Pooooooo Stinky!

[DonnaB]

Right, my rescue Syrian Luna has never been exactly, errrr, fresh smelling, I've always thought she smelled a bit pooey. Her cage is immaculate and she's well litter trained and I've never got a whiff from the cage, but if you sniff her fur it sometimes doesnt smell too great, I had origianlly put this down to her being a bit too podgy and maybe not cleaning herself as much as she should.

She uses one corner of her litter tray as a potty and rolls in the rest, so I thought maybe rolling around in wee isnt helping so she now has 2, still only wees in one..... she seems a bit fresh and the smell certainly hasnt been a problem or noticed by my hubby. Lun seems healthy enough (even her eye hasnt needed drops for a while), and I accept that shes a hamster and may whiff a bit occassionally, and I dont expect her to smell like a woman on the counter at Boots!

Anyway, today I thought I rearrange her cage and give her some fresh sand. She heard me and got up, so I picked her up for a stroke and kiss..... YUCK, she stank! I checked her all over expecting to find rotting food in her cheek or an infected abscess, but she was fine, then I found 2 tiny damp patches on her back, wiped and sniffed and I was nearly sick! :mrgreen: The smell was a cross between wet dog, poo, and rotten fish, in fact anyone who owns a dog will understand when I say anal gland smell!

So I gave her a wipe with a baby wipe and dried her with a tissue, and put her in the ball till completely dry. I gave all areas of her bed and cage a sniff and it was fine. I picked her up again for another check, and she was as fresh as a daisy. So, my question is, do females come into 'season', has anyone else had a stinky hammie and what the hell was that smelly stuff on her back!??

Sorry for the long post but I'm baffled, never had a stinker before. :lol:

[Spuds Mum]

you may never have had a stinker, but it sure appears you have one now! :x
All my girls have a definite smell when they are in season Luna, now I have smelt cats anal glands when drained (mmm not something I'd regularly like to do) and I have to say ours dont smell that bad, but *trying to put this delicately* they do smell a bit 'beefy' and it can be quite noticeable. In fact the next day they can smell like summer meadows, and we can sometimes track their cycles by this method!
Was it the scent glands on either side of her hips that were damp? Ive never actually sniffed these whilst they have been damp, but they do use these to scent their areas etc. so maybe its just this?

I think it sounds pretty normal, but I dont know whether there are any illnesses they can get in their scent glands - maybe someone else does.

I will be (now this is true dedication as I have a sensitive sense of smell) sniffing my girls next time I see they have damp scent glands - and will report back :D

[DonnaB]

Thanks! :lol:

The damp patches, almost like 2 drops, were almost in the middle of her back, fairly close together, maybe she moved it there whilst grooming. :?

I have an unbelievable sense of smell.... I can tell if a familiar person has been in a room!, so I am sensitive anyway, but phewwweee that was bad!

Good to hear they do have a different smell around seasons though, that must be what it is..... maybe that also explains whys shes in a foul mood, eating chocolate non stop and wants to stab me! :lol: :lol: :D

[Spuds Mum]

bless her! and just think she will have 14 aching boobs too!
:wink:

[souffle]

Our girls sometimes smell pretty whiffy which is why we prefer boys really! I have even sometimes though OMG pyometra and gone feeling and sniffing for days only to find it is just a pungent cycle and they do vary in whiffyness depending on various things. Have you got a boy hammy? They make them worse. But to a boy it smells like Chanel No5. Unfortunatly the whiffyvate every 4 days. :roll: Its just one of those things but do keep an eye out for any abnormal discharge that smells bad.

[Matty Day]

must be a Syrian thing my girls have never smelled although they are only just at ideal breeding age.
although as I share a room with them I might not notice.
however things might change when I get my male next month.

[DonnaB]

No boys here Souffle, apart from Bob the rabbit, she shares the lounge with him, oh and my hubby!

I will keep a check on her though.... and some baby wipes handy! :lol:

[chase]

Our 1st girl hammie called nuggie was gorgeous but really, really stinky. Cannot describe the smell really ,too awful. I could smell her as soon as I walked in the front room. POOOOO!
Keep boys now instead.

[leigh]

I can tell when my syrian girls are in season due to their smell. It is quite niffy at times. The both seem to come into season at the same time for some weird reason.

[babyboos]

I think it is normal for them to come onto season together - just like women sharing the one house end up menstruating at the same time - so beware everyone when you go to student halls....