Hamster loosing fur, infection and now has a lump

Angelat264 · 06-18-2017, 04:09 PM

Hi, my hamster Bernard is around a year and a half now. A few weeks back I took him to the vet as he has been loosing fur on his belly area quite rapidly. Initially I thought it was due to scratching from the wheel. His skin got infected and so he got treated with antibiotics, the vet believed it could be due to mites which was then treated too. Since then he has lost more fur, on his legs too and has no fur left in the belly area. Although his infection has cleared up, the skin isn't looking much better, he keeps itching which is causing bleeding and I have now noticed he has a fairly large lump on his armpit on the front paws. He seems to be eating and drinking fine but isnt as active as he used to be. He never used to bite but he bites now too whenever I try to handle Him, it seems to me like he is in a lot of pain

Please advise me on what I should do, I'll not be able to bring him to the vet again until Friday, and to be honest, the vet doesn't seem to have much of a clue as to what's wrong with him

CMB · 06-22-2017, 12:41 PM

What substrate do you have in the cage? It's could be your hamster is allergic to the substrate.

You could try changing the substrate. Another vet visit is a good idea. You may have to find a different vet. As some are better with hamsters than others.

Crystalroborovski · 06-22-2017, 03:15 PM

Hmm. As CMB said he could be allergic to the substrate.

I suspect maybe Cushing's disease? It's a genetic disease. The skin will have a darker pigment, a lot of hair will fall out and the skin will get very dry, crack and bleed. Also as the disease progresses hamsters may develop fluid filled sacs on their bodies. Unfortunately there is no cure, and sometimes if it gets too severe it is best to have the hamster's suffering ended (pts). Have you noticed his skin getting darker or not?

Sorry to end with such a sour note, it's just what I suspected. However, the lump could be an abscess or cancer. Is it squishy (or squishy looking) or hard? If it's squishy it could just be a pus-filled abscess but if it's hard I would suspect a tumor. He could have gotten an abscess from the infection.