Sneezing hamster

Redochucks

Redochucks

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Hello fellow hamster owners. I have recently adopted a Syrian hamster from a certified exotic animal adoption center with a good vet. She is 6 months old and was treated from parasites. The first day of being back home she seemed alright. However, at the beginning of day two I noticed a lot of strange noises coming from her. I was told it's just her adaption period and just to wait. On Monday it seemed her health had gotten worse and I began to severely panic, I contacted the center I adopted her from and our family vet. Was told by both that if it is only sneezing (the sneezing sometimes feels like hiccups) then she is fine, that I needed to take out any allergen bedding and items and to wait for a week to see what happens. If she would have some white stuff forming around her eyes or nose then I would need to rush her to a vet. It's been a week now, she has no loss of appetite, she's still very active and curious, but the sneezing hasn't gone anywhere. Some days it feels a bit worse, some days it feels like it is about to go away. I've now moved her back into her original bigger enclosure (she was living in a bin cage for the week that is a tiny bit smaller than her big acrylic enclosure) she has Boxo comfort bedding, Verse Laga Nature food, some apple tree sticks, wooden, plastic, hay and ceramic houses, some cardboard, her plastic big wheel, rocks and a dust free sand bath. In the bin cage she had some dust free bedding, her sand bath, a cardboard box, ceramic house, rocks, her wheel and a plastic house. I have no idea what could be happening and have been worried often that it could be a possible respiratory infection, however she has showed no signs of getting worse and has remained in a the same sneezing state, is it possible it's some allergy to something that could be not the bedding, or sticks?
 
Boxo is paper bedding, so should be OK.
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It could be the hay, so perhaps try removing it if it is loose hay as it is the most likely thing in your hammy cage to cause sneezing. She might have something in her nose that she is trying to dislodge. Weighing her frequently is a good idea as a health check and monitoring her every day. But you are a very good owner and I am sure she is examined frequently. She sounds like a sweet little hammy, I hope she is OK.
 
The hay is a little Trixie Grass Nest for Rodents, I will try removing it to see if it will help her. I have removed one tunnel a few hours ago and it seems she may be feeling a bit better, however I will be keeping my eyes on her. I haven't thought about the weighing, that is something I will take into consideration, thank you!
 

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It's a pleasure. Keep us posted about how things are going ❤️
 
It's possible she has a respiratory tract infection and needs antibiotics. Especially if the skin isn't affected (as it can be with allergy).
 
This morning she seems to have stopped sneezing, however she could start again as she usually stops sneezing when sleeping or having just woken up. I ended up sending out a letter to a nearby vet clinic and now will be waiting to see if I can get an appointment for her this week.
 
Oh, I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. Getting a second opinion is a very good idea and sensible. I hope it goes OK. Keep us posted.
 
That's interesting it stops when she's sleeping. If it was respiratory you'd think it would happen in her sleep as well. It's possible it's a stress response to the life she has had up to now. I also think it's a good idea to get a second opinion though - a vet would probably give antibiotics as a precaution - maybe an injection or if not, some meds to give. It's sometimes very much trial and error with hamsters. If antibiotics work then it was infection, if they don't then you suspect allergy or psychological issues. You've mainly addressed allergy already as I can't see you have any allergens in her enclosure. It might be possible she has a food allergy. You could try giving her science selective pellets for a while instead of a muesli mix. But I'd still be inclined to get a second opinion first and see what the vet says.
 
I can add another note about the sneezing - she also stops doing so when eating with maybe one or two making it through. However, I am still going to try to get an appointment just for that second opinion to make sure her health is okay. Though while I wait for a response from the clinic I'll maybe try and see if changing her food will help.
 
That would be good, an expert vet will explain for more detail. I have a similiar case like you, Dumbo has been sneeze occasionally. So i remove possibility items or subtrate, where maybe contain some dust.
 
Small update, unfortunately I was unable to get a vet appointment for my hammy. They said since she is only sneezing, and also not constantly (with the gaps when eating and sleeping) that it shouldn't be anything bad and they also want to avoid giving her more stress as she's only been in a new home for a bit more than week. Her sneezing hasn't subsided still, though she seems to not be sneezing so much now when grooming too, however I will continue to monitor her health and see how things go. All the allergens have been removed from her cage (the food was changed and I also removed her sand bath as an extra measure even if it is stated to be dust free) and hopefully it passes and doesn't develop more. Thank you for the tips given and the extra notes of possible sneezing 'causes.
 
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Yes just see how it goes then :-) If she seems well enough in herself. It's possible she has caught a cold! They can catch colds and flu from humans. It'll give you time to see if the change of diet makes a different or not as well.

Looking forward to seeing more of her :-) It's great you've given her a home.
 
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