Greasy Robo Dwarf Hamsters?

Question

I have had my hamsters for about 3 weks now. When I purchased thm at the pet store, the were nice a fluffy, but after about two days in my home, they became greasy. I tried many different things (adding more aspen, giving them vegitables, NOt giving them vegitables) and still they are greasy. They spend a lot of time in their wheel which is its own seperate compartment--would that have something to do with it? Anyway, I'm a first time hamster owner, and I am starting to gete worried.

Answer 1

Do you mean that their fur is greasy? I have had my Robo for 2 weeks. You should really take them to the Pet Store and see what they tell you. They are healthy when they have clear eyes, and clean fur. Is their wheel kind of dirty? That's how Billy, my Robo's wheel gets. But really, go to the pet store and ask about what could be causing that.

Answer 2

buy chinchilla 'sand' not dust cause its to fine and can cause breathing problems.

Pour a little in a dish and leave it in the cage, hamsters should roll around in this and this is called a bath. Never bathe a hamster in water, ever ever ever ever never ever.

Some people ignore this and they are completely stupid and are risking something called wet tail , a deadly sickness for hammys ( an extreme diarrhea) The person below who says shes works at pet smart doesn't realize what their doing..every time its done its a huge risk.. YOU should ONLY bathe your hamster in warm water if its got chemicals or sticky food or something stuck on its fur. Theres no safe way to bathe a hamster but should only be done if you must. Make sure your hamster is completely dry after if you have to and take a look at this article.http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniver...

Your hammys then will be nice and clean <3

Answer 3

They are running around in there p**p and pee.  I work at PetSmart and there is NOTHING wrong with you bathing them.  Warm water, make sure you keep the wheel clean, they are not human and don't jump out to pee or p**p.  They just run and go.  That is all that is wrong with your babies.  This happens when you put them in the wheels for outside the habitat as well.  Use a shampoo that is tear free.  Gosh people on here are so lame with answers.  Call any pet smart they will tell you the same.  I work for one and I work in the small animals section and I too have a greasy baby.

Answer 4

You can buy some chinchilla SAND (NO dust!) and put it in a bowl and put them in there. It should help. It makes their coat look better. Please don't buy chinchilla dust, it's not good for them!

Wet Tail is NOT caused by getting wet! It is a bacterial infection!

Answer 5

The primary reason for a hamster with greasy fur is the hamster's bedding not being changed frequently. The bedding should be atleast two inches thick to enable it to absorb odours. Use aspen shavings only for bedding since pine or cedar can cause problems to the hammy's skin. The hamster's bedding should be changed at least once a week.

Sometimes when one forgets to clean the cage, the hamster will look greasy so it's best to clean the cage more frequently (atleast once a week)

For nesting materials you should be using a paper based material such as unbleached or untreated toilet paper or shredded paper.

Hamster greasy fur could also be a sign of illness since  the hamster is too lethargic to clean its fur. If your hamster is lethargic, you should take it to the vet, since lethargy is a sign of a number of illnesses.

If the above possibilities are ruled out, you can relax since most probably the hamster is genetically inclined to have greasy fur, hence it is natural for it to sport greasy fur. Of course, a hamster with greasy fur looks just as cute as a hamster with fluffy fur.

Never bath them with water or shampoo to remove the greasy look, hamsters groom themselves well and bathing them will strip their skin off its natural oils making it more vulnerable to diseases. You can place a dish of good quality chinchilla sand in the cage for them to roll on and clean themselves, it is actually fun to watch them do this and can remove some of the greasy look from the skin.