Smelly.

[paintedsmiles_]

My hamster keeps peeing on her self i think and shes reallllly smelly and smellin gout my room. She never used to.
Is it just because its winter or what?
And is it ok if i let her run about some warm water so her smelly bum get some smell romoval and dry her straight afterwards?

Btw what causes wet tail?

Comments

[squisheroo]

"Wet Tail (Proliferative ileitis): The most serious intestinal disease of hamsters is "wet tail." The bacterium suspected of causing this disease is called Lawsonia intracellularis, which can also cause intestinal disease in swine, dogs, ferrets, primates and other animals. This disease most often afflicts hamsters of weaning age (3-6 weeks old), but hamsters of all ages are susceptible. Since weanling hamsters and those slightly older are commonly sold in pet stores, wet tail is a fairly common disease among recently acquired hamsters. Long-haired "teddy bear" hamsters re highly susceptible to wet tail. Signs include lethargy, inappetence, unkempt hair coat, sunken, dull eyes, increased irritability, hunched posture, very fluid diarrhea, and a wet, soiled anal area and tail. Blood from the rectum and protrusion of the rectal opening (prolapse) may be noted in particularly serious cases. Hamsters with wet tail must be immediately examined and evaluated by a veterinarian. Fluid replacement, oral antidiarrheal medication, and

[squisheroo]

oh, hey. i just realized that doesn't state a cause.

hi, i'm dumb.

[paintedsmiles_]

lol.

[coralfish]

holy shit i love your icon, where did you get it??? hedwig is only the most awesome thing ever, and i am now yoinking your icon. will credit.

[zoo_keeper]

Wet tail is often caused by stress. It can also be caused by too much moisture content in their food, switching food brands, or sudden change in environment.

Usually the hamster looks like it has diarrhea and wet tail does have a distinctive smell. If you suspect that your hamster has this, seek veterinary assistance immediately, because, like the other poster said, it can kill within 24-48 hours.

[platypus]

If you're completely sure it's urine and not really watery diarrhea, I think it may be okay to wipe her off gently with a warm and damp washcloth. Make sure the room is warm and there are no drafts and she's not wet afterward. It's usually a bad idea to let them loose in any water at all, even very shallow; they can inhale it and usually don't like being that wet. If it is "wet tail" it's diarrhea, not pee, and you should definitely be able to smell the difference. As everyone else has said, if it's wet tail it's very serious.

wet tail

[crappysgirl]

My bf's hamster (Rosie) had wet tail. If you notice that she's got brownish gray stuff on her bottom area around the tail, then thats what it is. She'd also be sleeping more and haunched over. When Rosie had it she had her eyes closed too. So, if yours ever does get it just take her to the vet right away and they'll give you medicine. We noticed a difference within a day. The tricky part was feeding Rosie the medicine. A baby hamster who weighs only a few grams does not like to be forced medicine thru a syringe.