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Post by pinky on Jul 18, 2010 21:59:38 GMT -4
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 18, 2010 22:05:36 GMT -4
Very useful.
Glad they mentioned peas.
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Post by Andrea on Jul 19, 2010 12:33:45 GMT -4
I just want to add, that I have been told Diabetes is actually not as common in Dwarf hammies as people had thought. Many people do not believe they are prone as it had once been thought.
I also reccomend if you do believe there is something wrong with your hammy to have a VET look at them and diagnose, not to do it at home and self diagnose.
I read everything not written by a vet (and currently) with a grain of salt.
I like the list of foods in this document, lots of good healthy choices.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 19, 2010 13:23:54 GMT -4
Be sure you get MANY recommendations from people with "exotics" before going to a vet with an "exotic", a term I hate.
I went to two and neither knew squat. And one of those was a PoS I officially reported to NY State.
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Post by Andrea on Jul 19, 2010 15:10:12 GMT -4
I couldn't find ONE Vet in my city that could properly deal with each speices I keep, I had to go to the neighbouring city. I wrote up questions to ask and called every clinic in the area.
Some said "yes we take hamsters"... I asked "When is the last time one was in the clinic?" ... they didn't know. And the there were the ones that didn't know what a Degu was... lol
It's definetly a bit of work to find a good Vet. Mines expensive but it's worth it in the end.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 19, 2010 19:31:26 GMT -4
A story I related many times was with Princess when I went to the emergency vet. "Yes we know hamsters". She could not even sex an adult Syrian! But she cared, was nice, and got my Baytril.
They other guy also claimed to know hamsters but was a sleazy idiot. See the story about Makeeda and Cushing's Disease in the Hamsters forum. It ws actually Kain who diagnosed the CD!
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Post by Dezzi on Jul 23, 2010 2:30:05 GMT -4
I brought my Chinese hamster into my old vet for an autopsy (necropsy? I don't know the correct term, lol) and they were like "well, we don't usually deal with mice..." I was like O.o? I have heard a LOT of vets call Degus gerbils... Thankfully there are a select few good vets in BC (definitely blessed that way).
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 23, 2010 16:07:12 GMT -4
That is the correct term.  Calling a gerbil a "rat" is wiorse, but I only heard people say that. Finding a good vet is quite hard. Have to ask many people. |
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Post by pinky on Jul 23, 2010 16:11:00 GMT -4
Yes, necropsy. Not related to vet knowledge, but. . . . when I was at the shelter a gal showed me the Chinese ham they had (whom I said I wouldn't take because she was young and cute and infinitely more adoptable than Frasier or Ethel). "She's a cross between a hamster and a mouse. . . . see, this is why she has the longer tail." I was very tempted to say something but I just shut up. Now that I look back I should have used the incident as a teaching moment. Oh, well. It was a stressful time--looking at those needy hams and anguishing about only taking one home. (But I solved that problem, didn't I??  ) |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 23, 2010 16:19:23 GMT -4
>>But I solved that problem, didn't I??<< Yep. |
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Post by Andrea on Jul 23, 2010 18:32:48 GMT -4
"She's a cross between a hamster and a mouse. . . . see, this is why she has the longer tail."
wow.... Well, I mean the person was just a volunteer. I would probably find a pamphlet or info on them and send it to the rescue so they can be more prepared when someone else comes to look at the ham.
I was be so embarassed if one of our Volunteers gave up false information like that.
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Post by Dezzi on Jul 25, 2010 4:08:40 GMT -4
Ugh, Andrea I know what you mean! I think especially since we deal specifically with small animals that would hurt our reputation moreso than if someone at the SPCA didn't know what it was. After volunteering at the SPCA and having a group of other volunteers peering at a gerbil trying to figure out what rodent it was, I wouldn't be surprised if they thought a Chinese ham was a cross between a hamster and a mouse...
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