Hello!
We have a baby (few months old) dwarf hamster and the last two days she has been making a weird noise from her nose. It sounds like a sneeze or a twitch but happens over and over again unless she’s sleeping.
Wondering if anyone else has experienced this? She has also been constantly cleaning her nose. Thanks!
The reason I asked was that I was wondering if it was dusty or if she is allergic to it. Did it start after a clean cage? Was it a new bag of bedding? Do you notice if it gets worse when she has been burrowing. You could try a different bedding.
Is there a reason why you change the bedding once a week? Just asking because did you know its considered better practice not to change hamsters bedding that often so its less stressful for them. Also, are you replacing the whole bedding as partial cleans are also considered better practice too, it leaves their scent behind. Sorry if I am stating things you already know.
If you think your hamster is getting worse or worried about it and her breathing etc then you could take her to the vets to get her checked over.
Thank you. We did not know that. Definitely will take note!
Well, we have kept the same bedding since she was a baby and it’s only just developed. My daughter had a cold maybe the hamster caught it?
I guess I was trying to see if anyone else’s hamster may have experienced the same symptoms and knew what it was. Give us some peace of mind without a hefty vet bill
I get scared whenever my hamsters start sneezing as it can ber very dangerous if it develops into a lung infection. I took my girl straight to the vets a couple of months ago and she was prescribed antibiotics which I had to give her twice a day with a little syringe. I think the whole ordeal was more stressful for me than her.
I think hamsters can catch colds from us. Whener I'm ill I don't handle my ham and make sure I wash my hands before giving her food or changing her water. I would make sure the cage isn't in a room that's drafty as that can have an effect too. I will echo what the poster above says too about the frequency of changing the bedding. I do a half change about once a month and spot clean about twice a week. If the cage is large enough it really doesn't get too dirty.
Are you in the UK? I used the instore vets at Pets at Home and I think it's quite reasonable. It's around £30 for a consultation and it was about £15 for the antibiotics. I would always say better safe than sorry but I might be paranoid.
Yes hamsters can catch colds from humans. Just keep an eye on her. Hopefully it should clear up soon but if she develops a cough I would take her to a vet straight away. Some vets are doing video consultations at the moment so you may only have to pick up some meds.
A lot of people worry about catching diseases from hamsters but that doesn’t happen - they are fairly disease-free animals and don’t transmit - however hamsters are very susceptible to catching things from us - particularly respiratory illnesses as they have a sensitive respiratory tract. If someone ever has a cold it is better to get someone else in the family to put food and water out and to hand wash before doing it.
In the meantime you could give her some immune boosting foods if you have any. Brazil nuts have something in that boosts the immune system so you could chop a Brazil nut (out of its shell) into quarters and give her a quarter but only about twice a week. Hemp seeds are packed with all the vitamins and minerals so a pinch of those daily would be an immune boost as well. If you don’t have any, Amazon sells Linwoods shelled hemp seeds. I use those. They are quite fluffy and nutty - hamsters seem to really like them and lick them up.
Dwarf hamster nose twitching or sneezing?
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