hamster w dry scaly bald patches and a cyst?? help

[taylork]

Hi guys,
My name is Taylor...I am a long time rodent keeper but this is my first time posting on this forum. As I am someone who has always kept animals and has rehabbed some sick critters in the past, people tend to send pets my way when they find one that needs help.

Today I was given a hamster previously owned by a college student. According to the girl, the hamster started to lose it's hair so she tried to treat it for mites. To my knowledge, she just used tea tree oil as a treatment. When that didn't work, she gave up and decided she needed to rehome the hamster.

Well, today I go to pick up the hamster and it's a bit worse off than I imagined. Very dry scaly patches of skin on the back that have even scabbed in some spots. The underside has very little hair and the skin is pink and swollen looking, along with something that kind of looks like a cyst? Have you guys experienced this before? If so, how did you treat it? I started right off the bat with a 2.5% Hydronium solution fungal/bacterial wound spray.

Sorry I know my pics are awful, I can try to take more tomorrow I just didn't want to bother the little guy too much. I circled what looks like some kind of cyst...it's a swollen area with some kind of abscess in the middle.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Not an expert but I am wondering if that fur loss on it;s back is caused by being in too small a wheel and it rubbing it's fur off, just a thought. I would suggest you go to the vet if you can, especially if you think there is a cyst or abscess as he may need treatment. Well done you for taking him in and looking after him.

[Ria P]

I think the only sensible approach is to take him to the vet.
That's what i would do anyway.

Without a diagnosis of his condition you are guessing and using treatments that could potentially do more harm than good.