my hamster has this small bump near her mouth. it is starting to lose hair around it so it is kind of pink. i dont know if it is bothering her or if its painful. do you know what it is? can i fix or cure it?
2007-07-13 09:43:25 · 11 answers · asked by Krissy 2 in Pets ➔ Rodents
my hamster is about 8 or 9 monthes old.
2007-07-13 10:03:23 · update #1
it could be a tumor, i would bring it to the vet!
2007-07-13 09:45:21 · answer #1 · answered by clydey626 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Abscesses occur when a bite, scratch or wound becomes infected and pus forms under the skin resulting in a lump. Often the bite or scratch may go unnoticed. Indeed by the time the lump is noticed the bite or scratch which originally became infected may have healed so it is often difficult to establish whether the lump is an abscess or a tumour.
If a bite or scratch can be seen on the lump then it is almost certainly an abscess. An abscess will require the pus to be drained and a course of antibiotics may be needed to treat the infection and so veterinary treatment must be sought. In extreme cases it may be necessary to visit the vet regularly as the pus may need to removed more than once whilst the infection clears.
Some abscesses may burst and this can increase the chances of infection making the hamster very ill. Therefore even if an abscess should burst before you have the opportunity to take the hamster to a vet it is still advisable to seek veterinary advice as antibiotics may still be required to help fight the infection even if drainage of the abscess is not required.
Sharp objects or pieces of food that the hamster stuffs in its cheek pouches may pierce the lining of the pouch and become stuck. This in turn can cause the pouch to become infected and an abscess to occur. This can initially be mistaken for the hamster carrying food or bedding in its cheek pouch as the cheek pouch area is swollen. However, if the hamster seems to continuously have its cheek pouches full it may be that the pouches are impacted or an abscess within the cheek pouch has occurred and veterinary advice should be sought.
Hamsters usually recover from abscesses well and fairly quickly when treated.
2007-07-14 18:02:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you can't fix or cure it by yourself because a) you don't know what it is and b) you're not a vet.
Take the hamster to a vet. It could be mites, it could be a tumour. Could even be an abscess. Vets can deal with these things.
Chalice
2007-07-13 16:58:39 · answer #3 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if its teeth are over grown it could swell an area. so that might be the reason for the bump. maybe its loosing hair because your hamster doesn't have anything to chew so its chewing on bars. which could result in hair loss. but my best suggestion is that you see your local vet.
2007-07-13 16:51:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How old is your hamster? They only live like 2 years. If it is loosing fur, then maybe it is getting old and is about to go. :(
2007-07-13 16:47:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My brother has 2 hampsters and the guy at the pet store said that hampsters get tumors soooooo easily. I bet thats it. You could try taking him to the vet.
2007-07-13 16:47:11 · answer #6 · answered by Jocelyn 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is probably infected, is there any way she could have been bitten by anything? Nolvasan is what we use for animal sores.
2007-07-13 16:48:41 · answer #7 · answered by snakenhunter 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my hamster had something like that once before--it was a sign of cancer.
2007-07-13 17:05:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'd take it to the vet to see what it is, and see if you can fix it
2007-07-13 17:59:59 · answer #9 · answered by d_wart3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a herpes sore. I'll bet you have a brother...see if he has been spending any time alone with your little furry.
2007-07-13 16:47:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