Worried about my hamster!

[OwenJ]

I bought two Russian Dwarf hamsters nearly 2 years ago now, I had to separate them due to fighting about 2 months ago.
One of the hamsters I call Chewy is making low pitch squeaks like he is congested. I’ve read up a bit and it could be a common cold. His fur and eyes are looking pretty good and I think he is still acting his normal self. I have noticed a bit of weight loss however. He only started acting like this after I changed his bedding recently. The bedding is the same type of wood shavings but it’s like the change of bedding has affected him.
Today I’ve noticed a small pea sized lump in between his front legs on his chest, the skin is a natural pink colour so I have no idea what it could be.
He just generally doesn’t sound right and his chest sounds congested. I just recorded him trying to get to sleep and this is the sounds that are made:



I might try using thyme tea or some nasal rub to help the congestion, however seeing the lump it could be something more serious.
Any help would be appreciated xo

[cypher]

I can't get your vid to play for some reason but if you're hamster started showing symptoms after changing the substrate then the first thing to do is to change back to what you were using before in case of a possible allergy.
Don't use thyme tea, nasal rub or any other home remedies as these will be too strong & possibly dangerous for your hamster, if you think your ham needs treatment then it's always best to see a vet before doing anything.
He is a good age & it's not unusual for them to develop growths & tumours with age so keep a close eye on that, you might want to get your vet to look at that too.

[herbi7]

Were you starting a new bag of bedding? Sometimes the oils in woodshavings can irritate the hamsters lungs and respiratory system and this is worse when you give bedding that has been shut up in a bag. When the bag is started the oils can escape and aren't so strong. If it does turn out to be his bedding there are other sorts you can get which don't have the harmful oils in, like hemp bedding.