Unstick eye

[Lemon]

Ever since she was little, Icy wakes up with her right eye sanded shut on occasion

It resolves on its own eventually, but is there any way to get it unstuck for her immediately? I tried holding a wet paper towel against it and wiping it gently but it didn’t work and I don’t want to irritate it with too much friction


Also she doesn’t like me to touch her face and will try to eat the paper towel or squirm away if I leave it there too long

[Pebbles82]

Usually it's a semi damp cotton bud (semi damp so her face doesn't get wet) and just gentling dabbing it - it should at least loosen the stickiness so it opens up on its own easier. I sometimes use the corner of a soft microfibre cloth, dipped in tepid water and wrung so it's just damp. How old is she? It's common in older hamsters, but if she's younger, she might have conjunctivitis and need eye drops possibly.

[Lemon]

She is 2 years and 1 month

It’s resolved itself overnight but thank you I will try that next time

I don’t think it’s an infection bc it’s happened to her once in a while through her entire life and it always fixes within the day

[Pebbles82]

It's just an age thing then. It's difficult with smaller hamsters to hold them while you do it. I've only done it with Syrians. They don't like it but usually relax and let you because I think they know you're trying to help. Although they struggle a bit, afterwards they seem much happier that they eye is open!