Does Bene-Bac work to prevent my hamster from getting wet tails or does it depend on how clean her cage is?

Question

Does Bene-Bac work to prevent my hamster from getting wet tails or does it depend on how clean her cage is?

Answer 1

I used to breed gerbils. Awhile back, one of the gerbils got 'wet tail', which our vet basically said was like diarrhea. Left untreated, a small animal like that can die within 24 hours because their bodies are too small to lose that much fluid in such a short time. Instead of some expensive medicine, I was told to go to Fleet Farm (or some other place that has farm animal supplies) and get a product called 'Spectrum Scour Halt'. It's for pigs, but it works in other animals too.

From then on, I always put this stuff in their water...24/7. It makes their water pink, but does not affect the flavor. The bottle will say how many drops to use per 8 ounces. I had a lot of gerbils, so I would just make a pitcher of the mixture, but you can mix it in a glass and pour it in their water bottle. My gerbils never got wet tail again.

Answer 2

The most stressful time in any hamster's life is when it first leaves its mother then moves to a pet shop and then moves onto a new home. In the space of 2 or 3 weeks a hamster has been subjected to removal from its mother and change of owner and home twice. The stress that this subjects the hamster to can then produce Wet Tail which is why it occurs commonly in young hamsters. A minor illness can also trigger stress which can then lead to Wet Tail.

deep cleaning is also important

Answer 3

Hamsters get wet tail due to people handling them who haven't washed their hands (or are sick) and also due to stress. If the hamster has wet tail right now, I would administer Bene-bac and then do a deep cleaning of its cage. I had a Syrian hammie that had wet tail so often; they're more susceptible to it unfortunately. Make sure you clean its cage at least every 2 weeks depending on its amount of waste. :)