hamster dust bath

[pinepog]

I saw sand baths were good for hamsters, so when I was at the pet store I bought my hamster (who's name is Larry) a sand bath tub and some sand dust. Larry had it for a few weeks and was fine, two days ago he started sneezing a lot though. Yesterday I took the tub out and fed him some honey (since I read it helps) and he seems to be sneezing less.

Today I was researching more online and found out the dust I was buying wasn't good for hamsters, since it was more of a dust than sand. I feel so guilty for having it in his cage for about a month now. He isn't sneezing as much and since two days ago I removed the bath completely. I also changed his bedding and wiped down terrarium walls.

As long as I keep an eye on him to make sure sneezing from here on out doesn't worsen, do you think he should be okay? He's still been eating and running and drinking like normal, the only problem was 2 days ago when he was sneezing.

Thanks in advance, Larry is my little baby and my very first hamster and I want to do the very best for him always, I love him so much! This is also my first time posting a forum so I'm sorry if this is long or confusing!

[Shannonmcn]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

I think as long as you keep an eye on him for sneezing he will be fine. Serious respiratory issues might come from prolonged exposure but if he only had it for a few weeks and it was removed as soon as he started sneezing you've done everything right. Finding the right sand can be tricky in a pet shop (between chinchillas and reptiles also needing sand!) but children's play sand is perfect for hamsters, it just needs dried out in the oven for a bit so it's not damp.