MY HAMSTER SEEMS VERY SICK PLEASE HELP

Question
the other person who answers questions about hamsters is away on vacation so i will ask you if you are unable to answer this that ok but please try


       my dwarf hamster skittles has this weird squeak cough sort of thing and there is also some weird puss coming out of her eye she seems very sick and wont move i love her a lot and not surer what to do

         thanks

Answer
Hi Emily

Thanks for your question.  I'm sorry to hear that Skittles isn't well right now.

She does sound very sick and without seeing her unfortunately it is almost impossible to know what is wrong.  Do you have a local vet that you know?  If so I suggest getting her there or at least speaking to them on the phone.  Check they have someone there who knows about hamsters.  Also, if you haven't been there before check their price as most will charge a much reduced amount for a hamster, but you need to establish this first so you don't have a shock when they give you the bill.

The squeak/cough could be some sort of respiratory problem that would require antibiotics.  Dwarf hamsters are quite vocal and often chat, but this is more of a normal squeak or tweet sound.  If there is pus coming from her eye she will probably need some form of antibiotic eye drops/ointment to help clear this up.

If you don't have any vets nearby, some pet shops are very knowledgeable and can often help, but I suspect that she will need some antibiotics which you usually have to get from a vet.

I hope you get on OK with her.

Regards
Sheila