1 month ago

Cheek pouch got scratched — what to watch for

He got a small scratch inside one cheek pouch from a sharp piece of bedding I missed.

I removed the sharp bits and cleaned the cage. What signs mean I need a vet rather than just monitoring?

Health & Vet Help

Comment 5 New

zhainan 28 day ago

The fact that he is still eating is a good sign. It is when they stop that it gets serious.

+1

Sofia M. 29 day ago

Worth going through the rest of the bag for anything else sharp. I found a piece of wire in mine once.

Daniel R. 1 month ago

Check it twice a day for three days. If he starts pawing at the cheek or refuses food, that is a vet visit.

Total 5 comments

Sofia M.

@luna_the_hammy

1 month ago

Wet tail or just stress? Worried.

Picked up my new hamster three days ago and today the droppings are soft and he is a bit hunched.

No tail wetness that I can see, and he is still eating. Is this normal settling-in or should I call the vet tomorrow morning?

Health & Vet Help

Comment 5 New

Ava L. 28 day ago

Is there any wetness around the tail at all? That is the one thing that turns it into an emergency for me.

Daniel R. 29 day ago

If he is still hunched in the morning I would call. Settling-in stool clears up on its own, a hunched hamster usually does not.

Marcus T. 1 month ago

Soft droppings in the first week are usually stress, but the hunched posture is the part I would not ignore.

Total 5 comments

Daniel R.

@paws_and_seeds

1 month ago

Switching from seed mix to pellets — how slow?

My dwarf refuses pellets completely. I have tried mixing them in at about 10% and he just picks around them.

How long did it take yours to accept a new food? Any tricks?

Sharing everyday life

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Chloe B. 1 month ago

Mine was the same at 10%. It was 30% mixed with his old food that finally got him eating them.

Emma W. 1 month ago

Try soaking two pellets in water for a minute first, the smell changes completely and mine suddenly ate them.

Sofia M. 1 month ago

Mine took about three weeks. What worked was cutting the pellets in half and scattering them in the bedding instead of the bowl.

Total 5 comments

Emma W.

@emma_hamham

1 month ago

How much bedding is actually enough?

I keep reading that 15cm is the minimum, but my Syrian just builds one giant nest in the corner and ignores the rest.

Should I still fill the whole base or is a deep corner enough? He seems happy either way but I want to do this right.

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Ava L. 1 month ago

Filling the whole base sounds nice in photos but it is a lot of bedding. One deep end has worked fine here.