What Should You Know About Hamster Illnesses

Caring for your pet hamster also involves knowing how to detect hamster illnesses. If you see the following signs in your pet, you should consider going to a vet, especially if you're unsure of what to do:

• Bloody discharge of the urine
• Crouching in the corner
• Discharge from the eyes or nose
• Diarrhea symptoms
• Heavy breathing
• Humped back
• Inactivity
• Loss of hair
• Loss of appetite
• Ruffled coat
• Signs of wetness around the tail
• Sneezing
• Wheezing

Sometimes, it's not easy to detect these symptoms because hamsters are small, making it easy to conceal these signs. That's why you have to be very observant when it comes to their behavior and appearance so that you can determine if something is wrong.

When you see your hamster crouching in the corner, losing appetite, showing diarrhea symptoms and his coat is ruffled; he might be suffering from Wet Tail. This condition is usually caused by stress or diet changes. This is one of the most common hamster illnesses and is usually experienced after your pet changes his environment, like bringing him home from the pet shop. Take your pet to the vet right away because it could be fatal if you don't deal with it immediately.

Hamsters can also catch colds. They may either get it from temperature changes, from taking a bath or from you. Its better for you keep your distance from your pet when you have a cold to avoid making them sick. Signs of a cold in your hamster are a wet nose, sneezing, heavy breathing and crouching over.

Hamsters can also have overgrown teeth. This will prevent your hamster from eating because it could be painful for his mouth. If this continues, your pet could die. You can bring him to the vet to have his teeth trimmed. To avoid these problems, you should always provide hard wooden chew pieces that your pet can gnaw on to regulate his teeth growth.

Your hamster can also suffer from diarrhea due to incorrect feeding. Avoid over-feeding your hamster with fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure that you give him clean food and water at all times. If you see the symptoms of this illness such as green, soft and unusually large amount of feces, stop giving him moist foods immediately. Instead give your pet regular hamster food such as mixed seeds. Disinfect your hamster's cage once he gets better.

Other common hamster illnesses are skin diseases such as ringworm, mites, skin infections and allergies. The common symptoms of these diseases include hair loss, redness of the skin, frequent scratching and skin lesions. It's a good idea to see the vet quickly if you are not sure which skin disease they have so they can get the proper treatment. Change your hamster's bedding regularly to help avoid these problems.

There are other various hamster illnesses that you may encounter so be very observant of your pet so you know if something is wrong.

Also, it helps to always keep your pet's surroundings clean and only give him clean food and water. Keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure.