Hammy doesn't feel well

[BamaHam]

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've been here but I've been so busy. I 'm having an issue with Hammy. He has some hair loss and was constantly grooming his genitals. He was very swollen for a couple of days and now they look normal but the last 2 days he acts like he's in pain. He won't sit up to eat. When he tried he grunts and lays down to eat. He will not let me touch him and just lays in his box all day. I put him in an outdoor cage during the days and I thought it might be maybe females that got him excited. ( of course he hasn't been out in 2 days). I think we did this before and he was better in 2 days but he doesn't seem to improve. I'm concerned. He eats and drinks water. I saw him pee today. Any suggestions? I'm sleepless in Alabama. My baby just turned 7 on July 5. Help please!

[island rehabber]

Is he constipated? Have you seen him poop? I seem to remember more than one male squirrel who, right after mating season, got all "blocked up", partially due to the swelling you described. A little plain pumpkin or coconut can really help with that, if it is.

[BamaHam]

Thanks. I'll try that. I thought maybe he was constipated.

[BamaHam]

I need to get back in swing of things and get back in touch with squirrelboard. We are getting a new laptop soon so I hope to be back in touch. Cellphone is too tiring to to type with. Also my vet sold her practice and moved to Texas. I stuck with her new partner but the last time I took my dog he told me she was dying. He put her on medications and she got worse. I stopped the meds and decided to let nature take its course. She started doing better. She is back to normal self, started gaining weight and is doing better. I don't trust him now. He won't see squirrels either. I think there is a bet 25 miles from here that will. Need to get in touch with him.

[BamaHam]

Is he constipated? Have you seen him poop? I seem to remember more than one male squirrel who, right after mating season, got all "blocked up", partially due to the swelling you described. A little plain pumpkin or coconut can really help with that, if it is.

I gave him pumpkin and he turned his nose up at it. I gave him coconut oil and whip cream. He also licked mayonnaise off my finger. He ate some watermelon too.

[island rehabber]

I gave him pumpkin and he turned his nose up at it. I gave him coconut oil and whip cream. He also licked mayonnaise off my finger. He ate some watermelon too.

The coconut oil and cream should help. If you can find actual raw coconut you can give him a bit of that, too -- one of the main reasons we don't feed it to squirrels is because it can cause diarrhea, so.....

[BamaHam]

The coconut oil and cream should help. If you can find actual raw coconut you can give him a bit of that, too -- one of the main reasons we don't feed it to squirrels is because it can cause diarrhea, so.....

Yes! Thanks for your help. I don't feed him raw coconut but sometimes when I eat toasted coconut chips as a snack he'll ask for one. Actually demands it. Lol. He came out of his cage today and crawled on me and ate some avocado. I gave him water with cranberry to rule out uti. I think he's just constipated and sexually frustrated. Poor baby. 🐿

[Rexie]

My boy likes apple prune juice , I give him a cap full when his poops are small and hard. He likes it and it seems to help because the next day his poops are bigger and softer. Hope Hammy feels better soon.

[Diggie's Friend]

If you tried the canned pumpkin I could understand why, the ones I have tried were awful tasting.

Fresh baked Acorn or butternut is well liked; even so he just may not feel like eating.

Baked squash helps to normalize the bowel rather than being overly laxative in effect; it just gets things going and pushes it through.

Since he likes the taste, add a bit of organic applesauce to fresh baked squash to help peek his interest.

Earthbound Farms carries organic frozen Butternut Squash; it comes cubed, easy to fix.

[BamaHam]

My boy likes apple prune juice , I give him a cap full when his poops are small and hard. He likes it and it seems to help because the next day his poops are bigger and softer. Hope Hammy feels better soon.

Never thought of that. I'll give it a try. Thanx!

[BamaHam]

Well Hammy pooped all over me this morning. So he is not so constipated but his manly parts are still a little swollen and sensitive. He is eating and drinking water and peeing and pooping. He still doesn't feel like coming out to play. I guess it's a waiting game. He crawled on me today but grunted. Poor baby!❤️🐿

[Diggie's Friend]

https://www.vitalityscience.com/product/pet-flora-dog/

I would inquire that this doesn't include any flavoring even so it doesn't note there are any.

Read this and just exchange 'dog' for 'tree squirrel'. It is the same otherwise, for what as been assumed of tree squirrels eating grasses is this behavior. Sure they may chew on the grass seeds, but it is this source that they are going for.

I have seen this behavior in our yard squirrels, to get at the minerals, and nutrients the grass pulls out of solution from the soil, a habit known as (geophagy). In doing this they also consume good bacteria that is vital to their well digestion of their foods.

Prescript assist, same stuff, but this one is monitored from batch to batch; if you have questions you can call this company and ask them. This one doesn't need to be refridgerated, just the capsule contents after it is opened. One cap provides a number of days worth of support for a squirrel.

