Ok, so I need to ask this question, as it has been bugging me for the past 17 or so years!!
My first hammy, Harry, died quite suddenly. I only had him 2 months. I will probably never know what happened, but this is what happened that day, and part of it is my question :
It was January. My siblings came back from a swimming lesson (I can't swim and was scared of the water back then). We all played with Harry in my room before dinner. Although he was my hamster (birthday present) I still had to share him with my siblings
He was fine, happily running from one hand to another over the four of us. Then we went down to dinner. When we came back up he was laying in his cage not moving. Now, the key there is I said "not moving",
not dead. This is important, as now I know more about hamsters I am wondering if actually he went into hibernation mode as my sister left a window wide open so it was cold in my room. His cage was then moved to the garage until the following day when my brother buried him in the garden. Is it possible that he was in hibernation mode, but died a little later? Or, another thing,
which is my question. Just before dinner my sister had sprayed something in my room.
I think it my brother's Lynx, but not completely sure. Could it have been this that killed him?? Since that day whether I've had a hamster or not, I have always sprayed ANYTHING - from hair detangling spray to deodorant - in the bathroom,
as someone said the fumes from the spray can get into the hamster's lungs and kill them. Is this true? If so, could this be what happened to Harry? Another thing that could have happened was maybe one of my siblings were a little rough with Harry. My sister was the one to put him back in his cage before dinner. Could she have accidentally hurt him??
Maybe I will never know, but I would like to know if it is true that spraying things in the same room as a hamster could harm/kill them? Part of the reason I want to know this is because I am so scared of leaving the bathroom door open after I have been in the shower in case the fumes of the deodorant goes under my bedroom door, even though it's along the coridoor! Also, because the person I am staying with has a cleaner, and I am wondering if I should tell her not to spray anything in my room if she is ever in there? I try to be in when she comes as for some reason she won't do my room if I am here! But if there is a day I am out when she comes, is there anything she shouldn't use in my room that could affect Sweep? (She doesn't use Bleach anywhere as I am allergic to it)