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[liquorlyles]

what do people do regarding giving hamsters baths? i've read its not a good idea because theyre so small and they could catch cold super easy, but ive had to give tubby one (a few months ago) because in his ball he decided to pee and roll around in it (gotta love him), and to be honest right now, his cage is always kept clean he just smells kind

Comments

[lightfromlight]

Some people will say to use dust baths no matter what, and to never put a hamster in the water. I don't buy it. I've always bathed my hamsters when absolutely necessary, and my dwarf doesn't understand the chinchilla bath concept at all.

Sometimes you just have to bathe 'em...my old Syrian chewed his own tail off and his whole rear end was soaked with blood. I had no choice but to wash him with warm water and antibacterial soap, and he lived for almost three years after that incident...just make sure your home is nice and warm, and give him a good cuddle with a clean towel to make sure he's not too wet.

[stephyski]

I'm a bad one, I usually give Peach baths every few weeks when she really starts to stink (we live in a very small dorm room, so a little smell goes a long way x_x) Usually when she smells of pee. Or, I've had incidents like yours where the little brat was running in her ball and decided to pee along the way >< What a mess!

I usually draw a warm (not too hot) bath in the sink and let her swim around for about 5 minutes. If necessary, I rub some baby shampoo in her fur and wash it out gently and thoroughly. I've seen small animal shampoo at the pet store as well, but never tried it. I've never had problems. Just be sure the hammy is kept warm, and I never let Peach back into her cage until shes totally dry. About 30 minutes of cuddling and rubbing gently with a towel does the trick ^^

[blob]

I've never bathed a hamster before (because I've never needed to) but I would consider it if my hamster were to get really dirty. Once I "bathed" Tom with a wet cloth when he got some hair reduction cream on him. (Long story!)

Like the others have said, just make sure the room you're in is very warm and that you have a warm towel to dry him off. I think you can get special shampoo for small animals but I'm not sure. I think the most important thing is that you stay with him until he's completely dry, i.e. by patting him in a towel to keep him warm. If you put him back into his cage when he's still wet, he could easily catch a chill. As long as you sit with him in a nice warm room and keep him warm until he's dry, I don't really see the problem.

[missrwildes]

I've bathed my Syrian on occasions without problems... he actually LIKES the water and enjoys a swim every now and then. Fluffing him dry with a towel afterwards proves to be surprisingly easy and he dries quickly.

[wynky]

I've had to bathe my dwarf on occaision - she definitely doesn't like it, but hey, we keep her warm and she gets to play under Daddy's shirt for a while until she dries off.

Sometimes it's necessary and if you take the necessary precautions, it's do-able.