my syrian hamster

Question
I am worried about my hamster.  He had diarrea a short time ago and became very quiet.  I kept his cage and bedding as clean as possible and made sure he always had plenty of fresh food and water. I cleaned his furry bottom gently with cotton wool and fresh luke warm water. I did not use any other product on him. Now this problem has cleared, he is eating and drinking well and appears more lively but he has lost his fur around his bottom and his tail is now exposed and wet. Also his ears always seem to be flat and back. The illness occurred after he escaped and it took us over 48hrs to find him.  He is approximately 14 weeks old, very tame and loves being handled.  Please can you tell me what is wrong with him.  Thank you.  Rachael.

Answer
Hi Rachael

The loss of fur isn't a problem as such as this will probably grow back.  Why is his tail wet?  Is he still suffering from diarrhea or some other form of discharge?  If so, he should be checked out by a vet.

You could give him some vitamin drops (these can be bought from a pet store), and also you could give him some human baby food for a week or two in addition to his usual food. If you buy the powdered variety and mix with water (creamy porridge oats always seems to be popular with hamsters)- just give him a teaspoonful a day.  Don't let him have this all the time as his teeth will overgrow, but in the short term and every now and again it should be fine.  Give him his usual hamster mix along with some fresh vegetables daily.  This will give him a lot of extra nutrients and if he is a little under the weather it might help him.

With regard to his wet tail - this needs monitoring.  If there is any sign of diarrhea, get him checked out straight away.  He might have ingested something while he was loose which has upset his body, or he could have picked up some sort of infection that would need treating.

Regards