Why is my hanpster so stinky?

[Frostking9]

HEY! WHY IS MY HAMPER SO STINKY?!?!?!.... I feed her lab pellets and she has a kinda fresh bedding :) .....IT HAS A VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY STRONG SMELL OF THE LAB PELLETS!!!! FROM LIKE 1 FEET AWAY FROM THE CAGE IT STINKS! :eek: PLEASE HELP ME MAKE IT NON-STINKY!!!!!!!!!

[TobyRat]

Female hamsters give off a pretty bad smell when they're in heat. Do you think this is what could be happening? What type of lab pellets do you feed her? I would probably change her diet to a high quality seed mix, but I've heard lab blocks can be ok too.

[Frostking9]

Ok... Thanks for the info toby.... but its SERIOUSLY COLD HERE!!!!!!! its like really cold... im so cold that my nose is cold and im wearing 2 shirts........its like 45 degrees outside..... and no aircondittioning on too...sooo she might not be in heat.... or so you said. Also i do not have any other food to feed her or so i think.... she is around 3-4 months old... dwarf hampster.... is there any other information about this stinky situation...?

[TobyRat]

I think you've misunderstood me. When a hamster goes into "heat" (about every 3-4 days) it means they will be able to become pregnant if they mate with a male. Within this time they can give off a yucky smell. I've only noticed this in Syrian hamsters though, but I wouldn't be suprised if dwarfs could smell too.

But now often do you clean the cage? What type of cage is it? Also, you said you thought the food smelled? Maybe take the bag of hamster food and smell it to see if it's the same smell.

[PetLuver21257]

Yes, like TobyRat said, smell the food, tell us what kind of cage and bedding you have and how often you clean it thouroghly.

I own a female dwarf and she doesn't smell at all! I think that it is just old bedding or something...

[yodelinghamster]

lol! That was pretty funny toby and frost! Oh and just wondering how old are you Frostking9?

[Frostking9]

not really old... and also thanks for the info toby... im goin to clean it today and its was around a week since i cleaned it... heres the url for my tite hamster...
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Frostking9/DSC02348.jpg

[PetLuver21257]

Well, from the picture, it looks like you need to clean out her food bowl!!! There is some gunk in there! Also, maybe you should get her some regular hamster food like that has sunflower seeds and seeds, and dried carrots in it. Like Fiesta food for example.

Or like this food:
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/07/18/59/32/0007185932210_215X215.jpg

[Frostking9]

thanks, and the gunky stuff is a little bit of bedding in the water... anyways i took that pic like yesterday :)

[PetLuver21257]

oOo so that's a water bowl!

Ah, I thought that it was it's food bowl, you should get a water bottle! They are pretty cheap, like $4.

[yodelinghamster]

No offence but you need to do a lot of studing. You shouldn't have gotten a hamster. You think she is a syrian, she isn't, you are useing the wrong bedding, you are useing a bowl (big no-no) and you don't know how to clean out a hamster cage do some cramming now! Don't let your hamster get sick!

You NEED to:
1. Get a water BOTTLE
2. Get carefresh or aspen bedding (or yesterdays news, corn cob, or carefresh ultra, though aspen or carefresh are prefered)
3. Learn about hamster illnesses and how to cure and prevent them (This is almost a never ending thing, but don't take it lightly)

Those are the 3 MOST IMPORTANT things you should do, if you need more I can give them to you but the things you need to do now will take a while. (Well the learning will at least)

[Frostking9]

Is Pine bedding good? Also this is my first hamster, my teacher game her to me

[dwankrista]

my god no, get rid of the pine! pine and cedar are toxic to small animals and can cause serious illness and/or death! also, you seriously should have researched the animal before bringing it home. :(

[TobyRat]

Is Pine bedding good? Also this is my first hamster, my teacher game her to me
Re-read yodelinghamster's post for a list of safe beddings. Pine can be dangerous to small animals, like hamsters. And like I asked before, what type of lab blocks do you feed her?

[BearStepinHoley]

Lmao that post was hilarious, you really shoundn't have a ham, obviously you know nothing.

[0OoAshleyoO0]

haha.. lmao.. i just laughed soo hard.. how old are you? you shouldnt be owning a hampster by yourself if you dont understand anything about it. seriously, i feel bad for her. like you could think that she meant that it was too hot. you really should find that hampster a better home, and maybe rethink owning another one until you know how to be responsible with it.

