pls help karen

Question
PLS PLS PLS HELP ME

i have two twin male Tan Russian Dwarf Hamsters that ive had for 2 1/2 years now. one, that used to be the chubbier one is now skinnier and has lost a lot of weight. his tail is always soaked with diarrea and he has a bump on on his stomach when i turned him over, it is about the size of a pimple and a lighter color than his skin. pls tell me what you think this could be??? and the diarrea what does that mean ?? and what can i do for him?


THEN, my second hamster, his eyes are no longer bright red theyve had a whiteness in the middle of them and he never stops scratiching himself when i take him out to play with him. hes always cleaning and scratching. and yesterday i noticed it looked like his ear was torn or scratched badly and the other ear is slowly getting red as well. i compared it to his brothers and his ears are VERY much more red. what could this mean? it seems like his skin is burning and his ears are chapped???

IM SORRY I WROTE SO LONG, I WANTED TO BE SPECIFIC FOR YOU. THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY MUCH. <33


Answer
Hi Christine,

    Diarrhea is generally caused by the overfeeding of fruits and vegetables. It could also be wet-tail. Either way you need to make sure he is drinking plenty of water. if he is not drinking then you need to try giving him water with an eye dropper. Hamsters can dehydrate very quickly.
    The bump could be a cyst, which will usually break open by it's self, scab over and go away.

    For the one with excessive scratching, this could be mites or a skin disease. For his eye problem, this could be glaucoma (like humans get), which is like a milky white substance covering some part of the eye.

    Both of your hamster need to see a vet as soon as possible.
    You also need to disinfect their cage (or cages). To do this, use diluted bleach (1 cup bleach and 3 cups hot water). Wash out the cage, food bowls, water bottles or dishes, wheel and or ball and any other toys they may have that are washable. Any toys that are not washable, like wooden chew sticks, throw away. After washing with the diluted bleach, rinse very thing again with hot water (if this is a younger person, have a parent help).

    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing and best of luck!