Wet tail is a gastrointestinal disorder in hamsters caused by bacteria, parasites or fungi. The symptoms are severe diarrhea in the hamster and a wet and dirty tail. So, what should I do if a hamster has a wet tail? Attention, owners, early detection and treatment should be done as early as possible, because the mortality rate is very high!

1. Why do hamsters have wet tails

Known in Japan as wet tail disease, the official name is infectious ileal hypertrophy. Because the tail will look wet, it is called wet tail disease. At present, clinical diagnosis is very difficult, because bacterial enteritis, parasitic enteritis, and fungal enteritis will all have this kind of wet tail, especially after birth. This type of wet tail is particularly common in young mice between 3 and 5 weeks of age. Often kills hamsters.

Wet tail disease is common in hamsters during the nursing period (about 3 to 6 weeks), but hamsters can get this disease at any stage. Hamsters sold in pet stores are usually not weaned, so wet tail often occurs in the earliest stages of a hamster being bought home. All types of hamsters can get wet tail, but the long-haired teddy hamster is the easiest.

2. Hamster Wet Tail Symptoms

Hamsters with wet tail usually lose their appetite or even stop cleaning themselves. They have very severe diarrhea, and the wet and dry hairs around the anus and tail are entangled. Diarrhea makes them dehydrated, so their eyes may become dull and sunken.

They may squat with a hunched back and become cranky due to discomfort in the abdomen. In some severe cases, blood may even be seen near the anus and in the diarrhea, and the rectum may protrude from the anus due to excessive tension.

Wet tail is a very serious condition and hamsters with these symptoms should be taken to a veterinarian immediately for examination.

3. What to do if a hamster has a wet tail

1. What to do with a hamster's wet tail

Early detection and early treatment as much as possible, because the mortality rate is very high!

1) Antibiotics can kill bacteria. Adjunctive treatments also include hydration to reduce dehydration symptoms, anti-diarrheal medication to relieve diarrhea symptoms and placing the hamster in a warm and clean home.

2) You can go to the pharmacy to buy gentamicin injection. Dilute one-thirtieth and put it in a water bottle for hamsters to drink, and it will take effect in 1 to 3 days. During this period, the feces of the hamsters were significantly reduced (gentamicin was at work).

3) The food must be kept mild. Don't give fresh fruits and vegetables, eating fresh is easy to loose again. Let it eat less irritating rat food, preferably milder and softer food, such as oatmeal, synthetic crushed mush and the like.

4) Most wet tail hamsters die from excessive dehydration, not because they have the disease. So sick hamsters had better drink some diluted glucose.

5) Since wet tail is a highly contagious disease, once a hamster is found to be sick, the sick hamster must be isolated. And wash its cage clean, use new litter, and be sure to wash your hands with soap before handling it.

2. Can Wet Tail be Prevented?

Wet Tail cannot be completely prevented, but the risk of hamsters starting to get the disease can be reduced. Young hamsters who may have been infected with bacteria from their mother or other hamsters by consuming contaminated water and food must be housed in a tidy environment.

Never use penicillin for hamsters! If penicillin is used, no matter how big the dose or the way, it can cause small intestine and colitis, and even cause death.