Hamster First Aid Kit

[Kikya]

Here are a list of supplies you can keep in your Hamster First Aid Kit. Many of these things also work well with a human first aid kit. =)

If you aren't sure of how to use these items, please start a new topic on the Through Sickness and In Health board. Please do not post questions about your hamster's sickness or injury on this post. However, suggestions and additions are welcome!

I just want to say that I wrote and posted most of this on HH a while ago. However, I did get some suggestions from MissPixy today as well as added some posted advice given by Lillias.

• Contact Info For A Veterinarian and Emergency Room – it's important to have this contact information ready to go because calling around trying to find a vet who takes hamsters last minute can be extremely stressful!
• Disposable Gloves – to use while cleaning a wound
• Isopropyl Alcohol – for sterilizing tools such as tweezers
• Small Clean Towel – to wrap an uncooperative patient in or warm up a cold one.
• A Hot Water Bottle/Freezing Bottle – in case of needing warmth or overheating, do not put in direct contact with hamster skin, use clean towel between.
• Q-Tips and Gauze Squares – to clean wounds or wipe eyes
• Vasoline – in case of a prolapse
• Sterile Saline Capsules – to clean wounds or wipe eyes, you can also make a clean saline solution, if you don't have access to these. Here's the method.
• Betadine or Chlorhexidine - Antiseptic for cleaning wounds or post-surgical areas
• Cornstarch – to stop bleeding in shallow cuts (does not work for deep wounds)
• Fresh Aloe Leaf – You can scrap the gel from the fresh leaf to use on irritated skin. Freeze a large leaf and cut off pieces as needed.
• Manuka Honey UMF 16 – after the wound is cleaned, you can apply honey on top of the wound to prevent infection
• Thyme Leaves – to make Thyme tea, this can be given by syringe to hamsters with respiratory symptoms or used as a wound wash. You can keep in the freezer to keep for longer.
• 2 or 3 (1 ml) Syringes – for medicine or to feed because some hamsters won't take medicine on the spoon mixed with baby food/oatmeal.
• Baby Nail Clippers – to trim hamster nails that are too long
• Tweezers – to remove any foreign objects such as splinters from skin
• Glucose testing strips (such as Diastix) - Especially important for diabetic prone hamster species like dwarves or Robos, to test fresh pee for glucose levels.
• Critical Care or EmerAid (Herbivore and Omnivore) - Keep some unopened Critical Care or EmerAid available (both in herbivore (for digestive issues) and omnivore (for weight gain), depending on what they are needed for because I had some hamsters hate one and love the other. If they are opened, keep them in the freezer in a baggie.
• Bene-Bac or plain Greek yogurt – As a probiotic when your hamster has digestive upset or is on antibiotics.
• A jar of baby food that your hamster will eat (Single ingredient, no lemon juice) or dry organic oats to mix with water (oatmeal) – This is to combine with medicine if your hamster is fighting you on taking needed medication. Check that the medicine can be given with food. I suggest trying out some before your hamsters are sick to see what flavors they like and take easily.
• Unflavored Pedialyte or Salt and Sugar – to make a rehydrating solution.
• A Hamster Carrier – for trips to the vet.
• An Emergency "Sick Bin" with a mesh top - when you need to clean the main cage from a mite infection or isolate a sick hamster away from others.

I personally store most of my items in the emergency storage bin so it all stays together in one place that I can quickly access (except for the freezer items).

Recipe for rehydration solution:
1/4 teaspoon of salt (level)
1 teaspoon of sugar (level)
1 cup of water (240ml)

I boil two cups of water, use one cup to sterilize the mixing cup and spoon. Then I use the other cup to mix with the sugar and salt, mix, then let cool down to wrist warm temp.

[Happyhammies26]

Thanks for creating this topic!

[Luna123]

This is really helpful Thanks!

[Little Hammy Moon]

This is extremely helpful, thanks!

[TinyPaws]

Thank you so much for this! I do have one question though, I got a tiny bag of Critical Care from the vets (unopened) and it was for Greta (past hammy) to gain some weight. We unfortunantely never got to give it to her, so I wasn't reading the package or anything. I just realized that the package says herbivore and is giving instructions for herbivores (this is a little plastic bag that the vet wrote instructions on btw). Is the herbivore one ever used for weight gain? This wasn't an exoctic vet so I'm worried that they think hamsters are herbivores (they said they take hamsters). Thank you!

[Spud]

Thank you so much for this! I do have one question though, I got a tiny bag of Critical Care from the vets (unopened) and it was for Greta (past hammy) to gain some weight. We unfortunantely never got to give it to her, so I wasn't reading the package or anything. I just realized that the package says herbivore and is giving instructions for herbivores (this is a little plastic bag that the vet wrote instructions on btw). Is the herbivore one ever used for weight gain? This wasn't an exoctic vet so I'm worried that they think hamsters are herbivores (they said they take hamsters). Thank you!

Good question, I'm not sure whether the herbivore critical care is the best for omnivores. I've only used the herbivore version with guinea pigs.
There is an omnivore version available though: https://oxbowanimalhealth.com/product/c ... -omnivore/
The herbivore version doesn't seem to have ingredients best suited for hamsters in my opinion (I'm not a vet though, let alone an exotics one ). The main ingredient is hay, which is brilliant for rabbits and guinea pigs (hay is at least 80% of their diet), but not so great for hamsters.

It might be worth contacting the vet in question and asking them what they think, or if they were aware hamsters are omnivorous. They might need to update their knowledge

[Kikya]

Thank you so much for this! I do have one question though, I got a tiny bag of Critical Care from the vets (unopened) and it was for Greta (past hammy) to gain some weight. We unfortunantely never got to give it to her, so I wasn't reading the package or anything. I just realized that the package says herbivore and is giving instructions for herbivores (this is a little plastic bag that the vet wrote instructions on btw). Is the herbivore one ever used for weight gain? This wasn't an exoctic vet so I'm worried that they think hamsters are herbivores (they said they take hamsters). Thank you!

It's typically better to omnivore care for hamsters, and you can always request it from the vet.

You can use herbivore care but I usually use for it if a hamster is having a hard time to going to the bathroom, rather than for weight gain.

P.S. I moved your other question with your other topic.