Sneezing, sneezing, sneezing!

[cookietiger]

My Crumpet, long haired Syrian female, is always sneezing. Well not always but she sneezes alot! And its been going on for a while now and I tried posting a thread before but it didn't work for some reason.

I have changed her substrate twice but that didn't do anything. I gave her a shallower food bowl because she has sneezing fits when going through that but it did very little. I have used different washing up liquids when I clean her things multiple times. I don't know what to do.

Can anyone suggest what might be causing her sneezing or what I could do to reduce it?
Oh and yes whenever I'm around her and she sneezes I feel the need to say bless you even though she probably doesn't understand.

P.S. she doesn't seem to be breathing weirdly and she doesn't have a runny nose from what I can tell.

[racinghamster]

My Russian hybrid has little `hiccup` episodes that seem as though he`s sneezing or reacting to something but they are nothing to worry about. Sometimes it can be allergens or dust or when they wake up, you will hear these little episodes going on but when they are playing and running about, they tend not to do it. I can`t see or hear your hamster but what I would say is try not to change the substrate too often and just spot clean. Don`t use anything except warm water and kitchen towel to wipe anything with. Sprays and chemicals can smell very strong to a small hamster even if the residue is rinsed away.

I don`t suppose it matters which substrate you use as even wood shavings versus Carefresh can usually cause the same symptoms. I use wood shavings and Supreme Cosi n Dri which my hamster is used to and he also gets ripped up plain white toilet tissue as nesting. Frequent sneezing with wet nose, wiping with paws and looking a though they have something other than reacting to fine dust could need checking by a vet, but I wouldn`t think antibiotics are necessary in most cases of general sneezing or hiccups.

Make sure her nest area is roomy and not too cramped. Open a window during the day periodically to allow fresh air in. Open wood shavings or any other substrate and put it into an open bin to give it a good airing before using it. This can help reduce any allergens or strong aromas that can cause reactions with breathing. x

[Penguin]

RH kinda said it all. I was wondering what sand you use though?

[racinghamster]

She could also just be highly sensitive to dust or as Penguin suggested, sand, which can also contain very fine dust residue when rolled in or sniffed. Personally, I don`t think hamsters need sand to keep their fur clean as the substrate they dig in usually does much the same job, along with the hamster grooming his/herself. So if you do use sand, I would remove it for a wee while just to see if it makes any difference. x

[cookietiger]

Ok. Thank you for the replies. Her nest is a small plastic house which I suppose could be the issue.
I don't have a sand bath I kept meaning to because my older sister who hasn't owned a hamster in many years kept nagging me but I keep forgetting. My annoying older sister also keeps telling me Crumpet is male but she is clearly not from the position of her sent glands and her fluffy bit at the back.

[racinghamster]

In that case I wouldn`t bother with sand if she`s already sneezing as sand could make things worse. Change her small plastic house to a cardboard box with no floor. A shoe box is ideal, or a long tissue box or anything made from cardboard that is roomy inside. Rip up some plain white toilet paper and leave it by the door of the box. She will make her own nest. Let us know if this helps, although usually a hamster who sneezes, hiccups or makes some noises always will do. x

[cookietiger]

Ok! Cool. Thanks guys

[virtualkeith]

I don't know if this would apply in your case, but my hamster was sneezing a lot also. I made an embarrassingly small discovery after that. I found when I vacuumed my house (or hoovered for those in the UK) my hamster stopped sneezing! It was like a switch was flipped! And here I put off vacuuming because I was afraid the noise would frighten him! (and also because I don't much care for vacuuming. )

[cookietiger]

Yeah. I don't know how often my mum usually vaccuums each room really but maybe I could be less lazy sometimes XD
Fun fact: In the UK people only say Hoover because Hoover was the name of a vacuum company and like everyone had a Hoover vacuum. The weird bit is when someone has a Hoover fridge...

[Nyxietrixx]

I'm going to be honest, Elsa's sneezing fits only stopped when we changed to Carefresh. That being said he was also on Antibiotics as well so it could have been either thing that caused it to stop.