Sneezing with excitement???

[BrainGirl]

I had Seren out in the Zoozone 2 play cage (yes, the same one I forgot Suri in) because I can have the chinchillas out at the same time, something I can't do with the play pen. Anyway, the whole time she was in there, she kept making these really loud, explosive noises that sounded like squeaky sneezing! But only every once in a blue moon. I'd stand up and look in and she'd always stop what she was doing and stand up herself, looking the picture of health, but several minutes after I'd sit down there'd be another one.

I decided just to keep an eye on her in case she was coming down with a cold but she hasn't done it since. Not once while in her home cage. She did give me a scare last night when she didn't come out of her nest at the usual time and I thought for sure she must have died in her sleep of a cold and I was about to beat myself up for not taking her to the emergency 24h vet at the first "sneeze" but no, she was just buried extra deep in her nest and didn't really want to come out.

Could the noises have been some sort of strange exclamation of excitement? Did the fact that Suri spent an entire night in that place have meant that she got to tag absolutely everything with the hammy version of permanent marker?

So I think the scare is over, Seren seems entirely fine, but what was that noise about???

[Skeever]

I've given up trying to figure out when Pooky sneezes. Only time I'm certain is when I get a hand or face full of hamster snot

He's full of explosive sounds, and mutterings when he wants to be, which sound like sneezes, but then seeing him really sneeze, its not quite a sneeze in effect. Sneezing kinda makes people and animals pause for a second, where the sound is often not effecting whatever else they're doing.....I figure it's a huff or an exclamation....? And he can go silent for a while, then during a particular play session, start making his repetoire of noises again.....