Scab on Hammy

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 05-25-2015, 04:47 AM

Aria seems to have developed a scab within the past 24-48 hours.

With some team effort, my boyfriend and I managed to get a picture. The scab is around her right hip.

She doesn't really seemed bothered by it and didn't mind me feeling her scab.

So I'm wondering if this is something that I should be worried about. I'm going to check her cage for anything sharp, although I don't place sharp things in there. I'll also keep an eye on her weight and the scab itself. So are there any red flags that I should look out for other than a change in weight or if the scab gets worse?

INFO:
Weight: 257g-258g
Age: about 8 months
Humidity in room: 45%

Had some celery and watermelon yesterday, other than that her diet has stayed the same. Activity level seems the same as well. Other than that nothing much has changed. No sign of mites on her. As you can see, there isn't any fur loss either.

pumpkin123 · 05-25-2015, 04:51 AM

Hi im not an expert but im guessing it could be a scent glands. Syrian scent glands are located on the hamsters hips, some people do worry that these are lumps or cuts on the hamster but are perfectly normal so not to worry.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 05-25-2015, 05:11 AM

It's not exactly on her hip. I had to reach under her leg a bit to take the picture.

Somewhere around this area:

pumpkin123 · 05-25-2015, 05:17 AM

Oh okay im guessing now from the info you have given me its not scent glands so I could be that you have some parasites in her cage that have caused scabbing and bitten her but I believe that she would have more scabs if this was true. So it could be that she has caught it on something sharp.

pumpkin123 · 05-25-2015, 05:19 AM

Id say its just a scab and nothing to worry about but as im not an expert then don't take my word for it but hope that someone who is more of an expert will reply

racinghamster · 05-25-2015, 05:23 AM

If Aria is a Syrian hamster and the scent gland has been ruled out, it could be anything. But skin tumours do occur in hamsters so keep a close eye on it for any growth, colour change or weeping. If it changes in shape or starts to get lumpy, I would consult your vet. x

pumpkin123 · 05-25-2015, 05:25 AM

I was going to say that but didn't want to rush into it as Im not an expert haha so sorry for my false comments but I agree with racinghamster

racinghamster · 05-25-2015, 05:32 AM

I`m no expert either pumpkin, just going with what instinct tells me and taking an educated guess, but only a vet could give a professional diagnosis. x

pumpkin123 · 05-25-2015, 07:40 AM

Yh exactly haha

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 05-25-2015, 12:42 PM

Hmm, ok, I will keep a very close eye on her.

I took her out the two nights ago and she didn't have anything there. Would skin tumors grow this quickly?

She does have some hay mats in the cage, she did, I took them out last night. The hay is sharp around the edges and it's the only thing that she has that was sharp. She also likes to climb so perhaps she fell onto the mat at where she was climbing, slipped and cut herself. I didn't find any blood though.