Help! Is there something wrong with my hamster?

Question
I just bought two syrian hamsters, one of the hamsters is a lot less
entergetic than the other. In addition to sleeping much more, he
has an extremely dirty bottom and diarrhea (very smelly). I would
not say the hamster is lathargic, as he runs in his wheel for at least
a few hours a night and still eats and drinks from what I can see,
but I am worried that he may have wet tail. Is it possible it can be
something else? I have been cleaning him the best i can and giving
him some over the counter medication, Bene-Bac that the store
sold me with the hamsters. What should I do? How do I know if it is
wet tail or not?  

Answer
Hi Josh,

First, if the two hamsters are in the same cage, you'll need to separate them immediately into different cages (permanently).  Syrian hamsters don't get along by nature - they'll fight to the death - and it's urgent that you separate them for not only that reason, but because one of your hamsters is sick.  Preferably, move the healthy hamster to a new cage.  (You don't want the sick hamster to be under any new stress.)  Then, thoroughly clean the cage that the sick hamster is in and fill it with plenty of Aspen or Carefresh bedding.  (Avoid Pine and Cedar, which are dangerous for small animals.)  Also, give him fresh food and water.

Yes, it definitely sounds like your hamster has wet tail.  Wet tail is common in young hamsters that have just been brought home from the pet store.  A likely cause is stress, from moving to a new home.  Unfortunately, over-the-counter medicines such as Dri-Tail and Bene-Bac, are not effective whatsoever towards this fatal disease.  You'll need to take the hamster to a vet as soon as possible for treatment.  The sooner you take him, the more likely it is that he can be successfully treated.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly