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Old 09-23-2019, 05:52 PM   #1
Ally98
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Derby
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Exclamation Fleece cotton - will she be ill?

Hi,

So I've just got my hamster and she's just gone into a new hideout which I've just found out is made of fleece cotton. She woke me up my digging and bitting it, I've removed it but I believe she may have taken some to use as bedding 😔

I didn't know it was bad until now, will she be okay? Shall I take her to the Vets when I can? I feel like I've failed her and now she'll get ill 😔

Thank you! 🙂
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Old 09-23-2019, 06:42 PM   #2
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Fleece cotton - will she be ill?

Definitely remove any you can get to out of her nest(and if for some reason you can't or aren't sure if it's all gone, as stressful as a full cage clean would be it might be necessary to remove and replace the substrate or at least go through it extremely closely to make sure there are not even the tiniest traces of cotton left behind). Fabrics of any kind and any kind of cotton(or even kapok) fiber can cause potentially lethal blockages.

I would highly recommend never using any kind of fabric hides and such in the future for any hamsters for this reason. They may work fine for other pets like rats and guinea pigs depending on how well made the products are, but hamsters can and will chew everything they have access to and are very prone to ingesting what they chew.
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Old 09-23-2019, 07:06 PM   #3
10Minutes
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Default Re: Fleece cotton - will she be ill?

Do follow through with what AmityvilleHams said immediately. Also, just keep a close eye on your hamster for the next month and take her to the vet if she's not well. Check if her eyes are bright, ears are perky, etc. See if she continues actively eating, drinking, exercising.

I'd personally not take her to the vet yet if she seems fine because the vet may not be able to detect much if she still seems healthy unless drastic procedures are carried out (seems drastic to me for such a small creature), and it could be very traumatic for her.

Please don't feel like you're a failure, as long as you take steps to improve. You're already trying your best by coming here and asking questions. Everyone messes up but it's really unintentional and you just have to take immediate steps to rectify it. Next time, just remember to do proper research beforehand when a living creature is involved (I didn't too, and am not proud of it, but hopefully I have improved in learning how to care for my hamster). Let's all learn together to provide the best we can for our beloved pets.
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Old 09-24-2019, 01:47 AM   #4
Ally98
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Join Date: Sep 2019
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Default Re: Fleece cotton - will she be ill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Definitely remove any you can get to out of her nest(and if for some reason you can't or aren't sure if it's all gone, as stressful as a full cage clean would be it might be necessary to remove and replace the substrate or at least go through it extremely closely to make sure there are not even the tiniest traces of cotton left behind). Fabrics of any kind and any kind of cotton(or even kapok) fiber can cause potentially lethal blockages.

I would highly recommend never using any kind of fabric hides and such in the future for any hamsters for this reason. They may work fine for other pets like rats and guinea pigs depending on how well made the products are, but hamsters can and will chew everything they have access to and are very prone to ingesting what they chew.
Okay, so I've cleaned it out, gone through it in small pieces and can't find the cotton, I did find it in the cotton bed still though, so she's even eaten it (which I doubt) or she left it in her cotton toy, as I found bits of it shredded. I removed it as soon as I heard her digging in it.

I hope she'll be okay.

She's currently hiding in her burrow, scared as anything as I had to wake her 😔
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Old 09-24-2019, 05:49 PM   #5
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Fleece cotton - will she be ill?

Ally, you have not failed her as you reacted straight away and removed the fleece cotton. Stop being hard on yourself.
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