3 days ago we got a new 4 month old hamster. One minute she

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3 days ago we got a new 4 month old hamster. One minute she seems fine and the next she starts this frantic type of rolling and rubbing all over the cage. She is eating playing and looks very healthy. We have only had 1 other hamster that we adopted when he was about one year old, tamed and very laid back, when he was about 2 1/2 I had him put down due to cancer. I put the new baby in his cage after cleaning etc. please help.

Optional Information:
Age: <1; Female; Breed: teddy bear hamster

Already Tried:
I switched from pine shavings to a recyled paper bedding 2 days ago that the pet shop recomended. /p>

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $10

What type of bedding is she on?

I am NOT, nor do I claim to be, a Veterinarian.
Always check with your vet for any symptoms your pet exhibits.

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Reply to Danielle's Post: she is now on the recycled paper. I was wondering if this could be stress related due to the new surroundings etc

My bad, I'm very sorry. I just noticed you posted what type of bedding she was on.

From the symptoms your hamster is presenting, she could be suffering from one of several different illnesses.

The first possibility is parasites, either on or under her skin. These would cause excessive itching, which would explain her rubbing on the cage.

Next, she could possibly have an allergy, possibly due to her bedding.

If she was on cedar or pine, this can not only cause severe respiratory distress in rodents and small animals, but can also be the cause of skin allergies.

Cedar contains toxic oils in the wood that can irritate and harm a rodents respiratory tract, as well as the lining on their lungs. It can can also irritate their skin, causing rashes, allergies, and loss of hair. Symptoms of allergies would be excessive itching, scratching, watery eyes, sneezing and flaky skin.

Pine also contains these same oils, but not as high of a concentration as cedar.

Since you've changed her bedding, the next possibility would be an inner ear infection. This would cause loss of balance, scratching at the ear, and their head will sometime wobble in an effort to straighten their vision.

In any case, I would advise you to take her to a vet experienced with rodents, so that they can diagnose and determine an appropriate course of treatment for her.

Hope this helps!

I am NOT, nor do I claim to be, a Veterinarian.
Always check with your vet for any symptoms your pet exhibits.

Please press Accept if you find my answer helpful.

It could *possibly* be due to stress, although I doubt it. Typically hamsters tend to hide or borrow in an effort to feel safe.

Stress to an new enviroment usually would not cause frantic rubbing on the cage, or running around in a panic as she is doing. The rubbing, especially, seems to be caused by an under-lying problem, such as allergies or a parasite.

Another possibility could be mites, which would also cause excessive itching.

Do you notice her scratching at all?

I am NOT, nor do I claim to be, a Veterinarian.
Always check with your vet for any symptoms your pet exhibits.

Please press Accept if you find my answer helpful.

Reply to Danielle's Post: thank you for your help today. There were things I noticed while I was at this pet store that should have been questionable to me. I went back to the store today and really checked/examined the animals they had and if I would have known then what I saw today I wouldn't have bought anything from this store. They have said they would take the hamster back and replace with another but my deal is if one in a large open cage repllacing would still give me the same problem. If they they just take the baby back I don't care about the money. What do you do about this situation. I saw one dwarf hamster that had what I thought a malignant tumer and asked about it and they replied it was his testicals and he was fime according to the manager. Unbelievable now, I was wanting to replace my 1st teddy with another healthy one and learned my 1st lesson buying a small rodent. We will be picking one up from Petsmart that we checked out today as soon as get the cage bleached out so to speak. I feel bad about taking blondie back to petland but after the vet bill from scooter's cancer and putting him down later my husband would shoot me if I took this to the vet to diagnose the problem. After having scooter for a 1 1/2 after adoption even my husband loved him and was okay with the $$$ but a new unhealthy one from the petshop. Our hamster days might be over.
thanks
Cathy

Cathy, unfortunately, you really must watch purchasing rodents from pet stores. I know here in Louisiana, I have come across many animals that I would have loved to adopt, but upon further inspection, many were teeming with mites, lice, wet tail, upper respiratory infections, cancers, and who knows what else.

This is in part due to the fact that all the animals in most pet stores are housed in one main unit, which is seperated only by plastic or glass. All the air and ventilation still passes through each tank, so whatever one tank may have, the other is likely to catch it.

I, too, feel unfortunate that you have to bring Blondie back, but if you are unable to endure another round of vet bills, it may be the only solution.

When you pick up your new little hamster, just check him over very well before even leaving Petsmart.

Here are some signs and symptoms you should look for:

Make sure he is active and alert. Make sure his eyes are bright, and his/her coat is full and vibrant, not dull or have any missing patches, thin spots, or dull spots. Also check to make sure he/she is not scratching or itching.

When they let you hold the hamster, check its rump. Make sure there is no feces caked to it, as that's an indication of Wet Tail (number one symptom is severe diarrea), which is very deadly. Hold it for a minute and make sure you see that it is breathing okay; no wheezing, gasping, shortness of breath, and no crackles in his/her chest.

Most importantly, check all out the hamsters in that same tank very well. Make sure none of them are presenting with any of the symptoms that I listed above. If you need to, ask to hold each one in the tank that he/she is housed with, so that you can thoroughly inspect them. If they are sick, yours will most likely be too, even if he/she is not presenting symptoms yet.

If all this checks out fine, you should, hopefully, be bringing home a healthy little addition to your family.

Good luck, I truly hope all this helps, and that your new little addition to your family will be happy and HEALTHY!

I am NOT, nor do I claim to be, a Veterinarian.
Always check with your vet for any symptoms your pet exhibits.

Please press Accept if you find my answer helpful.

Reply to Danielle's Post: thank you for all your help

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3 days ago we got a new 4 month old hamster. One ...

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