In case of health-problems, there are a few basic things you should know. At first, you should always have in mind, that hamsters, as the small animals they are, don´t have an immune-system like us humans.

They are developing serious infections and diseases much more quickly than other pets. On the other hand, hamsters are recovering from injuries much better and more quickly than other pets, as long as these injuries are not complicated by infections.

If your hamsters seems ill, you should work out these steps:

• try to diagnose the problem yourself by asking Health-Databases or books
• if you can´t fix it or any source advice you to do so, take your hamster and go to a qualified vet immediately

Don´t try to cure the hamster by yourself using "over-the-counter"-products like "Dri Tail". Whenever a problem is increasing or whether the cause nor the symptoms could be clarified, veterinarian help should be sought as soon as possible.

This summary of known health-problems can not and will not replace qualified veterinarian knowledge !

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	Hammy-First Aid - what you can do in case of emergency
	What you and your hamster should know before you go to visit a vet
	Health-Database. A summary of known health-problems for hamsters. I surfed through many sites on the net and asked books and authors to make this resource as complete and comprehensive as possible. A great ressource of informations on hamster-health is Lorraine Hills Complete Hamster Site. Some parts of this Database are reprints or edited parts from the Health-section of the CHS - courtesy of & © by Lorraine Hill.

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