Sneezing : a way of talking ?

[thebestchicken]

Since I have got him, Mr Panda keep sneezing, not everytime, but when he is unhappy, when I wake him up, when something displeased him in his cage... Do your hamsters do that ? That's surprising ! At first, I worried, as my little Guinea pig Roger already had a cold, and I had to take him to the vet, and he was under antibiotics for a long time (two weeks), which was very annoying, for him, and for me. But Mr Panda has got a dry nose, his eyes are ok, I don't think he is sick... Plus, I read on a website that sneezing was a way of communicate for them...



What do you think ?

[SnuggleHam]

:? I never heard of a hamster sneezing to communicate.. since a sneeze is more an involuntary action I think. Perhaps it’s just a word to describe the general sound. *shrug*



Since you say your ham makes the sound when he’s irritated and seems healthy otherwise it just must be a strange noise to let you know he’s bothered, like you suggested. Maybe someone will post that experienced something similar.



Does he still eat and drink and run on his wheel normally?



Also welcome to the forum! Please dont be shy about posting an introduction! :D

[Emma]

It's unlikely that he caught anything from your guineapig.......hope he's feeling better now :)



What sort of bedding/cage litter do you use?



Are you sure he's sneezing - could it be little squeaks/vocalisations? Some hamsters can vocalise quite a bit, although most are generally quiet.

[thebestchicken]

Thanks for your replies !



My guinea pig got sick in October, so, I don't think he could have gone to my hamster ;)



He eats, drinks, plays, like any hamster :D (but he is my first hammy so...)



Maybe it would be interesting to note that he is a rescued hamster, he was found 1.5 month ago in a hole of a basement's wall, so, a girl I know from a guinea pig forum got him, and tried to find him a home : he arrived here :)



He has got corn litter, with wood shaving on the top (hope I make myself understand lol), but those wood shaving are supposed to be horse bedding, they sell it in big package (like 25 kg, I think), and they are dust-free (that's weird, by the way, that bedding for big animals is dust free, while it isn't for small animals) Anyway, I don't think that's why he sneezes :D



I really think it's, for him, a way of communication, as he doesn't do it all the time, not even everyday, but there are moments when he sneezes, for, maybe 10-15 minutes sometimes, sometimes it is just one or two sneezing, it depends, and it's more like if he coughed, there are some "coughing fits", but with sneezing, not coughing



I really hope I make myself understood, that's quite difficult for me, I still don't have any dictionnary near me (and I'm French ;) )

[SnuggleHam]

I understand you quite clearly thebestchicken :) I haven’t had any problems at all.. in fact I would have never guessed that your fist language wasn’t English!



From what I have seen and understand the shavings that are used for horses is often pine. Please check if your shavings are pine. If so this may be the reason. Cedar (and I believe pine shavings) are known for causing rodents irritations and often causing them illness because they release aromatic oils which over long periods of time of breathing these fumes a hamster can become ill.



Someone correct me if I wrong about the pine. Maybe this is what it is?

[thebestchicken]

I understand you quite clearly thebestchicken :) I haven’t had any problems at all.. in fact I would have never guessed that your fist language wasn’t English!



From what I have seen and understand the shavings that are used for horses is often pine. Please check if your shavings are pine. If so this may be the reason. Cedar (and I believe pine shavings) are known for causing rodents irritations and often causing them illness because they release aromatic oils which over long periods of time of breathing these fumes a hamster can become ill.



Someone correct me if I wrong about the pine. Maybe this is what it is?



Thanks, that's nice !



But, I don't think those shavings are either pine or cedar, as they are used by many many rodents owners here in france... That isn't written, I'll ask people (but my guinea pig has been on them for over 3 months, and doesn't have any problem). And if he had an irritation, or something, I think he would sneeze all the time, not just when something doesn't please him lol. He even not sneeze everyday, if I leave him alone, if his cage is right (he may sneeze when moving his nest, for exemple, or when I moved a "furniture" of his cage), he doesn't sneeze... Strange...



That's weird that nobody ever heard about an hamster sneezing, I just read a little line about it on a website... But he really does so, and I'm pretty sure he isn't sick or anything...