Sleep in eye?

dee · 11-23-2009, 06:26 AM

hi my daughters hamster has sleep in his eye. he keeps burying his bed i think a bit of sawdust my be the culprit for giving him a sticky eye . he can just about open his eye i would like to know should i bath the eye or leave it a couple of days . I'm worried because my other daughter to conjunctivitis even though i got her straight to the vet she was put on eye drops and she slowly deteriorated until one morning she had died so i'm panicking a bit because we lost another hamster a couple of weeks ago after a womb infection and a cyst she was on antibiotics for a couple of weeks when while we thought she was getting better she died suddenly i can't go through the upset of losing any more hamsters and really like some advise .we clean his cage out weekly so i don't know what else could be causing these hamster to get sick please help

Dee

souffle · 11-23-2009, 01:21 PM

I think you should bathe the eye gently open with cooled boiled water on a cotton ball or bud so that you can see if there is any redness around the eye or anything in it. It may be an eye infection or something may had gotten in it or pricked the eye surface. Sometimes allergies can also cause sticky eyes. If he has redness then he will need to be seen to get a full checkover and treatment.
Maybe a change of bedding to carefresh may help?
If he is not well then you will cope and hopefully some treatment will have him sorted out soon.

dee · 11-27-2009, 12:58 PM

thanks for advise i rushed him to vets as he took turn for the worse on Tuesday he was put on antibiotics but sadly he passed away on wed .my daughter is so distraught she does not want Christmas now because he died on the 25th November and hasn't been able to go to school as she just so upset I'm really confused on why this keeps happening we have lost two hamsters in a month 1 was 6months old the other nearly a year they were cleaned every week they had exercise (15mins in ball) they were kept away from draughts and over heating .they were not over handled .could it be a birth defect as they were purchased from pets at home ? i would like to get my daughter another hamster but in the spring next year so she can get over his death could anyone recommend any breeders as i'm NEVER buying from a pet store again !!

suga · 11-28-2009, 12:27 AM

I am sad to read what happened.

. I hope that your daughter starts to feel a bit better about it all soon. Maybe tell her that the two hamsters are now together and playing happily and that they are well again - its what I believe anyway.
There will be a breeder close to where you are i am sure. If you let us know roughly where you are in the uk we can point you in the right direction.

souffle · 11-28-2009, 09:09 AM

I am so sorry to hear of your loss and the run of bad luck you have been having. In answer to your question regarding the store they came from. In my opinion yes there could be a problem, perhaps genetic or related to the breeding and rearing in the hamster mill where the babies for the store come from. We ourselves, who would never normally buy a pet shop hammy as we breed them have fallen under the spell of one or two and have lost them at a young age to tumours and other diseases which just should not happen to such young animals.
Explain to your daughter that sometimes animals, just like humans are born with a little something wrong inside them which leads to them dying young. This does not mean they did not have a happy and worthwhile life.
Let us know where you are in the country and we hope to find a breeder near you. You may be able to follow the babies from birth and she will bond with the baby quickly. A breeder hamster will also be much tamer and larger when you get it and will have had the best strart with good feeding and care.
I hope she overcomes her sadness and can be ready to share her life with a new baby who will never replace her other hammy but will be different and unique.

dee · 12-19-2009, 04:49 PM

thanks for your support . it is nice to know we did nothing wrong in looking after our hamsters .we got them because they are supposed to be easy to look after but we have just had a really bad run of them. my youngest daughter rebecca who lost timmy on the 25th november is saying she feels lonely without him and is now getting ready to start again i would like her to wait until febuary as i bought her first hamster harry on her birthday this year and he diead a week later so i don't want any hamster until feb at the earliest.we live in west sussex so if there are any breeders near would be great thanks again fro all your kind words and support

souffle · 12-20-2009, 10:06 AM

I am glad your daughter feels ready for a new hammy.
I will ask around for a breeder near you but I am not sure I know anyone in that area.
Moderator Tammy may be your closest so maybe you could drop her a PM and enquire.