Teddy bear Hamster (fuzzy butt)

Question
Hi,

I have a question... Fuzzy butt is the first hamster ive ever had, when we got home last nite he was just laying in his cage outside his house and i noticed his mouth and his neck were wet...  i picked him up and he started making a weird noise...  it sounds like a human when you have the hiccups...  i was maybe thinking that he was choking on something? i called the vet's in the area but al of them were closed for the evening and the only 24 hour hospital was like 2 hours away... i didnt know what to do ...  i cried all nite i thought he was going to die...  this morning ... he was acting normal cause he usually puts his bedding inside his house for warmth and he was sleeping soundly... but when i tried to wake him to see if he was alive he started doing the hiccup noise again...  i dont know what to do can u help me?  his mouth wasnt wet this morning by the way...  

Answer
hmmmm... generally if you wake a hamster they generally go into a defensive position. The hiccuping I don't think is normal. I don't know why his mouth and chin were wet and then all of a sudden not wet. How long have you had the hamster? Is he eating and drinking normally? If he's not eating and drinking normally than he is sick and probably with a bacterial infection and should see a vet asap. I would really take him in even if he's eating and drinking because the hiccuping doesn't seem normal in my opinion. If he's only making that noise when you pick him up, something is certainly not right. I am sorry, I couldn't tell you exactly what is wrong with him, but I hope I have helped.