New hamster sneezing

[astrid]

Hey everyone,
I finally got my hamster last Friday (December 29). He's a Syrian male, nearly 11 weeks old. He's a beautiful tiny boy and still quite shy.

The day that I brought him home was cold, I took care to make his journey as warm and comfortable as possible. However, I am now worried that he might have caught a cold. I've heard him sneezing quite a few times today.

So far, he has been eating, drinking and using his wheel. From what I've seen, his eyes, ears and nose seem clear of any discharge (I have only observed him from the outside of his cage, he's still very timid and skittish around me).

In his cage, I use a mixture of hemp (Hugro) and paper-based (Fitch and Carefresh) beddings. He also has a sand-filled (Tiny Friends Farm bathing sand) litter tray that he uses to dig around in and groom himself.

His cage is in my bedroom (in the corner, on the floor, next to the wall). There's also an air purifier here and a small oil room radiator (to ensure that the temperature doesn't fall too low).

I have not changed anything in his cage other that remove some of the Fitch bedding (as he hid all of his poos there) and top it up with a new layer of Carefresh (it didn't seem dusty at all).

Sorry for the mahoosive post, I just wanted to try and provide as much info as could be needed. I am just really worried about my hammy sneezing. I have money to bring him to the vet, if it is the best option for him. I just wouldn't want to cause him any more stress (as he is still settling in, and still quite easily spooked, and stress can be so detrimental to their health, especially a young Syrian). I would really appreciate any advice.

[cypher]

It doesn't sound as though there's anything in the cage or room he's likely to be allergic to or anything that might cause the sneezing although it is possible that carefresh might be a problem so it is possible he has a cold, if he seems fine in himself, active, eating & drinking ok then I would just keep an eye on things for a few days & see if it stops, if not or if he shows any other signs of ill health then I would take him to the vet.
You don't need to clean anything other than pee for a while, they often store poo & eat some so you can leave that for a while & just let him settle.

[astrid]

Originally Posted by cypher

It doesn't sound as though there's anything in the cage or room he's likely to be allergic to or anything that might cause the sneezing although it is possible that carefresh might be a problem so it is possible he has a cold, if he seems fine in himself, active, eating & drinking ok then I would just keep an eye on things for a few days & see if it stops, if not or if he shows any other signs of ill health then I would take him to the vet.
You don't need to clean anything other than pee for a while, they often store poo & eat some so you can leave that for a while & just let him settle.

Thank you for your reply cypher! I'll keep an eye on him and see if he gets any better (otherwise a trip to the vet).

[astrid]

Hello again,

since my hammy was sneezing quite a bit, I called the vet and they suggested to bring him in, which I did. The trip to the vet was very stressful for him. The vet suspected that it could be a cold and prescribed Baytril 2.5% to be given as one drop into 50ml of water for 5 days. I've followed their advice but my poor hamster is still sneezing (somewhat less but still). He is still active, eats, drinks, etc. But I am really worried. I'll call the vets again in the morning and they'll probably say to bring him in again. I'm just really worried about all the stress. I've had him just a bit over a week and he's just starting to recover from his last visit (he is very timid). Has anyone had any experience with something similar and do you have any advice?

[Drago]

Keep him on the baytril as per your vet's suggestion, and wait out the course of the treatment. These things can take a little while. I'd also try to see if there may be some other factors playing a part in this. Check dust and for allergens. What food do you have him on? It's possible he could be allergic to something in the food. Best of luck, hope he makes a speedy recovery

[cypher]

I agree with what Drago has already said, if you haven't finished the course of baytril them it may just take time, sometimes they do need more than one course to clear an infection but if the symptoms are still the same then your vet may prescribe that without you having to take him back in if you ask about that.
It's always worth thinking about possible allergens, they aren't really allergic to things that often but it can happen.

[astrid]

Hi again, I just wanted to write a bit of an update on my hammy. He has had 2 courses of Baytril and is sneezing less than he used to. Currently, it seems that it could be caused by allergies rather than a cold. I've initially suspected that Carefresh might have contributed, so have cleaned his cage (a bit earlier than I would have wanted to otherwise) and changed his bedding (into a mixture of hemp and paper-based Kaytee C&C). While cleaning his cage, I've noticed that I was sneezing due to the hemp bedding (although it doesn't appear to be dusty, but it still has a rather strong smell), therefore I've ordered some Fitch bedding. It arrived today. I think I'll change his bedding again in the next few days. I'll keep his house and toys the way they are, so it still smells familiar to him (and hopefully makes the whole experience less stressful).

Thank you for your replies previously cypher and Drago, I really appreciate them!

[Penguin]

My sister had a syrian who started sneezing quite a bit due to a yeast infection (or would it be a fungal infection in english?) in her airways.
If it doesn't get any better than this, maybe this is something you can ask your vet about

I just read your last post after typing this, and the change of bedding might help (should the case be that he is allergic to hemp). I would clean out his nest as well though, he probably spend most of his time in there and if it is allergy, I don't think you will see any improvements unless all the hemp is gone (:

[astrid]

Originally Posted by Penguin

My sister had a syrian who started sneezing quite a bit due to a yeast infection (or would it be a fungal infection in english?) in her airways.
If it doesn't get any better than this, maybe this is something you can ask your vet about

I just read your last post after typing this, and the change of bedding might help (should the case be that he is allergic to hemp). I would clean out his nest as well though, he probably spend most of his time in there and if it is allergy, I don't think you will see any improvements unless all the hemp is gone (:

Thank you Penguin for the advice. I’ve just cleaned his cage and removed all the traces of hemp bedding. Hopefully, he’ll feel better! If not, we’ll be making another trip to the vets in a few days.

[cypher]

It is unusual to have a reaction to hemp but it could be that he's just hypersensitive & if it is an allergy I don't see that you could have a problem with fitch so fingers crossed that will solve the problem.