Hamster Central - View Single Post - re-homed hamster smells horrible

Pebbles82 · 06-29-2017, 03:58 PM

Hello. They don't normally smell strong. And I doubt it's just pee after only 2 days. I didn't spot clean our hammy's cage for two weeks when he moved in and it only just started smelling a bit then. Female hamsters can have quite a strong smell when they're on heat, which is every four days. And maybe if she is on heat and stressed it is stronger? The only other thing I could think of is if she has an infection or something - eg a urine infection. See how she is over the next few days - see if the smell subsides and if she seems ok in herself and if there still might be an issue then having her checked over by a vet might be an idea. Our vet doesn't charge a lot for a general check - maybe £20.

She probably is very scared. It's best to leave them alone for 2 or 3 days to settle in and scent mark in their cage (if she is peeing to scent mark it might smell a bit more than usual I guess). And then take it slowly - maybe offer her treats through the bars and talk to her until she seems less scared, and then maybe gradually start taming out of the cage. A hand in their cage scares them a bit sometimes. So in a playpen or the bathtub (you could use a hamster ball for her to hop into and carry her to the bathtub). Dry obviously!

06-29-2017, 03:58 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: re-homed hamster smells horrible Hello. They don't normally smell strong. And I doubt it's just pee after only 2 days. I didn't spot clean our hammy's cage for two weeks when he moved in and it only just started smelling a bit then. Female hamsters can have quite a strong smell when they're on heat, which is every four days. And maybe if she is on heat and stressed it is stronger? The only other thing I could think of is if she has an infection or something - eg a urine infection. See how she is over the next few days - see if the smell subsides and if she seems ok in herself and if there still might be an issue then having her checked over by a vet might be an idea. Our vet doesn't charge a lot for a general check - maybe £20. She probably is very scared. It's best to leave them alone for 2 or 3 days to settle in and scent mark in their cage (if she is peeing to scent mark it might smell a bit more than usual I guess). And then take it slowly - maybe offer her treats through the bars and talk to her until she seems less scared, and then maybe gradually start taming out of the cage. A hand in their cage scares them a bit sometimes. So in a playpen or the bathtub (you could use a hamster ball for her to hop into and carry her to the bathtub). Dry obviously!