Can anyone help?

[Hammy]

Hi. I rescued Hammy from the RSPCA 15 months ago (he was at least 6 months old then). He is a syrian dwarf and had spent the first 6 months with another male so he has some war wounds! Over the last six weeks he has been developing lumps on his eye lids (about 8 altogether). They come up and then disappear after 2-3 weeks. They look similar to a sty (spelling?) in humans and don't sem to cause him any discomfort. Does ayone know what they are?

[SnuggleHam]

I never heard of a syrian dwarf, in fact I think thats an impossible combination. :? It does sound pretty awefull though, Ive never heard of such a thing, the first thing that comes to mind is maybe an allergic reaction to something? Certainly a visit to the vet is in order here. is it possible to get pictures of it?

[souffle]

Hi hammy and welcome. I am sorry to hear that your hamster is unwell. It does sound like he has some sort of infection in the skin and the hair follicles around the eye. As hamsters get older. and your little one is a good age now, their immune system becomes weaker and the do not fight of germs so well so the infection keeps flaring up. It does sound like a 'stye' in humans. I think you need to take him to the vet and have this checked out and hopefully he will prescribe something that will get rid of the infection once and for all,
It could also be a reaction to some irritation in his bedding. Have you changed anything lately, been using fly spray or air freshener? Maybe try changing to plain ripped white loo roll and see if that helps.
What does your little one look like and what is his name? We might be able to say what type he his from a more retailed description.
Keep us posted on how he does and I hope he is better soon.

[Bailey-Benji]

There are 5 species of domesticated hamsters -

Syrian (cannot be bred with anything else as they have a different number of chromosomes) also known in the US as the panda bear, teddy bear etc. (which are nicknames used to make more money and confuse owners!)

Winter white dwarf (can be bred with Campbells, highly unrecommended)

Campbells dwarf (see above)

Robo dwarf (cannot be bred with anything either)

Chinese (ditto)



http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_species.htm

[SnuggleHam]

Thanks for the Info Souffle! I'm sure hammy will appreciate it!

[Hammy]

Thank you souffle for your thoughts. As for the other replies, I guess the RSPCA need educating also!!

For those of you who are more concerned about his breed rather than his illness hers's a brief description:

He is approx 12cm from nose to tail.
He is dark grey on top and very, very light grey underneath.
He has a very light grey patch (symmetrical) behind each ear.
Oh, and he is the cutest and friendliest chap you'll ever meet.

[Hammy]

Me again. "Widowmaker" (I think that was the name?) posted a pic of Justin who had been rescued (Feb 2007). This is identical to Hammy so I am guessing he is a Dwarf Campbell???

[souffle]

You are probably right Hammy. 12cm is a little small for a syrian though it is possible to get some individuals who are always tiny and may have been the runt of the litter. If you look at some pics and compare him you will be able to get his species.
In Campbells, they are quite prone to developing diabetes and with extra sugar in the blood it makes it easier for them the get infections as there is lots of food in the system for the germs to feed on. You can ask the vet to test his urine and then if it shows sugar you can manage the diet accordingly to help the condition. There is an article on this in the articles section if you click at the top you will find it.
Let us know how he gets on.

[Christine Yule]

Hi Hammy,

Your mentioned that you were tols your hamster was a "syrian dwarf". It sounds like they may have meant to say, "Siberian dwarf". I have seen many mislabeled hamsters sold as "Siberian" which is another name for Winter White Dwarves, when they are actually Russian Campbell Dwarves.

Pictures will be the only way to figure it out.

You are probably wondering why we are all trying to figure it out. :? It is because each species has its own characteristics and need special care. A hamster is not just another hamster. Each species is very, very unique. :)

I think it was wonderful of you to rescue the hamster and take care of him! :D

Hamstermama

[Widowmaker]

Me again. "Widowmaker" (I think that was the name?) posted a pic of Justin who had been rescued (Feb 2007). This is identical to Hammy so I am guessing he is a Dwarf Campbell???

Hiya :) Justin was a dwarf Winter White, sapphire variation :) Well remembered!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/Lawless78/Justin.jpg