My dwarf hamster has really greasy fur?

Question

I've had my hamster for about half a month now, and when I bought him at the pet store, the hamster breeder was there, and when she was letting me hold him, she told me how his fur was greasy, because they just greased the wheels, to stop them from squeaking, and he was rubbing against it. I probably shouldn't have got him if he had a greasy coat, but he was so cute, and a really rare color. I told my mom about his fur, and she said he will be able to clean himself, and in a while his fur will be normal. Well, he spends like half of the day cleaning himself, and his coat is still greasy. How can I make his coat not greasy?

Answer 1

Most pet stores will sell small animal shampoos that you can safley bathe your hamster in it. A sandbath may be safe for a hamster but as they are NOT desert animals like chinchillas, degus, and gerbils and sand bath isn't natural for them. Bath your hamster in 2-2.5" of warm water NOT hot and gently wash his fur with the shampoo. Run another bath the same as the first and rinse ALL the shampoo away. If the environment is cool towel dry and if necessary blow dry on low from a distance so as not to over heat the hamster. If the area is warm towel dry him and return him to the cage ro play with him while he drys.

Answer 2

buy a sandbath. i think its called chinchilla sand? anyway its perfectly safe for hamster and its like a water bath for us. NEVER GIVE HIM A WATER BATH unless absolutly necessary. he could catch a chill and get a cold which is like a bad case of the flu  for us.

Answer 3

Well it is good that your hamster is making some effort to clean himself! That's a very good sign that he is healthy. Like humans, hamsters are supposed to have some oils in their hair.

You are NEVER supposed to give your hamster a bath in water, but all of the websites that I have looked at said that you can spot clean the hamster with a damp washcloth if your hamster has a substance on his fur that could be harmful.

Here is an article that I found on a very trusted website, www.hamsterific.com regarding bathing your hamster under extream conditions:

"Bathing removes natural and essential oils from the hamster’s coat, which can cause the hamster to catch a chill and die.

Bathing should only be done in exceptional circumstances, like if your hamster has paint, varnish or anything toxic on its coat that may harm it if it licks itself or ingests it. The hamster will clean itself if it is dirty and the substance is not toxic. Chinchilla sand will keep the coat clean and grease free. Normally there should be no need to bathe your hamster with water at all during the course of its life.

If your hamster does get toxic or harmful substances on its coat, then you must bathe it unless you are able to cut it out of the coat, e.g. if there is gum or something sticky, that can usually be cut out of the coat.

The best way to bath a hamster is this:

Get a bowl containing 2 inches of warm water. Test the temperature with your elbow to make sure it is not too hot or too cold.

Wet the hamster and gently rub it into the dirty area to cleanse it. Take extreme care not to let any water get near the nose, mouth, ears or eyes.

If your hamster has something particularly sticky that’s can’t be cut out in its fur, then you can use shampoo, but it must be baby shampoo. Again, make sure not to get it near the hamster’s face.

Carefully rinse out the shampoo, and place the hamster on a towel.

Dry very carefully; be careful of the hamster’s legs.

Then, get a hairdryer and put it on its lowest setting. Hold it very far from the hamster and always keep your hand between the dryer and the hamster to avoid burning the skin.

Wash your hamster on a warm day if possible to lessen chances of getting a chill.

Make sure the fur is completely dry before returning the hamster to its cage or the shavings will stick to the damp fur.

This is not a safe way to bathe a hamster. There are no safe ways to do it. So please do not wash your hamster if it smells or looks a bit grubby. Only if there is something toxic on the fur that cannot be cut off. This method carries the same risks as all others but this is the best way if you absolutely have to do it.

If your hamster smells bad, it may be sick and should be brought to the vet as soon as possible. To keep your hamster clean and healthy, make sure its living conditions are cleaned out regularly." - hamsterific.com

A safer methood of bathing a hamster would be to put out a hamster SAND bath .... NOT DUST!! dust can kill your poor hammy!! what i did was i went and bought a dog dish about 2 inches deep. fill the dish 1inch with sand and let ur hammy go wild! dont be discouraged if your hammy doesnt know what to do right away! the hamster will figure it out eventually!! =]

I recomend using the Sand bath before spot cleaning your hamster with water only becasue its safer.

Best of luck! =-D

Answer 4

Well, this may sound stupid but plug the sink up and the put some soap and water ( put a Little water because you don want it to drown ) in there and then get a cloth that your not using and wipe it until it doesn't fell greasy.

Answer 5

You Can:

Clean him with a damp warm flannel.

Or

You can spray him with a hamster disinfectant which you should be able to get at your local pet shop.

Or

You can buy some wet wipes specially for hamsters which you should also be able to get from your local pet shop.

Answer 6

I would take a towel and wipe of the greasey coat of your hamster. that might help.