Does your hamster have the sniffles or is he sneezing?

Sneezing and sniffling typically signals some sort of respiratory condition. Most assume those are symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, but it could be a common cold or even pneumonia.

Most mammals can develop a cold, hamsters included. So if you’re not careful during the winter months, you not only have to worry about getting sick yourself, but you should be keeping a close eye out on your pets as well.

In this article, learn about the causes, signs, treatment, and prevention for a hamster cold.

Like a human cold, hamster colds are contagious. This means that your hamster can catch a cold from you. If you’re sick, you’ll want to make sure that you take your medication so that you can heal. But while you’re battling a cold, it’s best to stay distant from your pet so that he doesn’t get sick too.

Other causes include:

• If the cage is in a cold or drafty room.
• If you’ve given him a bath but you don’t dry him fully.
• If he likes to sleep underneath his water bottle.
• If you don’t use a water bottle and he drinks from a water bowl, this can be a cause as well, as the water may spill.

Although the signs and symptoms may vary, here are some more common ones:

• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Sniffling
• Half-closed, watery eyes
• A warm body temperature
• Thirst
• The ears are laid back
• Lack of activity
• Fatigue
• Discharge from the eyes and the nose
• Matted or un-groomed fur
• He’s curled up in a ball, most often in the corner of the cage

If the cold is severe because it has gone unnoticed for a while, you may see the following signs:

• Lethargy
• Noticeable sneezing and sniffling
• Refusal to eat or drink
• Shivers
• Weight loss
• Very matted and unkempt fur

Once you’ve discovered your hamster is sick, you’ll want to get him treated as soon as possible, or it can develop into pneumonia or even bronchitis. The latter are not nearly as easy to treat.

A vet can best diagnose and come up with a treatment plan, so you should seek veterinary assistance. Most will prescribe an antibiotic to help aid the symptoms. However, much like how it is in humans, there’s no cure for the common cold in hamsters.

You will also want to try some of the following suggestions:

• Keep the hamster warm. You may want to consider putting a heating pad under the enclosure. It’s best to find one that is chew-proof in the case that there’s a spurt of energy and the cord or pad is being gnawed on.
• Make sure that the cage is in a warm, dry, and drought-free area.
• Disinfect the cage, water bottle, food dish, and any toys in the cage.
• Change the bedding to new, clean bedding.
• Consider preparing a drink of warm milk, water, and a teaspoon of honey. If he won’t drink from the bottle, get a small syringe or eye dropper and drop a few drops in the mouth. Try this for a few days.
• Set up a Vicks humidifier in the same room. Keep it out of reach from the hamster, but close enough so that he can breathe in the Vicks. This will help with breathing and aid any congestion.

If your hamster has a severe cold, it is essential that you go see a vet for antibiotics.