My Little Arro

[iamstuff]

My little Chinese Dwarf Hamster called Arro has a little cut on his head, he is alone in his cage so it can't have been from fighting. He's acting normal, I'm jus concerned, is there anything I should do? :sad:

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

Check everything in the cage to see if there are any sharp bits that he may have scratched himself on and remove them to stop him hurting himself any more, also check his claws arent too long encase he starts scratching it it and makes it worse.
Is the cut very big/deep? If it doesnt seem to be affecting him in anyway I wouldnt worry too much just keep an eye on it for infection and it should heal up in a few days. If you are really worried though a trip to the vet wont do any harm and he may be perscribed antibiotics if it looks bad. :)

[Eleanor]

Check if his claws are quite long, maybe he scratched himself while grooming?

[Vectis Hamstery]

Checking the cage and toys for sharp edges (including any 'doors' in houses) and claws are good ideas. I'd give Arro a general checkover - teeth, fur, etc. - and also monitor him for any scratching or itching.

Over the past 6 months, I've had 2 or 3 Chinese develop what looks like a bite on the backs of their necks/upper shoulders for no apparent reason (no cage mate or sharp toys/claws or other symptoms). After a few days in quarantine it settled itself with no intervention apart from me checking the area to make sure it was clean, dry and not red.

If the area doesn't heal or looks infected, or if your boy develops other symptoms then do get him checked by a vet. Paws crossed it'll heal itself.

[iamstuff]

Thankyou all so much, its not very deep, its starting to scab over so hopefully that means its healing itself. I took him out of his home today for a bit of floor time but he didnt seem to want to have a look around, he just kept going into my pocket, this isn't like him. But yes I shall check his cage for sharp edges, the only new thing in there is his den, so I will have to have a closer look at it :/

[racinghamster]

I hope your wee lad recovers on his own. What I would say, is don`t be tempted to apply any creams or powders to the wound as these can make them notice it more and start to scratch at it and lick at the ointment, which sometimes can lead to ingesting some of the ointment. If you ever need to wipe any blood away from an open wound, just use boiled, cooled water and salt (one pint water cooled to one teaspoon of salt). This makes a salt water saline solution that is totally safe. You should only use this though if you feel it`s necessary though using a cotton ball squeezed out.

I remember when I rehomed Prinny back in the summer and I noticed a split across the back of her head/neck area and I panicked thinking she had injured herself. There was absolutely nothing in her tank that could cause such an injury, so I put it down to the fact that she may have already had this before I took her on as she lived with another female who attacked her, so I was convince ths was more likely the cause.

Within a week of good diet and care, her fur grew over again and no notice of the wound was there. It went as quickly as it appeared.

What cage is your chinese in iamstuff?

[iamstuff]

racinghamster - he is in the Mini Duna Hamster Cage by Ferplast, I thought it would be the better option at the time, I thought he might escape from a wire cage. He's trying to clean it himself so shall I just leave it be and see if it's healed in a few days?

[racinghamster]

Yes, I would leave it and monitor the situation. Sometimes we intervene when it`s not required and as long as he`s eating, drinking and basically acting normally and doesn`t seem down or sleeps a lot, he shouldn`t be in any discomfort. He may be aware of it, but unless he scratches at it or irritates it (scabbing can cause itchiness), I wouldn`t try to clean it with saline unless you see a lot of blood. Saline is gentle and cleans away any debris witout being an irritant.

His cage sounds fine and the Duna should be safe enough. My chinese is housed in a Gabber Rex tank and she loves it. :) Plastic tanks are probaly the best option for Chinese hamsters unless the cage has very narrow bar spacing, but barred cages also allow the hamster to climb and they can drop from a height, so I much prefer to be safe and use a tank style.

What`s inside your Duna? I use a cardboard tea box for Prinny`s sleeping den with two doors cut into it! She had one of those small plastic things with a roof on it filled with that unsafe wool bedding when I rescued her so I binned that and use a large tea box now with bedding called `Petlife paper shavings`. It comes in strips or confetti and Pets At Home and other pet shops should sell this. I would say the confetti type is better than the strips though.

[iamstuff]

He has his bed which is made of plastic, it is filled with snug and cosy pet bedding and these strips of paper, I cant remember what they're called but P@H recommended it. He also has a cardboard egg box, half a coconut and a few cardboard tubes. He likes to snuggle under the coconut at the moment :) x

[iamstuff]

Update: Arro's head seems to be a lot better today. It's barely noticeable.. Im going to keep an eye just incase :) x

[Nush]

Iamstuff, keep us updated. If the injury doesn't heal or reoccurs then it would be cause for worry.

[racinghamster]

That`s good. Just make sure he doesn`t get overly disturbed during the day (unless he`s up and about) as I`m finding even chinese hamsters like a routine and like their sleep during the day! My female likes attention after 7:30pm ish.... and even then I let her run around my bed with fleecy blankets and soft furnishings. If she gets a bit aggitated, I let her hop into her fleece pocket toy and carry her gently back to her tank and let her scurry about, feeding her little hand-held treats. :)

Arro is still young, so it`s essential that he is allowed to sleep during the day, or at least, not disturb him while he is sleeping!

Hopefully his scab/skin will heal up well and his fur should grow as normal. Give him a sprinkle of dry porridge oats in his dish. ;) I use Tesco organic jumbo oats, Buckwheat and Kallo organic wholegrain puffed rice as healthy additions to Prinny`s mix and I feel these help when a small animal is in need of some extras. All are available from Tesco.