Condensation on hamster fur??

Lemons · 09-09-2021, 07:29 AM

Hello! New to this forum as I have a quick question. I have a little Russian dwarf, and lately the weather has been getting hotter. I’ve noticed he sometimes has damp patches on his fur - now I know hamsters don’t sweat, so I’m thinking it must be condensation. This was a problem last heatwave we had, so I changed his plastic bed/house for a better and larger ventilated wooden house with ‘windows’ for some airflow. However Reggie still has these damp patches on him sometimes, so I’m wondering if anyone has any tips?

Pebbles82 · 09-09-2021, 09:09 AM

He shouldn’t have condensation on him. Maybe he’s just been grooming? They can be a bit damp after a lot of licking. Or maybe he’s been sitting under his water bottle? Is he in a tank? If so you’d see condensation on the inside of the tank probably. I bet he’s been getting wet from his water bottle.

Lemons · 09-09-2021, 10:45 AM

Thanks for your reply. He’s not in a tank, I have a wired cage. When I had the old plastic bed I noticed little water droplets on the inside when cleaning it which is the reason I swapped it. I’ll continue to keep my eye on him, if it is licking I’ll get him off to the vets to make sure he’s not uncomfortable!

Ria P · 09-09-2021, 11:09 AM

Hi and welcome to HC!

Does Reggie have a sandbath? Most dwarfs love rolling around in one to clean their coats.

Some of ours sleep in their ceramic hides when its hot or a ceramic oil burner. Doesn't have to be a proper hamster hide. Or take two mugs and keep one in the fridge then alternate them. Make sure that he couldn't get his head stuck in the handle though.

Pebbles82 · 09-09-2021, 01:15 PM

That is something I never thought about Ria! Then getting their heads stuck in the handle! Choose your mug carefully!

It seems a bit of a mystery how he’s getting damp now you’ve replaced the house. It could just be grooming - our Syrian used to be quite damp after a fair bit of grooming. Or water bottle drips. Sometimes they chew at water bottle spouts and get wet doing it.

Lemons · 09-09-2021, 07:42 PM

Thank you, I’ll get a good mug in his cage for him to keep cool in! I don’t have a sand bath for him but I think he would really like that so I’ll have to get that sorted for him. Also thinking about it, I think it might be a combination of the two… it’s possible he dribbles the water down his chin which explains the patch on his chest and then when he reaches round to groom himself the water rubs off on his back. I feel much more at ease now if this is the case, I just have a clumsy hamster!