Were do some of you get your hamster facts from?

Question

First off Wet Tail isnt a syrain only Disease. Its common in Dwarfs aswell. As for gerbils i dont know but please dont say its Syrain Only.

Aspen is bad for syrains? Aspen and Carefresh are the two best of bedding out there. I have heard that Yesterdays news is good aswell. These are he three most common ones.

Ok these are the main ones that Im having trouble understanding no offence but sometimes the answers given make no sense at all I know some people are trying to help but think about it first.

Also why are syrains called "Normal Hamsters?" I consider Dwarves Normal hamster.

If anyone can clarify these for me i will give you best answer. Buts I want to know were some people get there info from.

Answer 1

I don't know where everyone else gets their info, but mine is job related. Aspen is the only wood chip I would recommend. It is safe for all hamsters. All hamsters are normal, unless they are sluggish and inactive. I agree that carefresh is the best choice for bedding however.

Answer 2

Most of my hamster facts are from my own experience of having hamsters for more than 10 years, and those I have a doubt about, I clarify from my friend who is a vet and whom I help out sometimes in her clinic on weekends. I also love the site hamsterific.com which has a very comprehensive collection of data on hamsters.

And regarding the topics discussed -

1. Aspen shavings - the only shavings that are good for hamsters. A lot of people advise others to use pine or cedar shavings in the answer columns which is wrong.

2. Newspaper - as bedding is a highly debated issue. Many people have used to for their hamsters who have lived long lives while others think the ink is toxic and not good. Since there is no scientific bias, we have to go by logic and I go by the logic that I want to provide the best for my hamsters and would refrain from using newspapers since I cannot be too sure if the ink used in all papers is soy based and non toxic as some papers claim to use.

3. Wet Tail - another hotly debated issue. Wet Tail started off as a name for a intestinal infection in Syrian hamsters that is caused by only 3 types of bacteria that is already present in all Syrian's intestines. It causes diarrhea and dehydration and if not attended to early, can be fatal for the hamster.

Dwarfs also get a similar type of diarrhea which is fatal to them too but it is "not" caused by the intestinal bacteria as in Syrians. Now, it is true that dwarfs do not have "wet tail" in the real sense since theirs is not caused by the same bacteria but the symptoms and treatment are so similar that even vets have started using the term "wet tail" for dwarfs too so that people understand it much easier and better. So now it has become a generic name for all hamster diarrhea.

One analogy to compare this would be - It is like how we call  "Post-It" for all brands of sticky paper while "Post-It" is actually a brand name only for the sticky paper manufactured by 3M Corp.

4. Normal hamsters - all hamsters are normal hence I also do not understand why some people call Syrians as normal, do they consider dwarfs as abnormal? :-). Also some people think teddy bear, golden hair, fancy, black bear are all different types of hamsters when they are all syrians only.

5. One more thing I want to discuss is hamster food. Many people write about how their hamsters enjoy peanut butter as a treat but please try to refrain from giving peanut butter since it is as sticky a stuff as chocolate and if your hamster stores it in its cheek pouches, it can cause impacted pouches. It is rare to happen but is a possibility so it is better to err on the side of caution.

And for those people on Yahoo Answers columns who tend to be rude towards others who write in the column, just my bit of advice - this column is a free column and people who write answers here are not doing it for any profitable purpose, their only notion is to help others by sharing their knowledge. So please try not to criticise the answering people out there even if they sometimes tend to give a wrong answer (point it out properly like how Hamster Killer has done in this question).

And thanks HamsterKiller for putting up this question, this is one of the interesting questions I have come across in Yahoo Answers and I like the way you have pointed out the wrong facts properly without any rude comments and with good intentions.

Answer 3

I'm assuming that you are targeting me for part of your question because I recently advised someone about Wet Tail in gerbils.

Wet tail is a disease in Syrian hamsters that is triggered by stress. A bacteria in the syrian hamsters intestinal tract is responsible for the symptoms. Since the main symptom is diarrhea, a lot of people are under the FALSE assumption that whenever a hamster gets diarrhea, it has Wet Tail. The term Wet Tail has become the catch phrase for any kind of diarrhea, no matter what the true cause is. But diarrhea can also be caused by Tyzzer's, e. coli, improper diet, or even internal parasites.

EVEN VETS GET THIS WRONG!

Some websites claim that dwarf hamsters can suffer from "Wet tail", but the gut flora in the Syrians responsible for the symptoms is not present in dwarfs. I am not aware of any scientific evidence that proves that dwarf hamsters can get diarrhea.

Along with many years of caring for rescued pocket pets, including hamsters, where I have been to the vet so many times I can treat most things myself, I also get hamster information from Hamsterific.com. It's the most accurate and comprehensive hamster website out there:

http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniver...

"Dwarf Hamsters can suffer from severe diarrhea, but it is not wet tail."

Other pocket pets can get diarrhea also, but it's not Wet Tail. Here is a link with tons of information about how gerbils don't get Wet Tail (including vet articles):

http://gerbilsuk.proboards15.com/index.c...

I don't know who said Aspen is bad for Syrians. Aspen is one of the only woods safe for small pets.

Syrians are considered "normal" because the dwarfs are smaller species. You can consider them whatever you want, it doesn't make you accurate.

You also keep spelling Syrian wrong. It's Syrian, not Syrain.

Hope that helped.

Edit: About 90% of the answers here contain false information or bad advice. A lot of people just go by whatever they heard from their local pet shop employees or what they read online. Very few people here have a significant amount of experience working with the animals they come here to talk about. I might be biased, but I have noticed that it's the rescue people who usually have the best advice. Maybe that's because we have had to deal with so much sickness with the animals we save. The really good small hobby breeders are also usually very knowledgable.

It also sucks that ANYONE can make a website, but they don't have to double-check their facts before putting information out there for the world to see. For really good information, I always recommend joining forums and message lists about the animals you are interested in. Never be afraid to cross-examine your vet and get a second opinion. Some of the WORST advice I have ever heard came from vets or (worse) vet assistants.

Edit: You're very welcome. I'm glad that you posted this question, it got one star from me. It might draw some attention to the fact that there is a lot of misinformation out there. Like Hamster Xpert says, this is a free message board (column?) so anyone can post in an attempt to be helpful. But that also means that it is very hard to decipher what information is good and which is bad. it's always a good idea to cross-reference the information you find. Even people who claim to be "Xperts" often post false or outdated information.

Ask yourself, what exactly is the criteria someone must meet to be an expert?

Answer 4

well usally i get it from my vet and from my local pest store bec my pets store cares for all of ur pets and i was thinking  about which of the 2 i could trust more so i ended up trusting my vet more bec he knew alot of stuff and he always cared for are animals {p.s. i miss my dog blackie best dog in whole world} so i would c which one u would perfer

Answer 5

Bad info is like the flu.  One person hears it and then it spreads like wild fire.

Answer 6

i've read some hamster books. they say to use AROMATIC CEDAR!!!!! these books are untrue and poor people belive the fake facts.really, its not their fault that some sources are untrue.

Answer 7

I research on hamsterific.com. Aspen, I heard, is horrible for syrians and they get a terrible reaction. Syrians, are called normal hamsters because they are the most popular hamsters that people buy.