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Took my Hamster to Rodent Vet and she did nothing, Can you Help?

• Trevor is 3 or even 3 1/2 year with a cage that equals to the size of a 30 gallon aquarium. He also has tons of Tubes. Fresh water every two weeks. Toy and tubes cleaned in dish washer and bedding changed once a month. For Two Months I switch to Timothy hay from Care Fresh Extra bedding. Both my mouse and Trevor were having health issues. SO I switch back. Also for the past three months I have been giving them Beni Bac which is a Natural bacteria thats clinically proven to reduce stress in Rodents Anyways Trevor the Russian Dwarf Hamster had what look like a small boil on his eyeball and his eye lid around the eye is puffy. Took him to the Vet today. His eye has been bad for 1week at most.The Vet said it was probably the hay or stress. I'm not sure how it could be stress when I was giving him that Beni Bac with his food. However I do have three cats and there huge cat condo was next to the Cages. They could not touch the cages but look down from the cat condo right into the cage. So I move that 3feet away today. I'm thinking it was the hay I got from walmart and I live in Phoenix down town Arizona which is not a clean place. Anyways I read long time ago that rodent bedding has been known to get infected with bacteria or insects. I'm think it was the bedding because my male mouse in two connecting separate cages from Trevor; had watery eyes and a small rash that I treated with Neosporin. My Male mouse is fine and the old kind of bedding which is the most expensive is working great for him now. So its not the level of care that's the problem unless it from incense or air fresheners that i sometimes carelessly spray over there cages when not paying attention rather than by the cages out of harms way. Was it this? There bedding is change every month, all the toys and tubes go in the dish washer. I use to use a little bleach but I wont risk that anymore even if it wasn't the cause. They eat fiesta mix which has pellets. Get fresh carrots or apples. Also I give them spring water by arrowhead because phoenix water makes me sick. His cage top is a screen and I wash the cages with a spray bottle that has half water and half vinegar. They are on top a gorrilla rack in the living room of a two be appt. Its in the cornner by the patio window but never on direct sun light. Also theres a celian fan that keeps the air fresh and cool so its not the desert heat and dryness affecting them. We have lived here for 10 months now this is the first time I'v had problems. Was it hay that cause his eye boil/swollen?I know my mouse was having watery eyes when i switch to hay. Or the Cats looking at the cage? Or my insence? Or do I just need to clean the stuff every two weeks? Will his eye get better? Any other meds than the beni bac I can give him? Remember I went to the vet and I swear I knew more than her and Yes she was suppose to be a vet for rodents. Will Carrots be the best natural med since they have victims that are great for eyes? I'm hugely into pets and giving them 5x space than needed. I have four aquaariums and done research on rodents many times. So I do great but any ideas on improvement I would love? I always plan on adopting more rodents after the old rodents dye. I would love to know how to Super avoide this happening again. Thanks. Give as much as info as possible. Oh ya can you feed the hamster Natural Balance Cat food thats Gluentien free with Natural chicken and peas in it? I know this cat food I swicth to has done wonders for our cats and is expensive but would be very good for Trevor if Hamster Safe. Thanks again!

• Answer:

  The problem with Trevor's eye was most likely caused by the hay. Rodents are very sensitive to their bedding, and their eyes are very succeptible to the dust in hay. I would suggest keeping to your original regimin. Rodents do not get infections from stress; I do not know why the vet would tell you this. Trevor just needs lots of water, healthy food and his original bedding.