is not a reason to refuse help. If it is impossible to find a doctor who knows the symptoms and treatment of the main diseases of pets, the owner should study this issue on his own. All processes in the body of tiny animals proceed rapidly, so the theory is studied in advance in order to have an idea of what to do if the hamster gets sick.

Diseases are divided into two groups: contagious and non-contagious. The list of them is very extensive. But the symptoms can be similar for completely different diseases. The first task of the owner is to understand that something is wrong with the pet. A healthy animal is active, it has good appetite. The coat is dry, thick, shiny and smooth, the eyes are clear and clean.

How to tell if your hamster is sick:

appetite disturbances: complete or partial refusal of food, selective eating of food, increased thirst;
excessive drooling: wet fur on the chin, neck, chest;
diarrhea: traces of feces around the anus, wet fur on the back half of the body;
lacrimation or;
breathing problems: discharge from the nostrils, sniffling, wheezing;
skin problems: dull coat, tangles, bald spots, wounds and flaking;
oppression: the hamster has become lethargic and inactive, lies all the time;
problems nervous system: convulsions, loss of coordination;
unnatural formations on the body, swelling.

Any violation of the usual routine should be a cause for concern and a close examination of the animal. The owner can tell if the hamster is sick much earlier veterinarian, because I am familiar with his habits and characteristics.

Some infections are very dangerous and lead to the death of the animal in 1-2 days, others. Having little idea of what ails hamsters, owners usually begin to worry if a rodent has bitten someone in the household. Is it worth worrying - controversial issue: Rabies vaccinations are not given afterward, but the wound must be treated with an antiseptic and remember about other diseases.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis

Extremely rare viral disease, which is transmitted to humans. The source can be wild rodents - house mice. In adult hamsters the disease is asymptomatic, but in young animals damage is observed respiratory system and conjunctivitis (rarely - paralysis and convulsions). In humans, the virus affects the membranes of the brain, and in case of pregnancy it is extremely dangerous for the fetus. Related to this:

do not buy a hamster at the poultry market;
purchase a hamster over 3 months of age;
Do not get new rodents during pregnancy.

Due to the particular danger lymphocytic choriomeningitis, many people are interested in whether hamsters should be vaccinated. Rodents are not vaccinated against this disease or others.
Bacterial infections can affect various systems body: respiratory organs, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system.

Infectious gastroenteritis

It is assumed that rodents experience a stroke - a hemorrhage in the brain, but this cannot be reliably determined. Old hamsters experience partial paralysis and other neurological diseases. If an older hamster is shaking and trembling, this is warning sign– convulsions are not related to the temperature in the room and may occur.

A separate group includes diseases of females and young animals associated with reproduction: pyometra, pathological childbirth, toxicosis of pregnancy.

Digestive disorder

With diarrhea, the fur around the anus is dirty, the hamster is lethargic and lies on its stomach. If the owner is sure that he is associated with feeding and not bacterial infection, you can start treating your hamster at home. All supplies are removed from the pantry, and the pet is prescribed strict diet- no succulent feed. Soldered insulin syringe rice decoction, which has strengthening properties, chamomile decoction. A decoction of oak bark is good for normalizing stool during diarrhea.

If the pet does not get better within 24 hours, or there is a suspicion that the hamster has been poisoned, you need to contact a veterinarian.

Conjunctivitis

Due to the bulging eyes, conjunctivitis is a very common disease in hamsters. Sometimes the eyelids become completely stuck together with pus. The owner should wash the eyes regularly saline solution or aqueous solution furatsilin, and then drip eye drops with an antibiotic (Floxal) 4 times a day.

Injuries

In nature, hamsters live on plains, so they are undeservedly considered extremely stupid animals: they are not at all afraid of heights, and often receive injuries and mutilations. An apartment is not a suitable environment for a pet to walk. And if, out of ignorance, two hamsters live in a cage at once, injuries cannot be avoided. The home owner should always have something to treat a hamster's wound. An inexpensive and non-aggressive antiseptic for any skin damage and inflammation is chlorhexidine.

Conclusion

Information about the symptoms of diseases in rodents can help identify illness in time. If a hamster behaves strangely, this is already a reason to suspect something is wrong. In rodents, signs of the disease may not be obvious.

The sooner a sick hamster gets an appointment with a specialist, the greater his chances of getting better. You should not ask how to cure a hamster and why he got sick on the Internet. Although experienced hamster breeders often respond on forums, it will be much more useful to find out the contact information of a doctor who specializes in the treatment of rodents. Tiny animals get sick quickly and often die. Even the best ratologist will not be able to resuscitate a hamster that has been sick for several days and arrived at the appointment already in a state of agony.

Common Hamster Diseases

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Our four-legged friends are susceptible various diseases. And if in wildlife animals can help themselves by finding the herbs they need for treatment, then in captivity treatment pet falls on the shoulders of its owner. For example, diarrhea in a hamster - identifying this ailment is quite simple, but finding the cause and prescribing appropriate treatment is not an easy task.

Rodents at home quite often suffer from various infectious diseases. Diarrhea is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal system. It’s quite difficult not to notice that everything is not normal with your animal’s stool, especially if its cage is in a room where you often visit. The owners are in constant contact with their pets - they feed, water, clean the cage, play with the rodent. Stool disorders in an animal are manifested by fecal discharge of a certain consistency: watery or mushy.

Not only do bowel movements change color and volume, but their frequency increases. In addition, a sick animal's behavior changes - it is sedentary, its activity decreases, and the rodent loses its appetite. The fur of the animal in the area of the anus will look rather untidy, no matter how the rodent does not follow hygienic procedures.

Most often, the animal will try to lie down in a secluded corner of the cage and not react at all to any stimuli. The rodent will begin to sharply and quickly lose its weight; when you pick up the animal, you will feel that its body will be sluggish, the animal will look like a weak-willed toy. Noticing these external signs– urgently take measures to help the rodent. Delaying treatment will lead to dehydration of the animal's body, and your pet may die.

Causes of diarrhea in hamsters

Before you start treating diarrhea in hamsters, you should find out the cause of the disease, and there are quite a few of them:

Spoiled food – you should feed your pet only fresh food intended specifically for rodents; it must always be fresh. Leftover food after each feeding should be removed in a timely manner. Feeders and storage areas are checked, cleaned and washed daily.
Change in food - the rodent's diet changes gradually. A sudden change in diet will lead to the animal’s body not accepting food.
Wrong diet. Your pet has diarrhea - you fed the rodent something that is strictly forbidden to give to hamsters. Before giving a new product to your hamster, you should familiarize yourself with the rules, which are strictly prohibited for rodents.
Overfeeding Feeding hamsters is strictly contraindicated. Even if you are madly in love with an animal, you should not do this.
Infectious diseases. Diarrhea in hamsters is a symptom of many infectious diseases. There are so many of them that many of them can kill your pet within a day or two. Quite common and well-known are enteritis, salmonellosis, wet tail, paralysis and pestilence, and many others.
Foreign object in gastrointestinal tract(small buttons or beads).

In addition to diarrhea, each disease has its own specific symptoms:

with enteritis, the temperature rises;
salmonellosis is accompanied at first by an almost instantaneous increase in temperature to almost 41 degrees, and then quickly drops to below normal;
When paralyzed, the animal experiences fairly frequent convulsions, its eyes fester, a runny nose, coughing and vomiting appear, the rodent’s breathing becomes heavy, and its fur sticks together.

Diarrhea in hamsters is manifested by the following “signals”:

Grumbling in the stomach.

When you get close to your animal, you will hear a rather unusual sound coming from the animal’s tummy - grumbling.

Smell.

Even at the very beginning of the process - diarrhea, a very unusual and pungent odor appears.
Feces.

The animal will defecate more often than usual, so “traces” will be present throughout the cage and the most unpleasant thing is that the feces have an unusual consistency and unpleasant smell. In case of prolonged diarrhea, the animal’s excrement may contain droplets of blood.

Hunger strike.

The rodent may not eat well or even refuse to eat at all.

Behavior.

The animal most often behaves unusually: it lies in one place and does nothing. An attempt to pick up a rodent will end in failure: the animal will moan and squeak, because any movement will cause it pain.

Treatment of diarrhea in hamsters

If you notice some symptoms of diarrhea in a rodent, you need to begin treatment immediately. How to treat diarrhea in a hamster? In the interests of a speedy recovery for your pet, it is worth taking a number of certain measures. If the animal was not alone in the cage, protect the patient from his relatives and create a quiet environment for him. Wash the cage where the unhealthy animal was located thoroughly and disinfect it. Food and bedding should be replaced with new ones. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling a rodent.

In treating diarrhea, the first and most important thing is to contact veterinary clinic where the doctor will do necessary tests and will appoint correct treatment to your pet. If for certain reasons you are unable to get to the veterinarian in a timely manner, try to start treatment yourself:

Add 0.3% (in acute cases 0.5%) tetracycline solution to the water or give a little chamomile decoction;
Give your sick pet an electrolyte solution to replenish the water level in the body. In small rodents, dehydration is fatal.
If a rodent is poisoned, remove the poison by giving the animal an emetic or rinse the stomach with boiled water;
Check and throw away all of your pet's bins;
Eliminate succulent food from your hamster's diet, try giving him or oatmeal;
Wash and disinfect not only the entire animal’s cage, but also all the auxiliary elements located in it.

But as soon as the opportunity presents itself, immediately contact a specialist.

