Why is my hamster weezing?

Question

My hamster is running on her wheel right now. But then she stops and just lay's there and weezes like she can't breath. Do you know whats wrong with her? I gave her apple and she never had it before would that be it? What do i do with her just leave her or what? Im kinda scared cause what if she isn't okay. But she isnt acting weird, I took her out for awhile and she was running around on my desk. And she has fresh food and water.

Answer 1

I accidentally did this to my son's hamster (put the wrong kind of bedding in her cage).  Clean the cage immediatly washing all componets, remove all bedding.  Buy some fresh thyme (an herb) hold the hamster and crush the thyme under it's nose, allowing it to breath in the scent.    You can also make some tea out of the thyme by boiling some water and letting some of the sprigs soak in it.  Then use a medicine dropper to slowly give very small amounts of the tea.  Also put some of the thyme around in the frest good bedding.  This is an amazing trick and naturally makes breathing pasages open.  I did it for mine and it brought her back from the brink of death.

Answer 2

take he or she to a docter this happened to my rabbit before it was because it hadnt eatin for almost a few days...

Answer 3

Take out the pine bedding IMMEDIATELY.  Replace it with paper towels or tissue paper.  DO NOT WAIT to take out the pine bedding!  Every second on that bedding could be making her condition worse!  It would be better if she had to deal with paper towels as bedding for a few hours (before you can get to a vet) than breathing in all that pine.

Answer 4

Hammies get breathing problems sometimes, sounds like a bad cold.....wheezing is NOT normal.

Take her to the vet, he will put her on antibiotics.

Also, never use pine, redwood, or any shavings, like cedar...the oils and scent in these woods make hamsters very sick.

Use  Kaytee "Softsorb", or Kaytee "Aspen" bedding....

These don't have smells that can irritate the throat or respiratory system...Good luck with her.  

Also, Hamsters like birds and other small animals don't show signs of illness until it is usually too late, it is an instinct, to "pretend" they feel good, and are healthy....otherwise in the wild, a predator would grab them.

Answer 5

It's quite possible it's the pine bedding.  It's not the pine itself, but the oils and other additives that can cause illness and allergies.  No matter what, cedar bedding will make them sick and possibly kill them.  

Maybe take out all of the bedding and just give her paper towel or toilet paper to use for now.  Go and get some of that "fluff" bedding at the pet store and see if she does better with that.