Please Help! Dwarf Hamster "scab"

[lizmac]

NOTE: I will be seeing a vet as soon as possible but I live on the east coast so the storm right now has shut down everything.

[PICTURE ATTACHED]

I have two russian robo dwarfs that have been raised together since birth. This morning, I noticed a sort of balding patch on the smaller ham. Right on her rump is a small patch where her fur isn't really growing. The texture of her skin looks almost like a scab.

I *think* her more aggressive/territorial sister got too rough with her and bit, but the area looks bigger than what a hamster could do?

The injured hamster lets me examine the area and doesn't seem to be in any pain right now- making me think it could be mites (but then her sister would have similar issues) or maybe dried feces on her fur (but the cage is very clean so i don't know.)

She is a very active little girl who gets into EVERYTHING so maybe her fur got caught or she somehow hurt herself.

As of right now I have separated the sisters and I think for safety's sake they are done living together.

Has anyone seen this before? I am really worried.

If you think you know what this might be and want to see some better pictures, let me know and I can try to get a better shot.

[Shana]

Have you noticed her chewing on that area at all? Sometimes a smaller wound becomes itchy as it heals, the hamster chews on it to scratch, and this results in a larger wound. In general, is her behavior the same as usual?

It's good that you separated them. If her sister is the more dominant/aggressive one there's a decent chance that she could have caused this, and there's no sense in risking any more injury.

This storm is not fun! Taking her to the vet when it ends is a good idea. It doesn't look like something that's going to change much overnight, and if she's behaving normally I'd try not to worry. Easier said than done, of course!

[cypher]

I think you've done the right thing separating them, it's hard to tell if it could be from fighting or from another cause but better to be safe.
It doesn't look too serious in the photo but worth a vet check to be sure so I hope you can get there OK.

[racinghamster]

You won`t need a vet. That looks suspiciously like bites on the rear from her cage mate and luckily you separated just in time before this escalated. So well done for using your intuition. They will be fine separated. You can swab the wound with plain salt water if you feel it`s bloodied or requires a little clean up, but they usually heal fine. x

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi lizmac and welcome to HC.
I've seen news and America's been hit pretty hard with snow.
You did the right thing seperating them and like racing hamster mentioned it does look like bites from the other dwarf. Keep an eye on it but, I think it'll heal quickly now they're seperated.