my hamster sneezes

Question
hi ,ivejust bought a 1 month old hamster 6 days ago and since that time he seems to have gradually started becoming less active and he issneezing alot now .i have been cleaning his house everyday with these wet wipes and twice washed it thoroughly with soap and hot water.could it be that he's allergicto thewet wipes or has a cold .if so what could i do to help him .he doesnt drink water so i cant give him vitamins and i cant afford the vet .i have triedto makehim warmer but is there anything else ?

Answer
Hi Lily

I'm assuming this is a Syrian hamster. Generally young hamsters are quite active but males can be a bit lazy and it could be that he is just settling down into his new home.  I'm assuming he does come out for a run in his wheel.  Have you got a hamster exercise ball for him?  If not this might be worth getting.  I suggest you tape over all the joins in the ball as they do have a habit of opening if they bang into furniture.  Most hamsters like going in them - occasionally one doesn't.  I let mine have a run around in these each evening for about 20 minutes so they can explore.  This might get him moving a bit more.

Regarding his sneezing - this could well be an allergic reaction. Hamsters rely very heavily on their sense of smell and they are very sensitive.  You don't need to clean the cage out daily  - once a week is OK. Over-cleaning can make the situation worse as your hamster will want to keep re-scenting it. If you are worried about smells etc. the best thing is to try and get him to use a hamster toilet.  You can buy these in the pet shop and you use a special hamster litter.  You hold back some of the soiled bedding and put it in hamster toilet after you have cleaned out the cage.  You need to put the hamster toilet in the corner that he already uses as a toilet area.  This way you only need to clean the toilet out daily, and the rest of the cage once a week.  Also remove any fresh food that isn't eaten.

Instead of wet wipes it is best to just rinse the cage, and spray on some of the small pet disinfectant - don't use household disinfectants or bleaches as these can harm the hamster.

Foodwise - he should have a dry hamster mix available all the time.  In addition, a small amount of fresh vegetables should be given (avoid too much lettuce as this can cause diarrhea).  If you vary the diet, perhaps give a small piece of cheese or scrambled egg once a week, a variety of fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds, this should provide him with a well balanced diet and there shouldn't be any need to give vitamin drops.

Also it would be good to look at the type of woodchip and bedding you are using.  The best type of bedding is the shredded paper type.  The woodchip must be safe for small animals.  Don't use woodchip from the sawmill if it is cypress, pine and cedar all contain a volatile oil called thujone which can cause breathing difficulties.  Also make sure it doesn't contain any antifungals or added oils.  If you are currently using woodchip it might be a good idea to stop this for a week and just use paper bedding (but you'll need to clean him out daily as it will soil easily) and see if there is any improvement.  If not, then reintroduce it.  If there is an improvement then look for a different type of bedding/woodchip.  There are different kinds available.

Also make sure there are no perfumes, air fresheners or other scents near the cage (this includes highly scented plants or the use of insecticides).

Hamsters can suffer from colds and the symptoms are similar to humans - they tend to shiver and have a runny nose and eyes, and also sneeze a lot.  If this is a cold you need to do some intensive nursing - keep him warm and in a quiet place.  If he isn't eating you should give palatable foods (such as baby food) and to encourage drinking he could be given lukewarm milk and a little honey.

I would suggest you check him out to see if this is likely to be a cold or allergy.  If it is a cold then immediate treatment should be started - with some colds a vet does need to be consulted as they often need to give antibiotics to treat any secondary infections.  If this is more likely to be an allergy of some kind it really is a case of doing some detective work to try and figure out what is causing it.

I hope this helps you and that you manage to find out what is wrong.

Regards