Hamster eye

Question
I have a syrian dwarf hamster and one of her eyes is red and irritated looking.  She keeps pawing at it, like it's bothering her or there's something in it.  I have an appointment with a vet tomorrow, but I'd like to know if there's anything I should do to make her more comfortable tonight.

Thanks.

Answer
Hi Kim

sorry to hear about your hamster. Hamsters can get various eye conditions, mainly because their eyes are so large and protrude.  The fact that she is rubbing it shows it is clearly itching or stinging and really all you can do is get a vet to examine her and prescribe eye drops.  It could be that she has got conjunctivitis, which is quite common in hamsters.  If it is this a course of medication should sort this out.

In the meantime, there isn't much you can do for her - but I strongly advise that you wash your hands after handling her so you don't transfer any germs to yourself or any other pets.

Hope you get on OK.

Regards