Dwarf hamster poop problem

Question
Okay. My dwarf hamster has soft green tinted brown pellets coming out of its enlarged anus as a result of the size (the hamster is male). However, the main problem is that the soft poop is stuck. He's hunched over. Food and water he injests normally (I know this from looking at his food bowl). I've tried helping him get rid of the poop by squeezing it out with tissue and gently scraping it off with a cotton bud (managed to get a large lump of poop out) but not all of it. I checked him at a later time and more poop became stuck in his anus). I just fed him some olive oil (read somewhere it was good for hamster constipation. Please help?

Answer
Hi Cheryl

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster.

You could try feeding lettuce as this tends to act as a laxative.  You could also try giving fibrous vegetables such as brocolli, peas, cabbage etc.  Also give his usual dry mix but I would avoid giving fatty foods at this time.

If his anus is enlarged due to being constipated then I would be inclined to get him checked out in case he needs them to intervene.  You need to be careful with hamsters in that they can suffer from prolapses of the rectum or the intestines can go back on themselves - both conditions are serious.  These can be caused by prolonged diarrhoea or constipation, therefore if there is any strange smell, or any sign of intestines coming out rather than faeces I would definitely recommend you get him checked out immediately.

Hopefully you will be able to get his gut moving naturally.

I hope you get on OK with this.
Regards
Sheila