Sticky eye

Question
Hi Sheila,

My hamster Tarzan is a dwarf, slightly over a year old. Yesterday I noticed his left eye was closed. And there were some sticky subtance near his eye area. I wiped it with a tissue dampened with boiled water. It opened, but this morning its close again. I repeated, so his eyes are open again.

How do I tell whether his eyes are red? Is it around the lids? If so, then its slightly red.

Could it be allergies?

We just moved for 3 days into another apartment which has been repainted, and the odor from the paint is very faint to me (after some airing before we moved in). I dont know if this is causing him problem. My other hamster a Robo, seemed Ok.
Apart from that, he has been placed into his cage with new bedding of Carefresh and tissue. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe its because I'm developing a cold, and he caught on?

Can I use "Tears Naturale" on him? Its artificial tears for human. Is it safe? Or should I just continue using cooled boiled water with salt?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi

sorry to hear that Tarzan isn't well right now.  Sticky eyes is a very common problem with hamsters.  They have glands behind their eyes that secrete a reddish fluid which lubricates the eye.  Sometimes, if they elderly or their immune system is under threat they can produce more of this than usual and this can cause their eyelids to close.  People often mistake this fluid as blood.

Hamsters can also get eye infections - if a piece of bedding has gone into their eye etc. it can cause it to infect and they produce a discharge.  As you have mentioned they can also suffer from allergies which can make them sneeze etc. and they can get colds.

It is difficult to know for sure what has caused this.  However, the important thing is that you get him to open his eyes every day.  if you gently wipe the eyelid area with a damp cloth that should help.  You could soak this in warm salt water which would act as an antiseptic.  If he is over a year and producing more fluid than usual then it could be because he is unwell, in which case it is important to monitor him for any other symptoms and if necessary get him to a vet.

If this is an eye infection then his eyes will weep and he will be irritated by them and they can appear red and sore.  Also, eye infections can cause the hamster to look dull because they can be very uncomfortable for them.  Eye infections do need to be treated with a special eye ointment that you get from a vet.

It is worth considering an allergic reaction but usually this causes breathing difficulties, sneezing etc. or skin problems.

I would be tempted to start bathing his eyelids, and monitor him.  If he improves then that is great, but if he starts to deteriorate, or show other symptoms then it would be best to get him checked out by a vet.  If you don't know any vets it is worth phoning one or two to make sure there is someone there who can treat small animals and not all specialise in them.  also, check their fee - usually when you take a hamster in for a consultation the vet charges considerably less than if it was a large animal.

I hope this helps you and you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila