Small rough bump on tummy area

[Euan]

Hi all, we've got an 8 moth-ish old Campbell Dwarf hamster and last night whilst having her out for play time as she (were assuming she, as it looks like no boy bits are present) was moving between my hands I felt a small slightly rough bump on her stomach area. Nothing large but just as if something had got stuck in her fur perhaps.
Now I tried to get her onto his back to have a proper look but she kept wiggling round back onto her front, so I put her in a pyrex glass bowl to get a look underneath. It looked like where the rough bit was his fur turns in towards her body, this was separate to the anatomical things you expect to see on the underside of a hamster.
Couple of questions how have you found it easiest to get your hams to be more comfortable being on their backs? I appreciate they're prey animals so they wouldn't naturally like this.
Do they have belly buttons? If so, is that what I saw?

[souffle]

It sounds as if it is her ventral scent gland. They do get more obvious as the hamster gets older. The can get sticky / greasy with scent which drys and can cause yellow staining as well as some crustiness. Generally scent glands are OK though sometimes they get infected. This shows as redness. swelling and sometimes a discharge. The scent gland is in the tummy button position.
One thing though is that they are much more obvious in males and Campbells are not that easy to sex sometimes expecially when struggling around. You need to hold them firmly with a thumb across the chest and just flip them.
Hamsters will have belly buttons but they are invisible to us as they are tiny.

[Euan]

Thanks Souffle, helpful indeed. I'll give it a go tonight and see if I can see anything.
Is a crusty scent gland anything to worry about or will she clean it off herself and just leave her to it?

[cypher]

If it gets crusty it can get blocked but without being infected sometimes & may need to be bathed with damp cotton wool to clean it, they usually manage it themselves but it's something to keep an eye on.
If you're struggling to get a good view underneath try putting your ham in a glass jar & looking that way.

[Euan]

Ok great, thanks both. I'll see if I can get a better look tonight either in a jar, glass bowl or by flipping her. If it doesn't clear up soon I'll try and clean it with some warm damp cotton.

Thanks!

[cypher]

If you do manage to get a good look try to see if there are any nipples, that's often the easiest way to be sure you have a female, I've only had one female & her scent gland was barely noticeable whereas the boys have all been easy to see.