Male Hamster's testicles turning blue?

[nnaann]

I have a male syrian hamster, who is about 2 1/2 years old. He spends most of the time he's awake outside of his tank, so I'm naturally able to pick up on any changes/medical problems with him.

Over the last 48 hours, a small blue patch on each of his testicles have spread, and now both look mostly that colour. I've researched this thoroughly online, but can't find something that is relevant to him. Both testicles are affected, and I can't feel any lumps, which seems to rule out a testicle tumour. Another common problem can be a growth on the abdomen, which can prevent blood circulation, however I was able to gently press against his stomach, and again couldn't feel anything. I'm unsure whether organ failure is a possibility, as he is completely normal aside from this problem, and there aren't any noticeable differences in his breathing/sleeping/general behaviour. It's also important to know that neither of his testicles have swelled in size, which is usually linked to various conditions.

I know a lot of people will tell me to seek a vet's advice, and taking him to one or paying for the medical care isn't a problem. However, I have a lot of experience with taking pets to vets, and they are often given a misdiagnosis or poor medical care. Chip (the hamster in question) had a tooth trimmed about a year ago by a vet, as his other one broke, and he reacted badly to the smell/presence of other dogs and cats there. His body behaviour showed that he was clearly stressed, and taking into account his age, this isn't something I want to put him through unless it's absolutely essential. I'm 99% sure that he doesn't have a tumour, and the only other potential possibility seems to be an organ failure, which a vet wouldn't be able to help anyway.

I just wanted to post this here, and ask for other people's opinions, or to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I did wonder whether this was due to being in the middle of Spring, and that it might be nothing to worry about.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

[samzyzg]

I'm afraid i have no idea =/ I'm just commenting to bump up the thread so that more will see it and hopefully someone will be able to help.. I wish the best for him, and hope that someone can help and if not I think a vet would be the only answer. But i'm still glad to hear that he's acting normal.

[nnaann]

Thanks - I think I'll just have to keep an eye out for any changes, and see if I notice any other symptoms emerging.

[Lynternette]

I've Googled this and come up two opposite answers. One says its completely normal and the other there's a problem and take him to the vets. Sorry I can't help.

[Lougarry]

Would the vet give you any telephone advice?

[souffle]

He is a fabulous age now. He must have been well cared for.
I have a couple of thoughts in view of the lack of swelling or general illness that you would expect if it was orchiditis or a tumour.
Heart failure is inevitable in older animals and as the heart muscles weaken the heart is less able to pump blood around the body and the abdomen and extremities tend to take on a bluish tinge due to the unoxygenated blood down there. Do his feet feel cold at all? Unfortunately nothing can be done for this is an older hamster except to reduce excercise levels to lessen the strain on the heart. He may be best resting a bit more in his cage during his retirement!
They can get a prolapse of the bowel into the scrotal sac however this is a painful illness and I would think he would appear very unwell with this. If swelling does appear then he really needs seen.
He could have bruised the area superficially during a fall and it will take time for the bruising to heal. Again I would rest him and stop him clambering around too much.
Check his wet corner for signs of blood in the urine in case of bladder stones or infection. He will need seen if you find any blood as it may be treatable with antibiotics.
It does not sound like a melanoma or skin condition if it appeared very very quickly but always worth checking every avenue.
I hope he settles down and it causes no further problems. At this age I would also be wary of stressing the hamster with the vets however best err on the side of caution if you thing he is in pain at all or that it looks like it is worsening or could be treaded.
Hope that helps.

[nnaann]

Thanks to everyone who posted, it's a big help!

Souffle - I checked on him today, and his abdomen has started to turn a similar colour, so I suspect that it is poor blood circulation, caused by his heart. His feet don't feel cold yet, but as this has only happened over a few days, that could change relatively quickly. He doesn't really match the signs for anything else, and although I was hoping that it could be bruising as well, his abdomen means that's unlikely now.

My brother and I spend a lot of time with him, outside of a hamster ball or his tank, which might partly be the cause here, although I'd much rather he had a better quality of life. He likes to 'explore' different rooms which we hamster proof, and he often climbs up stairs, sofas or the radiators which must put a lot of strain on his heart. I noticed in the last few weeks that he stops to take a breather after climbing something tall, and although I assumed it was just a sign of old age, perhaps that was his heart getting weaker.

It's hard because although I want to try and get him to become less active, he enjoys it so much that I don't want to swing too far the other way! I think I'll have him out of his tank in 30 minute bursts, and replace the wheel in his tank for a digging box, so he still has some form of entertainment.

Do you have any experience with hamsters who had similar problems, and how long they were able to live for afterwards? Is it a condition that can be managed, provided that he doesn't stay as active, or could it get a lot worse over the next couple of weeks?

This is all so hard, because he's my longest living hamster and I know that he's at the age where something can quickly snowball into a life threatening situation, but I still feel like it's too soon .

[souffle]

I'm afraid that when heart failure reaches the stage of the blueness on the abdomen it is usually quite advanced. The breathlessness also points to this being the cause. It is hard to tell but it is usually a matter of months / weeks we are talking rather than years and strain can cause a heart attack.
If he were mine it would be my choice to let him continue to enjoy life as much as he wants and keep up a normal routine though I'd perhaps not let him stair climb. I'd rather have fun and go quickly myself x
Enjoy these twilight times but be prepared that at his advanced age they are indeed this and enjoy each day as it comes.
Keep having fun Chip !

[nnaann]

I really appreciate all the help you've given me, I spent so long researching similar cases on the internet without being able to figure out what the problem was, but at least I know now what we're dealing with.

His abdomen is purple in small patches, but it generally looks alright, and he isn't particularly breathless, so I think (and hope) we have a while yet. It's hard to let him run about, knowing the damage it's doing to his heart, but he enjoys it so much that I'd feel really bad taking it away from him! He's the oldest hamster I've ever owned, and it's best to let him go out doing something he loves.

One positive from this experience is that finding out about his illness early means that I can spend a lot of time with him, and enjoy the time we have left .

Thanks again, you've helped me out so much.

[Humphrey the Hamster]

Hi, sorry to bring this back up, but my hamster is going through something similar right now. he has blue balls and cold feet and keeps falling asleep for a minute randomly which may mean he’s breathless. he is s 2 and a half syrian hamster too. is it likely he is having heart failure? i don’t want to bring him to the vet if this will stress him out and they can’t help much. if you could help in any way by telling me how you helped your hamster in this time i’d appreciate any help so much??