7 Causes of Wet -Tail in your hamster. ♥️
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 5 Nov 2019
7 Causes of Wet Tail in your hamster
Wet-tail or proliferative ileitis, is a disease of hamsters.
Wet-tail is a disease in the animal's intestines caused by the bacteria, Lawsonia intracellularis. Other culprits of wet tail are Escherichia coli (E. coli), Campylobacter species (the most common), Cryptosporidium species, and Chlamydia species. These are normal bacteria that are found in your hamster’s intestines.
Even with treatment, the animal can die within 48–72 hours. A proper vet diagnosis is a must.
Wet-tail is a stress related illness—such stress can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
#1. Too much handling.
#2. Change in environment.
#3. Change in diet.
#4. Extremely unclean caging.
#5. Being away from mother and/or siblings.
#6. Illness or death of a pair-bond or mate.
#7. Improper caging.
Baby hamsters are much more likely to get the disease than older hamsters.
The Symptoms
The symptoms may not appear for several days. The main symptom is the animal has a wet tail, matted with faeces. Other signs of the disease are:
#1. Smell/ foul odor.
#2. Diarrhoea.
#3. Lethargy.
#4. Lack of appetite.
#5. Excess sleeping.
#6. Walking with a hunched back.
#7. Folded ears.
#8. Unusual temper such as biting or nipping.
Treatment
Recovery is most likely if it is spotted within the first 24–48 hours, and you should seek veterinary advice—a vet may choose to give the animal drugs.
The sick animal should be kept in a cage by itself so that others do not catch the disease—wet tail can be very contagious so sanitize all objects the animal has come in contact with (wheel, food dish, huts, etc.).
If the animal doesn't want to eat, then dry, unflavoured oats can be hand fed, which can also help with the diarrhoea.
The animal should only be fed dry foods, any foods with a high water content should be avoided.
If the animal has an unclean or matted rear-end, this should not be remedied using a bath in water—instead a q-tip (cotton bud) or cotton ball can be used to very gently clean the animal's rear end to avoid discomfort or rashes.
If the animal is not drinking, hydration can be aided by scruffing (i.e. very gently holding the rodent by the extra skin on the back of the neck) the animal so that they open their mouth; then in small, short intervals, water can be provided with a 1 ml syringe. It is very important that this is done slowly, to avoid getting water down the animal's wind pipe.
Unflavoured pedialyte can be purchased from a grocery store and can be very helpful with wet tail.
If feeding is also an issue, a suggested aide is to feed extremely small amounts of no garlic, no onion, no added sugar mashed baby food, and administered using the same scruffing method, and again at a very slow pace.
Common treatments for wet tail are Baytril (enrofloxacin) or Neomycin (never more than 10mg/ kg because of sensitivity) with metronidazole (Flagyl, 0.1% in drinking water) and Kaopectate (1-2 ml PO).
Also keep a 50/50 solution of Pedialyte and water available for your hamster. Use of an over the counter medicine, such as Dri-Tail, only masks the symptoms. It will not cure your hamster. These antibiotics are too weak to kill the bacteria.
IMPORTANT.
Make sure you wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap after handling your hamster or cage/toys (healthy or not). Humans exposed are at risk for Campylobacteriosis, which causes diarrhoea, abdominal pain, cramps, fever, and vomiting.
Never breed a hamster who has had wet tail. The susceptibility can be inherited. Some hamsters can handle stress better than others.
Dwarf Hamsters can suffer from severe diarrhoea, but it is not wet tail.
And as a responsible hamster owner, make sure that you have pet insurance in case your hamster needs an operation.
Simple Google the Best Pet Insurance companies and compare the various premiums. If you look, you'll find a pet insurance plan you can afford
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