Please remember i am not a vet at all, and if you think your hamster is sick, you should take him to the vet as soon as you can.Here is a brief description of hamster ailments
Some common hamster illnesses are:
Colds
believe it or not, hamster can catch colds from humans, so if you are sick its a good idea to stay away from your hamster til you are better.
A hamster with a cold could get better by itself if it is kept warm and dry with fresh food and water. if no recovery is made within a few days, the vet is the only option.
Prolapse
Hamster prolapses are very common, and run in the family, if one of your breeder hamsters has a prolapse it is best not to breed him or her.
A prolapse is when the hamster insides fall out of its bottom, to put it nicely.it can happen to both male or female and the only cure is to take him or her to the vet for an operation, unfortunatly hamster operations are often unsuccessful, so the sooner you catch it the better. remember to give your hamster regular health checks, using my guide.
wet tail
This is Fatal unless treated. Wet tail is often caused by stress,in the early life of the hamster especially.
Your hamster may have diarrhoea and his bum will be dirty, he will refuse to eat and drink. hamster with wet tail normally die of dehydration or a prolapse.
your vet can treat him with antibiotics and help to rehydrate him or her.
Wet tail is highly contagious to beware of your other hamsters when dealing with suspected wet tail. wash your hands thoroughly.
Constipation
Caused by not enough roughage in the diet.give your hamster fresh fruit and vegetables and if the problem persists, take him to the vet,constipation can lead to prolapse if not cured.
Mites
little tiny bugs living in the skin, causing the hamster to itch, and lose hair, maybe even sores on the skin.
usually caught from straw or other animals. mild cases can be cured sing mite spray from the pet shop, intense cases-let the vet deal with it. these are contagious.
sticky eye
caused by dust or dirt infecting the eye, try bathing the eye in a mild salt water solution, if it persists see the vet.
old age
Not so much an illness, but it happens, the avarage life span of a hamster is only about 2 years, sometimes they live longer, other times shorter. but you can guarentee your little old man or lady will complain in one way or another.
some common old age symptoms are: hair loss,blindness/deafness, general slowing down, not wanting to walk up ladders-moving their bed downstairs.
check your hamsters teeth for overgrown signs which will stop him eating,and make sure he is warm.make sure food and water is easily available for him.
if you have a hamster illness you would like me to add, let me know
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