HELP PLEASE`

Question
Hello Ms. Kelly, my name is faviel ruiz i have a Syrian Hamster called Pich and i know she is sick but i don't have money to go to the veterinarian and my mother won't give me money, beacuse she said it was going to be my resposability. i get that. but is my resposability to control the weather and the heating system of our apartment? is cold here! pich has been sneezing and her eyes are kind of poofy. she was pretty active yesterday night and she was still sneezing but today i think she is just sleeping(i'm sorry i'm just worry and wrote this right now[7:30]im going crazy) and i don't think she has diarrhea and her excrement is pretty solid. i don't know what to do! I'M SORRY!! I'm a Teenager :( wiht no money. i really like my hamster and i don't want Pich to die... Can you give me any suggestion of what to do. beacuse i don't have money.. ok thats a lie i have 10 dollars but i think that a veterinarian is way more expensive.... can you please help me....


Answer
Hi Faviel,

It sounds like your hamster has a mild cold, since she is still active.  (A more severe cold would include symptoms like lethargy, weight loss, and not eating or drinking.)  The main thing you should do is to keep Pich warm.  Place her in a warm room of your home.  If your apartment is cold everywhere, see if someone has a small space heater that you can use.  Place the heater several feet away from the cage.  (You don't want the heater to be too close to the cage, or you'll risk overheating Pich.)  Also, give your hamster more bedding.  (Use Aspen or Carefresh bedding only.  Avoid Pine and Cedar, which cause respiratory infections.)  If Pich stops eating/drinking, and she's not active, then she'll need veterinarian care.  If she does need care from a vet, try calling the vet to find out about prices.  Let him/her know that you don't have much money, and maybe the price will be reduced.  

I hope Pich gets better :)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly