Q: What are the symptoms of wet tail disease?
A: The signs of wet tail are watery diarrhea and moisture around the hamster's tail, loss of appetite, dehydration, unkempt hair, rectal bleeding, and uncharacteristic irritability.

Q: I see possible symptoms of wet tail disease. What should I do?
A: You should contact your vet immediately if you believe your hamster to have wet tail. When untreated, it is nearly always fatal. The vet will prescrible a antiobiotic if your hamster has contracted this disease.

Q: My former hamster had wet tail. Can I reuse the cage when I buy another hamster?
A: Wet tail is very contagious between hamsters, so you need to clean out your former hamsters' cage extremely well. Make sure to use disinfectant. Watch for any signs of this disease when you get your hamster, and be ready to take him/her to the vet and to buy the necessary antibiotics if he/she contracts the disease. To be safe, you might want to consider buying a new cage.

Q: What should I do if my hamster has diarrhea (not wet tail)?
A: When a hamster is overfed on green vegetables, it might become sick with diarrhea. To treat diarrhea, you should withdraw greens, fruit, and other foods high in moisture. Feed only high-quality hay, and lukewarm camomile rea or very weak black tea (unsweetened).