Robo foot injury

LazyHarpSeal · 09-29-2017, 09:28 AM

About 2 weeks ago I noticed that my Robo hams foot was swollen and a purple/red colour. There was no change in his behaviour but I was very worried about a possible infection and I took him to the vets as soon as it reopened after the weekend. Before taking him to the vets, the swelling had gone down a little bit and it was less purple.

The vet told me that it was bruising from an injury and it wasn't anything to be too worried about. He wasn't given any medication. I checked his cage (a tank cage) and there isn't anywhere where his leg could have got caught or anything like that. So I thought it was probably just an injury from perhaps being overly enthusiastic on his flying saucer wheel. The swelling did pretty much go completely but now it is back :/ I don't know whether the old injury hadn't healed properly and perhaps he hasn't rested enough to heal. Again, he seems to be doing fine, still running on his wheel, still active and eating.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this. Should I take him back to the vets or is this something that will heal by itself in time?

Thank you in advance for any advice

AmityvilleHams · 09-29-2017, 09:37 AM

I'd switch to a proper upright wheel in the future when his foot is better and just not use flying saucers(there are many issues with them,especially with tiny robos that can get flung about far too easily not to mention the unnatural running position they create).I think the ideal wheel would be the Silent Runner in the 9 inch size(not Spinner,as I think that the Silent Spinner is a poor quality wheel overall and quite overpriced plus it isn't that safe and does have a feature known to cause problems among other pets due to the design allowing it to come apart in a dangerous manner even while in use).They're extremely durable,and no other wheel compares in safety features,plus they actually stay silent!

As far as the injury itself goes it should heal fine on its own with a proper cage set up.This means no wheel(especially not a flying saucer),keeping everything on a flat surface,and eliminating anything that could get climbed on.

velma · 09-29-2017, 01:13 PM

Does he have a bendy bridge in his tank? I've seen before that robos can catch a foot in the tiny gaps you sometimes get. It may be the same injury that's flared up again if he didn't rest it fully - a bit like if you hurt your foot and carried on walking on it. If you're concerned, I would pop him back to the vet for another look to make sure there isn't anything untoward there but it's probably just a case of needing to rest it. I hope he's ok.

Pebbles82 · 09-29-2017, 01:55 PM

Like Velma says, it could be a bendy bridge. Or sometimes part of the wheel. What wheel has he got? It does sound like he got it caught in something. Can he get up the roof? Presumably there is mesh or bars on the roof?

LazyHarpSeal · 09-30-2017, 12:11 PM

He has a flying saucer wheel at the moment but I'm going to take it out. I'm hoping he doesn't get too agitated if I do remove it but if it is best for his foot to heal properly then I guess it is the right thing? :/ I'm going to hopefully get one of the silent runners

He did have a small wooden bridge but I have taken that out for the time being. Also I don't think he can reach the roof - I've never seen him attempt to climb up there or actually hanging from the bars anyway!

He is my first hamster and although I did as much research as I could before getting him I do feel really guilty and worried, constantly thinking if there is something I've missed or doing wrong. I really do want to give him a good life, especially since he was rescue hamster. I just hope he gets better soon

I'm going to keep an eye on his injury for the next few days and if there is no improvement I will take him back to the vets

Pebbles82 · 09-30-2017, 12:43 PM

Don't feel guilty

It could be a number of things. It might be an idea to take him back to the vet again. Do you think it could be an infected cyst or something? Does it feel hot? You said purple rather than red though. One other thought? Do you have fluffy bedding? It's notorious for wrapping round limbs and cutting off the blood supply. Dangerous stuff - there are petitions to ban it.

LazyHarpSeal · 10-06-2017, 06:54 AM

The day after my last post (sorry for the late reply by the way!), I checked his foot and the swelling had gone down a lot and the colour was a lot better too and now it seems to be fine

So I didn't take him back to the vet but I'll keep an eye on it just in case. I'm using Carefresh at the moment so none of the fluffy bedding.
Luckily I did have a spare wheel, it's plastic, seems pretty sturdy and there is nowhere he can get his leg trapped or anything so I am using that until I get one of the Silent Runner wheels

One more thing about his feet though... his nails! He has a sand bath and some rocks but they don't seem to be keeping his nails from getting too long so I have to trim them. I just do a few nails at a time so I don't have to hold him too long and that's working out okay but I think it would be more beneficial to him if I didn't have to do that. I've read that giving a hamster a shelled walnut is a good way of wearing down their nails. So would it be okay to try with my Roborovski or can walnuts only be given as treats to Syrian hamsters?

Pebbles82 · 10-07-2017, 12:54 PM

Do you have a rock under his water bottle? That might be the answer to his swollen foot - and infected toenail or one that has got caught and left a sore place that got infected.

I am no expert on dwarf hammies - but I believe they do get long toe nails easily and that these need trimming. If you trim them, only trim the very tips - if you cut too far into the cuticle (very hard to see) they can bleed and it be painful and that can also lead to infection I think. It sounds like you have done it a few times, but sometimes it can be good to have a vet visit for a toenail trim and they can show you how to do it. Just the very tips - the pointy bits, no length really.

LazyHarpSeal · 10-07-2017, 01:10 PM

I didn't put the rock under the bottle I just placed it kind of in the middle and hoped he'd climb on it I guess. And I do take very little of the nail off as I am so scared of hurting him! I actually don't think I cut them back enough but I'd rather take off too little than too much

Pebbles82 · 10-07-2017, 01:33 PM

Sounds like you're doing all the right things then

Maybe he just caught a nail and it got infected. Yes it can be good to have something rough under the water bottle and/or food bowl as they there all the time. The base of a terracotta plant pot (saucer thing) can be good as well. In fact I use the whole teracotta saucer as a large food dish now so our hammy walks on the dish and sits on it to eat. A tiny piece of walnut once a week should be fine (the nut not the shell) but I don't think it does much to do with keeping nails shorter.