Some new-hamster-mom-concerns!

Maz said:
Is it the Rodipet hybrid mix? If so that has good protein levels so you don't need to do much supplementing :-) You could give her the occasional mealworm as a treat and the occasional nut :-) And just the small piece of veg daily.
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Yes! The hybrid junior mix (since we think she was born on April-May 2024). She also loves sunflower seeds. No fruit then?
 
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No fruit. Yes that mix has about 17% protein already. Sunflower seeds in moderation as they can be quite fattening! Pumpkin seeds are popular too.
 
Hello!
Bobi has been with us two months more or less and we realised she makes noises like in the video. She doesn’t show any “unusual” behaviour or something that worries us. But we would like to know if this sounds means something. I’ve seen videos in which they explain that hamsters can show “happiness” or “upsetting” by their sounds.

Any ideas? Maybe she’s actually ill or something 😱 She does this sounds always since some days ago. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GHuDrPwSD2MNb9Z9j9LZOh9kw65k_iLH/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks!
 
And also I found her right eye a bit red. More than the left one. Should we worry?
 

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Some hamsters are quite vocal and make noises for all sorts of reasons - happy, annoyed etc. I wouldn’t worry too much if she’s been doing it for two months and is well otherwise.

I can’t really see any eye redness on the photo but keep an eye on it.
 
Hello,
My hamster had a red eye and when we took her to the vet they told us it was a stye. They have given us antibiotic and anti-inflammatory, the thing is that obviously she doesn't want to take it and it has fallen a bit through her fur when we forced her to take it. She is cleaning herself all the time in her litter box. We know we can't wet her with water under any circumstances, is there anything we can do to help her? The treatment is 5 days in the morning and evening and I'm worried it will cause her too much stress :(

We have thought about putting some kind of bib on her using some plastic, me holding her well with her plastic and my partner giving her the medication. The truth is that we hadn't thought about this and we are worried that her coat will be sticky for several days. Right now she looks a bit scruffy😓.

We are also a bit worried that she will relate that every time we pick her up it is to "bother" her about her medication. Do you think it will be necessary to "tame" her again? Obviously hamsters don't have the same emotions as us, but we feel sorry for her if she "hates" us or gets "angry" 💔.

Thanks in advance☺️
 
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Aw. I put it in food with hamsters who get stressed by being syringe fed. For the anti-inflammatory that is quite easy (is it metacam/loxicom) as it tastes nice. I usually put that on a tiny bit of baby food - or you could use porridge. Maybe about a third of a teaspoonful on the teaspoon and just drop the medicine on top. They usually eat it all up, even if not straight away. So you could put that out in the evening and she might have it straight away or eat it later.

The antibiotic is more crucial to have the full dose and harder to disguise in food as it tastes nasty. I had a tip to use Country Hunter beef dog food and that works really well! It disguises the taste and hamsters go potty for the beefy flavour. It's for small dogs so it's almost like corned beef in the packet, not big chunks. For that, just a pea sized amount on a little dish (eg a jar lid). I put half the pea sized amount, then drop the meds on it, then the other half of the pea sized amount. It's a bit expensive to buy a few pouches if you don't have a dog - as you can only use each pouch for a couple of days (keep it in the fridge) and need to discard the rest after that. Or you could just try corned beef.

An alternative, if she will take it from the syringe, is to suck up a tiny bit of runny honey into the syringe after the antibiotic.
 
Thanks! And is there something we can do to help her to clean her fur that is already sticky? Maybe using a wiped cloth?
 
How much of her fur is sticky? That's a tricky one but yes I would probably have a damp cloth (ie wrung out so it's only just damp) and give a wipe over the sticky part while holding her in it. It's not good for them to get damp so if it's over quite a large area then I would just do one bit at a time.
 
Maz said:
How much of her fur is sticky? That's a tricky one but yes I would probably have a damp cloth (ie wrung out so it's only just damp) and give a wipe over the sticky part while holding her in it. It's not good for them to get damp so if it's over quite a large area then I would just do one bit at a time.
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It’s just a small area in her chin, just below her mouth. This morning we felt more confident about how to use the syringe while opening her mouth so she wasn’t as much sticky as yesterday night. And I have to say she is very good at cleaning herself without help. But I’ll keep in mind using the damp cloth if necessary. Thanks!
 
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Sounds like she’s being a good girl 😊
 
Maz said:
Aw - I would tell her she's a good girl and give her some special treats afterwards :-)
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We do that! But she gained weight and we need to think carefully which treat give to her and avoid her favourite (sunflower seeds) 😭
 
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There are other treats :-) Does she like pumpin seeds? Or a bit of porridge :-)
 
How about half a walnut half? I've never known a hamster not to go crazy for walnuts!
 
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