Hamster Diarrhea

Question
Hi there,  
About 4 days ago I noticed that my 10month old hamster had some loose stool.  It was the normal colour of his regular stool but mushy and messy not runny and watery.  I have tried feeding him burned toast and plain yogurt and have started giving him DriTail.  He is eating, drinking, playing and wants to come out of his cage like normal.  Besides the diarrhea he is not showing any abnormal signs.  His tummy is also a little bit swollen.  What could this be and what else can I do?

Thanks,
Jen

Answer
Hi Jen

Sorry to hear your hamster isn't well.  From what you've said as he is not suffering from chronic diarrhea, I would be tempted to suggest two things that could be going on.  Firstly, it could be diet induced, or secondly some sort of intestinal parasite.

Sometimes if you try a hamster on new food, or leave uneaten vegetables or other foods that can go mouldy, this can make them sick.  Symptoms are often loose stools to begin with, but if the situation isn't corrected, then they can get more seriously ill.

Hamsters can get intestinal parasites - often there are no real symptoms other than a slight swelling of the abdomen and loose stools which can turn to diarrhea if left untreated.  If it is this, then you must be careful with handling him as this can be transferred to humans.

I would suggest that either you get him straight to a vet to get this checked out and confirm whether or not it is this, or closely monitor him for the next few days to see if there is any change.  If, however, he deteriorates at all, he will need to get to a vet urgently.

If you are going to wait and see - then I suggest you give his cage a thorough clean.  Only put back foods that you know he is happy with.  I would suggest not giving any fresh foods until this matter has been resolved.

How much is he drinking?  Is he drinking more than usual?  You might want to get a packet of human oral rehydration powder - mix a sachet with water as per the instructions, then with a dropper give your hamster some.  Don't over-do it or use this in the long term as too much can make them ill, but if he is dehydrating due to the loose stools, then this will help replace any lost salts.  I would suggest perhaps doing this for a day or two.

If there is no improvement, or if he deteriorates then he does need to get a vet urgently.  Remember to be careful handling him - especially if there are any children in the house - always wash hands after touching him.  If this is an intestinal parasite, his condition won't get any better without the correct medication.  If it is diet induced, then you should see some improvement.

Good luck with this - please let me know how you get on.

Regards