Care of Sick Hamsters
- 1). Evaluate your hamster. If your hamster has a wet tail, is breathing heavily or has sunken eyes, call your veterinarian immediately. If its anus is smeared with feces or if it has bald spots, it is also worth calling your veterinarian. Sneezing and irritability can indicate milder issues.
- 2). Call your veterinarian. Hamsters sicken quickly and getting a veterinarian's advice can make a great deal of difference. If the veterinarian does not feel that immediate treatment is required, you can continue to care for your pet at home.
- 3). Set up a quarantine cage. A quarantine cage will give your hamster a chance to rest and recover away from its cagemates. Put the cage in a dark, quiet room.
- 4). Put a water bottle and food bowl in the quarantine cage and line the bottom of the cage with bedding. Ideally, you will be using bedding which is made of recycled newspaper instead of bedding made from pine and aspen. Pine and aspen have oils in them which can contribute to respiratory issues in hamsters. Your hamster also can use strips of plain, unscented toilet paper to make itself a nest.
- 5). Place your hamster in the quarantine cage. This controls the hamster's stress by taking it away from other hamsters.
- 6). Feed your hamster high-calorie foods like scrambled eggs, baby food or small shreds of cooked chicken in addition to its regular food. Weight loss is a serious problem for hamsters because they are so small, so make sure your hamster is getting all the food it needs.
- 7). Move the water bottle close to your hamster's nest. If your hamster is not inclined to move, this can help it get the liquids it needs.
- 8). Call your veterinarian if your hamster still seems listless after a few days of isolation.