I use this source, it tastes like dirt. A squirrel I know is given this daily at 1/64 Tsp.

https://www.amazon.com/Prescript-Ass...escript+assist

[BamaHam]

Well now I'm concerned. Hammy is getting very agitated. He's constantly grooming his area around his boy parts and grunts. I walked up to his cage and he lunged at me chattering. He went in his box and I could tell something was irritating his area. He had just peed and I think urine got on the area he had been constantly grooming and it was burning. He skin looks red. It still looks swollen around his penis but not his testicles. He doesn't groom his penis area only around and between his legs. I can't get a good look or take a picture because he won't let me come near him. I put some white paper down where he pees to see if I can get a good look at what color his urine is. If he has a uti I don't know what to give him if I can't get a vet to help me. I'm going to ask My new vet today when he opens. I sure wish Dr Gilbert was still here.

[BamaHam]

Ok. He just came out of his cage and decided to walk around but he acts like his back legs don't want to stretch out. He walked out in the floor and just peed a puddle and his urine was clear, not even yellow. He groomed himself between his legs and privates and the wipes and scratches his mouth constantly. I thought maybe allergy or something like mites. I noticed hair loss on his hind area and skin looks red. Try to give him Benadryl to help with scratching but he won't take it. IDK😟

[Mel1959]

If you think mites, he can be treated with 1 drop of kitten Revolution. It does control some mites, but not all of them. It is safer than Ivermectin, though.

Were you able to locate a vet?

[Diggie's Friend]

It could be mites, which tend to hang out around the head and shoulder area, but can be spread by grooming; which are easy to treat.

Yet with his back legs lowering, indicating he has pain in his groin and back area, though UTI could be involved, from the ingestion of the corn,

that is very high in phosphorus, together with Kale, that is very high in calcium, he may likely be passing calcium

phosphate kidney stone(s).

In either case, adding a small measure of organic filtered cranberry juice to Distilled water only


I also recommend you give him organic pure pumpkin seed oil that if a stone will help to grease his pipe.

The Oil Seed Co. of Oregon is the purest organic source, yet for now the capsule sources from Europe are likely is going to be available locally.

You can still order the source from Oregon to help keep his urinary tract health on track. Super product for the males, tasty too!

Add this to Plain Lowfat Organic Yogurt from Stonyfield.

If you can't get him to eat it, you can dilute the yogurt to a more liquid consistency, but not runny;

or you can use the Green Valley Organic Lowfat Plain Kefir.

Then add in the oil at 1/64 Tsp twice a day to 1/2 Tsp. of the yogurt, or Kefir twice twice a day, to give him by oral syringe https://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Seed-.../dp/B00Z8BRCDO

http://www.stonyfield.com/products/y...fat-plain-32oz

https://greenvalleylactosefree.com/p...ee-plain-kefir

[Diggie's Friend]

The area located on either side of the penis is where his ureters are located.

Since he continues to overgroom himself there, perhaps wrapping a shield over his lower parts might prevent him from reaching that area?

[Diggie's Friend]

Originally posted by BamaHam

Well now I'm concerned. Hammy is getting very agitated. He's constantly grooming his area around his boy parts and grunts. I walked up to his cage and he lunged at me chattering. He went in his box and I could tell something was irritating his area. He had just peed and I think urine got on the area he had been constantly grooming and it was burning. He skin looks red. It still looks swollen around his penis but not his testicles. He doesn't groom his penis area only around and between his legs. I can't get a good look or take a picture because he won't let me come near him. I put some white paper down where he pees to see if I can get a good look at what color his urine is. If he has a uti I don't know what to give him if I can't get a vet to help me. I'm going to ask My new vet today when he opens. I sure wish Dr Gilbert was still here.

Yes, you need help with this. If you trust your new Vet to support your boy as your pet, you should take him in to be examined, etc...

[Diggie's Friend]

Overview of symptoms, types, causes, and diagnosis of kidney stones in rats:

http://www.petmd.com/exotic/conditio...t_urolithiasis (see info under causes)

•Dehydration
•Abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood
•Improper diet
•Parasitic infections in the bladder (e.g., threadworm)
•Bacterial infections

Excellent website; lots of important information of dealing with UTIs.

http://ratguide.com/health/urinary_r...ions_lower.php

[BamaHam]

Update on Hammy. I've ruled out uti and constipation. He has groomed and chewed himself raw it seems between his legs and testicles in the fold and I can't tell if it's mange from mites or from moulting. When I go near him he chatters and does his war dance sort of speak. I put olive oil and mineral oil mixed in a spray bottle and I'm going to wait until he climbs on the side of the cage to drink water and spray him underneath in his folds. He constantly scratches, especially his back and legs and face. He has hair loss but he was moulting same time my dogs were scratching and shedding. His problem is external. When he pees and if urine gets on his irritated area he gets very agitated. He doesn't want me to touch him. I guess the gloves are going to have to come out. It's not going to be pretty.