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Old 09-23-2019, 07:55 PM   #1
10Minutes
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Default Injured Robo

My Robo hurt herself very badly, she has a bald patch on her butt and it's covered with a black scab. She bites on it once in a while (Probably itchy because it's recovering?).

When she sleeps belly up, her butt part looks like it was injured too (please see the photo, is that part of her injury or am I being paranoid?)

I was hospitalised suddenly and she'd hurt herself on the same day I was hospitalised. My family saw a drop of blood on her tissue, but they didn't tell me until after I was discharged. They only gave her food and drink, and nobody brought her to the vet (I suppose they were too worn out with caring for me at the same time) or cleaned her cage.

So it has been about two weeks before I could examine her and my heart is breaking, imagining her in pain and stuck in an uncleaned cage with that injury. I cleaned her cage the same day I got home and didn’t see the blood though, it may have dissipated. I have taken out some of her toys because I got worried that it would be bad for her wound if she scraped it on those toys while running around her cage. She seems active and healthy otherwise. She runs on her wheel very quickly without being hampered, eats and drinks normally. The injuries don’t look damp. I can’t hold her as she wasn’t that tame to begin with. She has always only allowed me to stroke her head.

She is in her bin cage (with lid on!) in my room, no animals or kids could have gotten in to injure/ spook her. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to get injured as she sleeps with me so I would have normally detected any injury instantly, and this is the first time she has been injured.

What can I do for her? It’s already been almost two weeks. I don’t know how else I can help her, except offer her more mealworms to make up for it. Any tips on wound recovery, nutrition, etc?
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Wound - Belly.jpg (210.7 KB, 41 views)
File Type: jpg Wound - Back.jpg (238.6 KB, 38 views)
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Old 09-24-2019, 04:47 AM   #2
souffle
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Default Re: Injured Robo

You need to see a vet for a diagnosis. It doesn't look like a wound but more like a skin condition that she has been chewing at. Maybe itchy. You need to see a vet.
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Old 09-24-2019, 10:21 AM   #3
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Default Re: Injured Robo

Oh, my poor little baby. I've finally managed to see her injury more clearly when she came out of the burrow, and it looks horrible (new photo attached).

Thanks Souffle, I never thought it would be a skin condition but that's a very plausible explanation, come to think of it. I thought it was a small wound on its way to recovery but this looks huge now that that I can see it more clearly. I'll have to get her to a vet as soon as possible either way, that looks really painful.
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Old 09-24-2019, 01:06 PM   #4
Charlie Dunn
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Default Re: Injured Robo

I hope you are able to get her to the vet soon as it looks very sore/painful for her. Let’s hope she is soon on the mend bless her x
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Old 09-24-2019, 03:51 PM   #5
Ria P
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Default Re: Injured Robo

Poor little thing. That does look bad.

Let's hope that the vet can treat her and that you both are going to be well again soon.
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Old 09-27-2019, 11:39 PM   #6
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Default Re: Injured Robo

Finally! Turned out the previous exotic pets vet that I had saved in my contacts had suddenly quit her job and her personal email/ phone number wasn't in service anymore either. Took me quite a while to find a new vet that could take her in, but I finally managed to get one today.

The vet shaved my hamster's butt for easy access to the injury and gave me some medication. She was optimistic it should clear up in about ten days, otherwise I'd have to go back to her for new medication.

This is going to be challenging because I have never done the syringe feeding thing before and I've never been able to hold her, but I will definitely have to keep trying. (Anyone any tips on the best way to scruff and feed a skittish Robo? Vet says the medicine is sweet so hopefully she will like it.)

Thanks for your replies, everyone. I can rest easier at night knowing that my little fur baby is on medication and will hopefully recover soon.

Also, random tip for anyone who is interested: Do try to collect the contacts of a few vets that do exotic pets, just in case the one you usually go to suddenly decides to quit.
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Old 09-28-2019, 02:03 AM   #7
Ria P
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Default Re: Injured Robo

Yes, i have a Robo i have never held so am asking myself what i would do.

I think i'd put her in a temporary hospital cage/bin to have easy access to her and to be able to monitor her. I'd only put the essentials in so she can't accidentaly knock her injury and only enough substrate to be comfortable without burrowing too deep.

I'd mix the medication with a tiny amount of babyfood then see if she eats it before resorting to a syringe.

The girl at the petshop showed me how to hold a Robo with the Robo's back against palm of her hand and her thumb across Robo's chest.

Did the vet have any idea what kind of injury your Robi has?
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Old 09-28-2019, 03:14 AM   #8
Charlie Dunn
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Default Re: Injured Robo

I am so pleased that your robo is on the mend and you’ve had that good news from the vet. Good luck with giving her the meds - keep us posted as to her progress x
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Old 09-28-2019, 06:11 AM   #9
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Default Re: Injured Robo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Yes, i have a Robo i have never held so am asking myself what i would do.

I think i'd put her in a temporary hospital cage/bin to have easy access to her and to be able to monitor her. I'd only put the essentials in so she can't accidentaly knock her injury and only enough substrate to be comfortable without burrowing too deep.

I'd mix the medication with a tiny amount of babyfood then see if she eats it before resorting to a syringe.

The girl at the petshop showed me how to hold a Robo with the Robo's back against palm of her hand and her thumb across Robo's chest.

Did the vet have any idea what kind of injury your Robi has?
Yes, she is in a bin cage to begin with and I have removed a lot of her toys. I was quite undecided about the substrate, so thanks for your opinion as I think I will take your advice on this. I suppose I should reduce the substrate to discourage her from burrowing into it (so that her injury gets a chance to air out properly). I gave her a large seashell shaped ceramic hideout, hoping that the cooling ceramic will be more comfortable for her. She made a nest there but half the day she open nests.

I did ask the vet if I should mix it into her drink instead, but the vet told me to use a syringe or a dropper. The dosage is actually just one drop, to be taken twice a day. Maybe the vet wants to ensure she takes all of it at the right time as it is just a single drop!

The vet said it didn't look like a skin condition and it was a wound (but of course, it is hard for anyone to see especially from my blurred photos, the vet actually had to shave the fur off and examine her carefully under bright lights on the examination table to be able to see).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Dunn View Post
I am so pleased that your robo is on the mend and you’ve had that good news from the vet. Good luck with giving her the meds - keep us posted as to her progress x
Thank you. I am very relieved it isn't worse and it has been harrowing as I kept worrying each day that complications would come up before the vet could see her. I am really pleased with the vet too, the waiting time was bad (I suppose I need to find another one that is equipped to handle emergencies), but the vet herself seemed experienced (scruffed my skittish Robo very easily) and spoke gently to my Robo in a friendly manner.
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Old 09-28-2019, 07:46 AM   #10
Ria P
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Default Re: Injured Robo

In that case i'd follow the vet's advice. Is it an antibiotic because the wound is infected or as a preventive measure or is it a pain killer?

It's probably more stressful for you than your Robo to administer the medication trying to get hold of such a tiny and speedy animal.

Let us know how you get on.
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cage, injured, time, injury, wound, hospitalised, don’t, day, cleaned, blood, toys, weeks, robo, part, hurt, sleeps, butt, begin, tame, wasn’t, active, allowed, stroke, lid, bin

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