Rectal prolapse can occur in hamsters due to a variety of different reasons. Rectal prolapse is a bizarre condition for hamsters. This condition is very painful, so it is challenging for the hamster to bear and survive with this condition for so long. If this situation persists for long, it can take the life of the hamster.
What Causes Rectal Prolapse in Hamsters? The main causes of rectal prolapse in hamsters are chronic constipation, pelvic floor muscles, bacterial infections, less intake of dietary food, uncommon bowel motion, wet tail disease, sphincter muscles, and severe diarrhea.
These reasons initially cause mild rectal prolapse as time passes without any treatment the condition becomes severe and fatal. These causes can be treated very easily if you give them immediate treatment.
What Causes Rectal Prolapse in Hamsters?
All the feces, until it comes out from the body, is stored in there. The rectal prolapse occurs when it became unattached from the inside of the body and move out from the body through this.
Chronic constipation
Chronic constipation is a condition in which the movement of the bowel is difficult and irregular. In this condition, the emptying of the bowel is very slow, and the amount is very less. You can also say that in this condition, it is unable to clear correctly.
Almost the fecal material is removed two to three times in a week, but commonly in normal hamsters, this number of episodes ejects out in a single day. If this number is reduced, then this level it can be the cause of a severe problem for your hamster. The number of episodes reduces also leads to improper clearance that can enhance constipation to a much higher level.
It is the house where fecal material stores before coming out. If this material does not comes out correctly and starts remaining stored here. Its amount becomes much high than the storing capacity due to which it has to bear so much weight.
Due to this weight, it cannot remain intact at its position. When the hamster forces to excrete, this causes it to move outward, and in this way, rectal prolapse occurs.
This condition can be treated because constipation can be noted very quickly. If you feel your hamster does not poop well, then start giving him fibrous food to prevent constipation. This will help your hamster to live longer with tumors.
Pelvic floor muscle
The filling, storing, emptying, and every activity is due to these muscles. According to the demand and need, the pelvic muscles contract and relax. Still, if the functioning of the pelvic muscles is disrupted due to any of the reasons, it will have a terrible impact.
It will become unable to relax and stretch, and if the hamster forcefully tried to do so, it moves out from its position. The pelvic muscles, if they become hard and not stretch properly, also becomes the cause of constipation, and if they are in the loose form, they become the cause of continuous diarrhea.
So these muscles need to perform well if any of their activity is improper; it will become the cause of rectal prolapse. Hamsters suffer a lot when they die because of this disease.
The muscles of the pelvic floor can perform well after the slight exercise. When you notice your hamster feels a problem in fecal discharge, immediately take him to the Vet, and learn proper guidelines from him about the exercise of the pelvic muscles and follow his instructions carefully. After the regular exercise of three to four days, your hamster feels well and active.
Bacterial infection
Both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria can cause this disease. The bacteria from contaminated food enters the large intestine can cause the infection.
Bacteria produce a severe infection due to which the worms formed in it. These worms are the leading cause of severe difficulty in excretion. When the hamster starts excreting, and he feels pain in excretion, then he started accumulating all the fecal material in this.
To deal with this situation, you need to give some good quality medication to your hamster. For the treatment of bacterial infection, you need to follow the complete treatment that acts as bactericidal so that your hamster could not get affected again soon. You should treat diabetes in hamsters to prevent such infections.
This treatment includes medication and soft food that could digest and excrete quickly. The diet you are giving to your hamster in this condition must have no spice; in fact, it should be soft, smooth, and sweet. If you follow all the precautions correctly, your hamster can feel well in a week, but for this, you need to start his treatment as soon as possible.
Less intake of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber is the main food ingredient that enhances the excretion of fecal material. It is the remedy to fight against constipation. Dietary fiber includes cellulose to enrich food ingredients.
If you give less fibrous foods to your hamster, it can cause constipation. This fibrous food enhances the level of fiber in the fecal material due to which is excreted out very quickly through this. But if there is no or less intake of a fibrous diet, the fecal material accumulates and becomes the cause of constipation.
So to remain safe from such an exhausted condition, you need to add fiber to the daily diet of the hamster. At least, add one-fourth part of fiber in one time of a meal. This is the necessary dose of fiber you can exceed the limit but need to fix at least this one regularly.
Uncommon bowel motion
Regular bowel motion is common in hamsters, but as the bowel motion becomes irregular, it becomes the sign of some alarming situation. Bowel motion is uncommon due to diarrhea, constipation, stress, nausea, improper intake of dietary food.
Most commonly, stress is the main reason to induce uncommon bowel motion. If your hamster is not satisfied with the environment you are providing to him, he always remains stressed. Rather than the environment, there are also so many other factors that have an essential role in keeping him stressed and upset. For example, loneliness, fear, improper diet, fear from you, and other partners living with him in his cage.
As he is very sensitive, if he feels a slight depression, his whole digestive system affects very badly. He feels very severe cramps in the whole abdominal part. These cramps lead to continuous excretion of fecal material like in diarrhea. But it is different in diarrhea because, in this situation, the bowel produces painful movements with severe sounds. This sound is due to the movement of gas in the intestine.
This gas remains hamster in a very tough situation; he tries to excrete, but this gas initiate constipation. As he does not excrete this gas enhances the sense of excretion of fecal material. This complicated situation initiates the rectal prolapse, which is the reason for more problems for the hamster.
You need to remain your hamster safe from this situation for this; you need to provide him proper care and attention. You need to take adequate care of his surroundings and food because these two are the main that plays the leading role in keeping your hamster healthy and happy.
Wet tail disease
In this condition, the hamster always remains excreted with some watery fecal material due to infection of the large intestine. Due to continuous watery discharge, the tail of the hamster always remains wet; that’s why it is known as wet tail disease.
The infection of the large intestine spreads due to which it prolapse that can make your hamster weak and annoying. Here is the list of reasons for wet tail disease in hamsters.
Sphincter muscles
As the fecal material remains store in there and from here it moves towards the end.
If the muscles do not perform well, it does not allow the excretion. After a certain time, when hamster forces to eject it out and it does not support it. As a result of this enforcement, the prolapse occurs.
You can quickly note this situation if you feel difficulty facing your hamster during fecal excretion.
To treat this, you need to apply some good quality gel or ointment. This ointment or gel enhances the movement due to which the chance of rectal prolapse can reduce to a great level. Fibrous food can also help a lot to remain safe from this situation.
Severe diarrhea
Diarrhea is also a very tough situation for the hamster. In diarrhea, the continuous watery discharge remains to excrete out. Due to which the whole excretory system becomes much sensitive. This sensitivity weakens the muscles due to which the chances of rectal prolapse occur.
Diarrhea is dangerous for the hamster in so many ways to control this situation you need to give some saline solution so that its water deficiency can remain level. The food you give him must have a high level of carbohydrates so that he can remain energetic, also enhance the level of husk in the diet that helps to make the stool thick and reduce the discharge of water from it.
Precautions
If once rectal prolapse occurs, there are chances that it can happen again and again. After the first onset, it becomes much sensitive because once the muscles become disturbed from its exact position, it is tough for them to remain intact in any problem.
So to reduce the chance of occurring, you need to give some fixed quantity of fibrous food to your hamster daily. You also help him to do some exercise that is helpful to reduce the prolapse. Regular walking is also good to remain safe from this condition, and it is best to enhance the immunity in the hamsters due to which your pocket pet can survive well.
