New hamster sneezing

[Penguin]

cypher, the reason I wouldnt rule it out is that my grandma's guinea pig turned out to be allergic to a specific type of wood that every other guinea pig was otherwise fine with. So the chance my be small, but I wouldn't rule it out (:

fingers crossed that it's something this simple

[astrid]

Once again, thank you cypher and Penguin for your replies! I'll keep you updated! I just wanted to double-check, if the bedding was the issue, how soon should I see the improvement?

[cypher]

If the bedding is the source of the problem I would expect to see a change fairly quickly if you change all of it, maybe even straight away but at least within a few days you should see some improvement.
Fingers crossed!

[astrid]

Hey, I've just wanted to give an update on my hammy's situation. By the way, his name is Pippin (and today is exactly one month since I brought him home). After removing hemp bedding, Pippin's sneezing seemed to have lessened but didn't go away completely. Therefore, today I've brought him to see the vet again (although, we have changed the clinic, as the new one seemed to have more experience with small pets).
Pippin was completely terrified and kept on running around the floor, trying to avoid the examination. But the vet was really amazing with him, very patient and gentle, and finally managed to scoop him up with a towel. She said he looked good (slightly on the small size for his age, but not in a worrying way) and it's great that he is alert and curious. She couldn't hear anything suspicious. Of course, persistent sneezing isn't good, so we will try giving him Baytril again. She fed him the medicine directly into his mouth, as it's quite difficult to ensure that he drinks the right dose from his water bottle (like I've done the first time). I'll be bringing him in for his daily dose, and she will reassess him on Friday. I'm really hoping this will help!

[cypher]

Good to hear that there's been some improvement & I hope this course of baytril clears the sneezing completely.
Giving meds in water never really works tbh, the easiest & least stressful way to give them is to mix them with hamster safe baby food, porridge or other soft food they enjoy, about half a teaspoon is enough so you know it will all get taken, works well with most hams.

[Pebbles82]

Just catching up on this. I am allergic to hemp bedding So it is perfectly possibly a hamster could be. Some hamsters have also had issues with Carefresh. I would keep to only using Kaytee Clean n Cozy - he should be fine with that.

Are you using anything else in his cage? One member was using some scented granules on the base of the cage to keep it fresh and that caused issues for her hammy (as it would - anything scented is far too strong for a hamster - they have a powerful sense of smell).

Also it isn't necessary to clean them out weekly or too often. Providing they have a good depth of substrate (6 inches at least ideally), you can just "spot clean". If you give them a litter tray with Chinchilla bathing sand in and put the litter tray in the area they normally pee (often a corner of the cage) they tend to use it. Then you just empty the litter tray every 5 days or so and the rest of the cage stays clean. This way you only need to do a main clean about every 2 to 3 months. The hamster is less disturbed and less stressed and the cage smells familiar for longer.

Don't worry about poops (they tend to be all over the place) - in fact hammies like to hoard their poops with their food sometimes. They are not smelly or dirty and are like little hard black seeds. They have two stomachs and sometimes eat their poops to redigest extra vitamins. Unless they are taking over in a big way I would just leave them. If they start taking over, just spot clean a bit.

When they are young they poop everywhere - as they get older they often only do it in the nest. The litter tray is just for pee really although they might poop in it a bit as well.

Needs to be chinchilla sand and not "chinchilla dust". If it's the dust that could be another reason for sneezing.

When you've done a cage clean, or do in future, best not to use anything scented. Warm soapy water (eg dishwashing liquid in water) is fine. A cage only needs disinfecting if there has been illness or disease. And even then rinse it well so there's no residue or scent. I just use warm water.

Although if you do suspect he has had some kind of infection then disinfecting the cage may be an idea (but you've already done that). After doing this, rinse it really well and let it air so no aromas linger. Which means needing somewhere to put your hamster while it's being done. If you do it during the day they can go in a pet carrier full of bedding a little house and some food and ours just used to go to sleep in there.

Even when you do a main clean, it's best not to clean everything at the same time - so if you do the substrate, don't clean the wheel and toys at the same time - you can do the wheel a different week and toys infrequently and only if they really need it. It's a human habit to want to clean everything at the same time, but it removes all the hamster's natural scent from the cage so it's stressful and unfamiliar for them.

Also leave the nest unless it's pee'd in.

I do hope he improves soon - just trying to think if there was anything else making him sneeze. It doesn't sound like infection if he has had Baytril - common causes are allergy (which you've ruled out by changing the bedding) dust, and scents. They have very sensitive respiratory tracts and a strong sense of smell.

Having said all that, sometimes when they're babies they make all kinds of funny noises - sneezy noises included - out of anxiety and fear until they've settled in.

[astrid]

Thank you for your replies cypher and Serendipity, as always, it is much appreciated! So far, I've been taking Pippin to the vets for his medicine every day. Poor hammy finds it very stressful but they have two nurses giving him his medicine, so I'm not confident that I would be able to do it on my own. He is not tame yet, so he panics very easily at being held. He never bites or even attempts to nip, he is such a gentle soul. Each evening, I give him some treats, so that he could feel a bit better and not see me as only someone who scares him by waking him up each day and taking him away from his home.

He seems to be getting better and I hope that once the medicine course is over, he will stop sneezing altogether.

There is nothing scented in his cage. The substrate that I'm currently using is mainly Fitch with a thin layer of Kaytee C & C (for colour, but definitely not scented). He does have two sand-filled dishes (trixie corner litter tray and hamster potty from P@H). The sand is the Tiny Friends Farm bathing sand (it seems a bit dusty but I do try to shake it out a bit before putting it in the cage).

I would not have cleaned him out this much (done it twice, since I brought him home) if I hadn't suspected that the substrate might have caused sneezing (the first time removed all the Carefresh, the second time got rid of all the hemp substrate). He seems to pee in his wheel and house. Although he loves to dig and roll in the sand. Today, I've ordered him a two-room house from Rodipet and another litter tray, hopefully, I can get him to pee in there to make spot cleaning easier.

Other than the things mentioned, the only thing I'm not entirely sure about is 3 hemp mats that I have hung on one of the cage walls (from the outside), as I initially suspected a cold, I've hung them there for protection from drafts... Of course, if Pippin was allergic to hemp that could potentially contribute?

[cypher]

If he's possibly allergic to hemp then although they aren't dusty it might be a good idea to remove the hemp mats just as an extra precaution.
Hope he's done with the meds soon, it must be stressful for him. If he has to have them much longer do have a think about giving them in baby food, no stress & an extra treat at the same time, makes life much easier for them & us

[Pebbles82]

You are doing all the right things! Hope the little guy improves very soon. Removing the hemp mats would remove any other possible allergy cause - if it makes no difference within a few weeks then you could always put them back - but then if he stops sneezing now you won't know if it's the meds or removing the hemp mats! So maybe just remove them anyway. As long as the room is warm enough and he has plenty of substrate he should be fine.

It may be that if it's a virus, antibiotics won't work (although viral infections can turn into bacterial ones later so this second lot of antibiotics may help). To fight a viral infection he needs a good immune system. (If it is an infection). You could maybe give him half a brazil nut once a week and maybe an echinacea leaf once a week to nibble on. Brazil nuts are supposed to contain something very good for immune boosting Our Syrians have both had them weekly.

[Pebbles82]

Incidentally, although I was allergic to the hemp substrate, the hemp mats don't bother me But the grass hammock drove me mental! Really set me off.