[yodelinghamster]

How old are you? What is your hamster's name? Also, did you almost copy my waffle idea/obbsession in your signature? lol

[yodelinghamster]

Oh and if anyone get confused I was talking to Frostking9. I am sorry I forgot to metion his name in the last post. :o

[SweetlilMarce]

Lmao that post was hilarious, you really shoundn't have a ham, obviously you know nothing.


You all don't have to be so mean.

So he didn't do research. He's on here asking.

get over yourselves. who gives you people the right to talk to someone like that?

I can't imagine you all are inredible pet owners yourself. he came on here for advice, not to be yelled at by kids.

[PetLuver21257]

NO PINE NO PINE! I explain everything in the post below!

[PetLuver21257]

NO PINE!! No yesterday's news either yodelinghamster, the ink is bad for them! This is what happens if your hamster is allergic to pine bedding:

http://www.trigene.com.tw/dermato/TMAC/HCA3.JPG

Get a water bottle
Get aspen or Carefresh bedding
Get regular hamster food (with seeds and stuff)

Please, before you get a hamster, do a TON of research on the little guys! And if your teacher gave it to you, just kindly say, I have to do some research on them first, sorry. But other than the water bottle, the bedding, and the hamster food, your hamster looks pretty healthy...

But seriously, if you change everything we tell you to change, your hamster will be happy and healthy! Take our advice for the well-being of your hamster!

[yodelinghamster]

^ That is basicly what I said...

Marce, if that was directed to me, I am sorry I am getting worked up. The point is he is not taking our advice that is why I am getting mad. He says things like "is pine ok" after 5 people told him it wasn't! He is not getting it.

[yodelinghamster]

Oh and petluver you obviously don't know what yesterday's news is. Go look it up, it is a bedding and it is good for them. :)

[PetLuver21257]

yodelinghamster LMAO!!!!

THAT IS FUNNY!!!
I am sorry, I though that you were saying newspaper!! LOL! Sorry for acusing you! :p :D

[yodelinghamster]

lol it is ok! Just thought I'd let you know nicely. The same thing happened to me too! That is until I saw it at the pet store I go to, then was like "oh duh!" Yeah it was pretty funny!!

[PetLuver21257]

Ok, good, I don't like getting into arguments on here! It gets very nasty sometimes!

[hitbystars]

How old are you???

[yodelinghamster]

Me? I am 14. I know, I am young... I have had lots of people not take my advice on animals just considering that factor.

[hitbystars]

Nah I was asking the topic starter..

I knew what "in heat" meant when I was 7 years old.. given I had a female dog.. but still. My parents told me to learn about dogs at the library when we got her, and I did. She is still living fine (despite a mange mite skin problem) 13 years later.

[Frostking9]

im 12 .....

[azarathzinthos]

I'm 14 Going To 15 In 16 Of January ( Yupi!!! Hahaha)

[HandcuffedAngel]

I still don't like the idea of a hamster being on Yesterday's News.

This child is obviously young and uneducated ... I hope the mother of the house knows more.

[HandcuffedAngel]

I also get wondering why people think hamster is spelled "h-a-m-p-s-t-e-r". There is definitely no "p" in hamster. There never was, and there never will be.

[BearStepinHoley]

I also get wondering why people think hamster is spelled "h-a-m-p-s-t-e-r". There is definitely no "p" in hamster. There never was, and there never will be.
lmao that bugs me so much >.>;;

anyways, do more research or she won't be living a happy and healthy life

[LMDH]

Back to all seriousness, the guy has a genuine problem here.

Some good advise is in those posts (somewhere....)

My main worry is that your hamster may have diabetes. It is common in the type of hamster that you have and it does create a nasty smell in the urine.

You need to get a water bottle asap so you can monitor how much water the hamster is drinking. Diabetes is often linked to excessive drinking. This is a problem that will need a lot of attention if the hamster does have the condition.

It could also just be smelling as water goes off when left. If you have a water bowl in the cage you must clean the cage daily as water gets spilled into the bedding. If you leave it for a week then the bedding will smell quite bad.

Please let us know how the hamster is.