Sneezing Snowy

[Finn]

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The above photos are of Snowy my 13 week old Russian dwarf ham. up until now we have had little problems with her other than fighting with her sisters ,who we separated her from, however recently she has started to sneeze and make a sort of chartering noise, it might just be teeth grinding, we have recently changed her bedding but changed it back as soon as she started to sneeze and make the noises. what do you guys reckon it is and what can i do, i am hopping it is not a cold.
Thanks in advance Finn

[racinghamster]

Hi Finn. What substrate is she using and what did you change it to before you switched back again? This may help identify why she started to sneeze. It`s always better to stick to what they are used to if they don`t have any issues with it. I would only switch substrate if the hamster was not doing well on it. That`s always a good excuse to switch, but otherwise, it`s sensible not to change it. Nesting should be paper based and plain white toilet paper has proved the best and it`s safe, goes further than most pet shop bought bedding and being white in colour, you can see any signs of blood, urine or runny poo easily.

For now, I wouldn`t panic at all as most hamsters do make some noises while breathing or reacting to their environment. If her overall behaviour changed rapidly and she stated to wipe her nose a lot, has frequent episodes of sneezing or has any changes in mood, eating or doesn`t seem her usual self, then I would see a vet. But keep things basic right now, don`t do full cage cleans anyway as this could cause unnecessary stress and more dust. My Russian hybrid sleeps quietly, but when he wakes up, he can tend to have some little bouts of the coughs and sniffles! A bit like we do when we feel tired or something annoys the lining of our nose and causes a reaction.

How long has she been separated from her sisters? x

[TheFluffyHammies]

Awww! She is such as cutie!
I agree with racinghamster. Sometimes dwarf hamster make little clicks and noises, which I though was bad when I had my dwarf Tinkerbell, but it turns out it was just her being content.
As, racinghamster said, if her overall behaviour changes, seek a vets advice!

[Finn]

racinghamster: I have changed back to her old bedding which is plain, white paper bedding, her new bedding was scented which I only just realised!!! this is most likely the reason. her sub straight is pets at home own brand. As for how long she has been separated; she has been separated for about a week after her back was made bloody. so now that i have changed back i will leave it a whille

TheFluffyHammies: Thanks, yer I will leave it a while and see what happens.
Thank you so much Finn

[racinghamster]

Yes steer clear of anything scented and let her settle now. Chances are she reacted to the phenols in the scent and may still make these noises without showing other signs of anything, but having recently been separated after attack, stress can induce these things too. x

[Finn]

Thanks, I will never get scented bedding again.