Pet Health – First Aid Part 3 – by Dr. Mark A. de Wolde

Pet Health – First Aid Part 2 – by Dr. Mark A. de Wolde

Hamster First Aid Kit- How Does a Complete Hamster First Aid Kit Looks Like?

Don’t be selfish! You have one for you, don’t you? Well, your tiny hamster needs one too. You don’t have to buy it, you can put some things together and voilà… a home made first aid kit.

Here is a short list with some of the things you ought to have in your first aid kit.

* First and most important, you should always keep your veterinarian phone number and address handy. Make sure the vet you know treats hamsters because even if the hamster is commonly kept as pet, there aren’t many vets out there for them.

* Adhesive plasters of various sizes and shapes to put on your hamster wound. You can use adhesive plasters to bandage the injured leg (broken bones, twisted ankle) of your hamster by wrapping it tightly.

* Syringes and a dropper to administer various types of drugs

* Antiseptic, antibiotic and antihistamine pills and lotions. You should use only what the vet recommended you. Remember that what lotion could be great for you when you have a scratch could be deadly for your hamster because he has the habit of grooming -continuously licking his body.

* Cotton-tipped swabs to clean the wound or even the ears of your hamster( you should try to clean your hamster only if he is sick, otherwise he doesn’t needs you because he makes such a great job)

* Scissors and nail clipper

* A bag of luck so that you will never need the first aid kit!

Feel free to add to this first aid kit everything you need that is helpful and necessarily for you hamster health.

Now, that your first aid kit it’s up and running, there are some things you may take in consideration.

1. Make sure that the first aid kit isn’t hidden in some corner of the room. It should be as close as it can of the hamster’s cage. When you need it you should be able to have it handy.

2. Make sure that every member of your family knows where the first aid kit is and knows how to use it too.

3. If you have small children, make sure that the first aid kit is out of their reach.

4. Make sure you take all the precaution methods before treating your sick hamster: use gloves and wash your hand a couple of times after handling the hamster.

Adopting pet rats for the first time?

I am going to the humane society to meet my potential first pet rat. He’s around 4 months old they say, and I have been reading more and more online and everywhere on pet rats, that they do better in pairs… the only siblings he has there are female. I would like to get a same sex pair because that is what is most recommended. There is another male in a different litter that I also really like. If I were to get them at the same time, and put them in a large habitat together, would there be aggression since they’re both only 4 months old? Or would it more than likely be fine and they’d end up being the best of friends? I hear rats are very social and become friends very easily.

Thank you