Preventing diarrhea in a hamster

Any doctor will tell you that the best treatment is disease prevention. To avoid trips to the clinic, you should take care of the prevention of infectious diseases in hamsters:

Change the bedding daily, clean the cage and clean the pet's toilet area.
Wash and dry fresh vegetables and fruits thoroughly; they should be fresh and completely dry; remove old food supplies from the feeder and pantry.
Sometimes diarrhea in hamsters occurs due to stress, so try to prevent stressful situations. Let the animal sleep during the day, because the rodent’s body really needs daytime rest.
The temperature in the room where the cage with the rodent is located should be comfortable for the animal - without sudden changes.
To keep your pet active, provide it with a spacious cage and equip it with all the necessary accessories: a running wheel, branches, swings and roots.
Try to prevent the animal from walking on the floor and, most importantly, on the ground.

We tried to tell you as clearly as possible about diarrhea in a hamster, about the prevention of this disease and treatment methods. We hope your pet will recover and will delight you with its pranks for many years to come.

Hamsters have won a strong place in the homes and hearts of animal lovers. Fluffy animals have gained great popularity due to their unpretentiousness in food and friendliness. Despite all their advantages, the decision to have a furry pet must be approached responsibly. The fact is that rodents are susceptible to many infectious diseases that can lead to their death. Most pathologies manifest themselves in the fact that the hamster begins to have diarrhea, it becomes passive and refuses to eat. To provide your pet with quality care and long-lasting life cycle you need to know how to act in such a situation.

Possible triggers of diarrhea in rodents

Many pet owners dream of how good it would be if their pets could tell themselves what hurts, but, unfortunately, this is not possible. People need to learn to independently identify problems in the well-being of their pets.

Most often, poor quality food causes diarrhea in a hamster. Sometimes rodents eat spoiled foods or those that have already begun to deteriorate. If the human stomach is able to cope with food toxins, then the gastrointestinal tract of a small animal will face significant problems. It is very important to monitor your pet's feeder. If uneaten food remains in it, over time it begins to rot. Once in the stomach of a rodent, such products cause fermentation, dysbacteriosis and intoxication.

Changes in diet also affect the well-being and cause diarrhea in the hamster. Natural food should be gradually introduced if the pet is on piece food, and vice versa, small amounts of piece food should be given if the animal previously ate exclusively natural products.

Overfeeding an animal also does not end well. The stomach is not able to quickly digest large volumes of food, and the intestines cannot remove them.

Among other reasons that could cause diarrhea in a rodent, I would like to note the following diseases:

Colibacillosis - characterized by a strong odor from pet feces, possibly white. The rodent refuses food and falls into apathy;
Paralysis - in addition to diarrhea, the hamster has convulsions, purulent eyes, a runny nose, and matted fur;
Salmonellosis can be recognized by green-yellow stool and critical temperature fluctuations. If assistance is not provided in a timely manner, the pet may die within two days;
Enteritis manifests itself in such symptoms as liquid diarrhea in the hamster, bloating, depressed state of the rodent and heavy wheezing breathing;
Wet tail disease has one a clear sign, in addition to diarrhea, the hamster has a wet back part of the animal. The pathology can rarely be cured.

In the case of a dietary disorder, the rodent can be saved without medical intervention. If you suspect your furry friend has salmonellosis, you cannot do without a veterinarian.

When a hamster has diarrhea, the owner can always help him and quickly eliminate the symptoms, the problem is that most people simply do not understand what to do. If you determine that your hamster has diarrhea, treatment should begin immediately. First of all, you need to remove healthy individuals who live together from the patient. Change the bedding in the cage and disinfect the drinking bowl and feeder. Change the water every 4 hours and add fresh food to the food.

The veterinarian will tell you in detail what to do if your hamster has diarrhea after examining the patient. If there is no qualified specialist nearby, and the hamster’s condition worsens, give him ½ tablet of Tetracycline in his drinking bowl. This is a potent antibiotic that actively resists different strains of bacteria.

If you are sure that diarrhea is caused by poisoning, it is necessary to remove toxins from the animal’s body. To do this, crush the tablet activated carbon and mix into the food. If the patient refuses food, use a syringe to inject a solution of tablets and water into his mouth. When the cause of the disease is the presence of worms, treatment should only be carried out by a doctor. The fact is that most drugs are toxic and the wrong dosage will kill the rodent faster than worms.

The reason that a hamster has diarrhea may also be a lack of vitamins and microelements. To restore your pet’s well-being, it is important to ensure that its diet constantly contains greens, nuts, seeds and fresh vegetables. It is from these products that the hamster takes everything it needs for its full existence. Having provided proper nutrition and proper care of your rodent, you will reduce the likelihood of developing gastrointestinal diseases, and your hamster will always be active and friendly.