Is this true?

[pinkneon]

Ok, so I need to ask this question, as it has been bugging me for the past 17 or so years!!
My first hammy, Harry, died quite suddenly. I only had him 2 months. I will probably never know what happened, but this is what happened that day, and part of it is my question :
It was January. My siblings came back from a swimming lesson (I can't swim and was scared of the water back then). We all played with Harry in my room before dinner. Although he was my hamster (birthday present) I still had to share him with my siblings He was fine, happily running from one hand to another over the four of us. Then we went down to dinner. When we came back up he was laying in his cage not moving. Now, the key there is I said "not moving", not dead. This is important, as now I know more about hamsters I am wondering if actually he went into hibernation mode as my sister left a window wide open so it was cold in my room. His cage was then moved to the garage until the following day when my brother buried him in the garden. Is it possible that he was in hibernation mode, but died a little later? Or, another thing, which is my question. Just before dinner my sister had sprayed something in my room. I think it my brother's Lynx, but not completely sure. Could it have been this that killed him?? Since that day whether I've had a hamster or not, I have always sprayed ANYTHING - from hair detangling spray to deodorant - in the bathroom, as someone said the fumes from the spray can get into the hamster's lungs and kill them. Is this true? If so, could this be what happened to Harry? Another thing that could have happened was maybe one of my siblings were a little rough with Harry. My sister was the one to put him back in his cage before dinner. Could she have accidentally hurt him??
Maybe I will never know, but I would like to know if it is true that spraying things in the same room as a hamster could harm/kill them? Part of the reason I want to know this is because I am so scared of leaving the bathroom door open after I have been in the shower in case the fumes of the deodorant goes under my bedroom door, even though it's along the coridoor! Also, because the person I am staying with has a cleaner, and I am wondering if I should tell her not to spray anything in my room if she is ever in there? I try to be in when she comes as for some reason she won't do my room if I am here! But if there is a day I am out when she comes, is there anything she shouldn't use in my room that could affect Sweep? (She doesn't use Bleach anywhere as I am allergic to it)

[hammy2]

Without doing an autopsy it's a question you will never know the answer to. But it is true that paint fumes and sprays can kill hamsters (and fish if you have a fish tank) my husband uses sprays and it's fine if in another room just not in the same room as my animals.

[pinkneon]

Thanks Will continue to spray it in the bathroom then - though that makes sense anyway as people mostly use deodorant after a shower! LOL

[AmityvilleHams]

Not sure if it applies to hamsters as well,but I do know that aerosol type sprays are very dangerous to birds.Pretty much anything in a spray can is considered toxic to birds,whether it is in the same room or even a few doors away,as if the residual fumes and chemicals etc linger in the air and they are anywhere near them they can and often do cause serious health issues if not death to birds.Not sure how hamsters are,but considering they are so sensitive as well I think just not using aerosol type sprays or anything like that near them is ideal.Definitely avoid candles and things like that as well,since they are very strong in odor and can have different unsafe chemical fumes. I've heard that hot vinegar is also unsafe to birds and probably hamsters as well,since vinegar releases fumes when heated or something like that.I'd suggest just looking into different bird websites and seeing what things are dangerous and going from there,since I can't exactly put every single thing without making this a huge waffle-y reply

[hammy2]

Yes birds are particularly sensitive to aerosol sprays

[Pebbles82]

So sorry about your hammy - what an awful thing to happen. I think it would have had to be really freezing cold for him to go into hibernation - so cold you wouldn't have had a window open, so that doesn't sound likely. I do think strong perfumes and aerosols are very bad for hamsters, their respiratory tract and sensitive sense of smell - but unless it was actually sprayed on him or at him this also sounds unlikely to have actually killed him - he'd have been more likely to be unwell. And presumably in his cage he had some kind of shelter - either substrate or a house - as a kind of protection.

It sounds more likely that it was just one of those very sad things when a hamster has some genetic thing - and they die young - which does happen.

I can understand how something like that stays with you - we had a kitten drown in an area of water round an oil tank in the garden - it was my job to pump out the water each week, and I hadn't done it. So it really affected me that it was my fault. On the other hand it was also the dog's fault for chasing the kitten up there

As a general thing though, I personally find aerosol perfumes and air fresheners affect my breathing (I'm asthmatic) so wouldn't do them anywhere near a hamster - but that's just common sense really anyway, so as long as it's not in the same room, I wouldn't worry too much.

I would tell the cleaner not to use anything in your room though and say you'll do it yourself - and be firm about it!