Body temperature = 37-38oC
Heart rate = 250-500/min
Respiratory rate = 35-135/min
Tidal volume = 0.6-1.4 ml
Syrian or golden hamster is very resistant to morphine - no sedation or hypnotic effects.
Syrian or golden hamster has an increased tolerance to pentobarbital.
Atropine 0.1 mg/kg IP IM SC
Ketamine, C-III (Ketaset®, Vetalar®) 22-44 mg/kg IM
Sodium Pentobarbital, C-II 30-90 mg/kg IP
Ketamine/Xylazine:
Xylazine 10 mg/kg IP IM
Ketamine 100 mg/kg IP
Telazol®, C-III 20-80 mg/kg IP IM
Halothane (Fluothane®) To effect IH
Isoflurane To effect IH
Ketamine/Diazepam, C-IV 0.5mg/kg IM IP
Buprenorphine, C-V 0.05-0.1 mg/kg q8-12h SC IM
Butorphanol tartrate, C-IV (Torbugesic®) 1-5 mg/kg q2-4h SC IM
Antibiotics: Hamsters are relatively sensitive to the effects of many antibiotics. In particular, penicillin and other antibiotics with primarily Gram-positive spectra can cause death secondary to enterocolitis, although many other antibiotics have also been implicated as causes of this condition. Based on literature review of antibiotic use in hamsters, chloramphenicol is the antibiotic least frequently associated with subsequent medical problems and is therefore the recommended antibiotic for this species.