Noticed Scabs on Feet

[Beowolf72]

Hey all...

I noticed that our black bear syrian has horrible scabs on his hind feet. I assume they are from his wheel even though it doesn't have any metal pieces sticking up, it is mesh. As soon as I saw this I hopped online and looked at over 20 different pet store sites to get 6 large comfort wheels by superpet) for a good price. They should be delivered tomorrow. Which is nice so all the hammies can get rid of their mesh wheels.

Anyway, other than removing his wheel (which he is NOT happy about) is there anything I can put on his scabs? We go to the vet on Friday...that's the soonest they could get him in. He's not limping and when I lightly touch his feet he acts like nothing is wrong. I'm just really upset and don't want him to be in any pain. Is there anything like a neosporin I can put on it?

Thanks so much!

[Spuds Mum]

hmm don't really know what neosporin is Beowolf, but you could try tea tree cream for pets, we have used this for sore skin and does seem to soothe sore skin. but problem is that bedding may stick to his feet making it more uncomfortable, so if you are keeping his feet clean and he is not in pain it may be just as well to wait for the vets. If you wanted to try it though, we got it in the UK from Pets @ home, a large pet store chain. Petsmart may have something similar I'm sure.
Good luck - hope he is soon back 'on his feet'. :D

[Holly]

I didn't know what Neosporin is either so I googled it - it says it's an antibiotic cream/ointment. Now a lot of human antibiotics are very toxic to hamsters so I agree with Teresa and wouldn't advise using it unless you are 100% sure what the active ingredient is and that it's safe for hamsters. He's very likely to lick it off!

Hope he's feeling better soon and it's great you could get the comfort wheels.

[souffle]

Dont put anything on the feet as he may injest it as the others have said. If they are clean and the scabs are dry I would leave them to heal. I would not give the new wheel until the feet are fully healed and scab free. Give him some cardboard boxes and tubes to trash to keep him busy and don't worry about him not having a wheel for now. He will be fine. He may be sensitive to the metal in that particular model which is causing an allergic reaction or if it is one of your new babies who has just been introduced to a wheel he is likely over-running and wearing his feet raw. He may have wee-ed in the wheel causing the metal to corrode and become rough thus abrading the feet. Make sure he does not paddle in his wet patch and getting 'urine burns' on the feet, by changing it frequently and making sure it is always dry. Hope he gets well soon.

[babyboos]

Keep them clean and if they start to look very dry and the skin appears around and under the scabs red and cracked then a spot of vegetable/rapeseed/olive oil will help keep the scabs supple, nut I am sure Friday will be here before you know it and the vet will hopefully let you know if it does need anything topically applied or not.

[Christine Yule]

Most of my Syrians have the metal mesh wheels since they are too big for the smooth plastic ones. Occasionally one will get scabs on their hind feet. I put a little dab of pure aloe vera gel on them first thing in the morning so it can soak in while they are sleeping. To my knowledge aloe vera doesn't harm the hamster as long as it is pure. If you happen to know someone who has a plant just cut off a piece of plant and squeeze the jelly on the scab. It works for me.

Then I glue a soft fabric on the wheel so the hamster has a nice cushy pad to run on.

Here is a photo of Georgie's wheel. The fabric is ultra suede and the glue is non-toxic.http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p3/hamstermama/640.jpg

[Spuds Mum]

That's a really good idea Christine for anyone with a mesh wheel. And I have to say Georgie is beautiful - what a lovely sable! :D

[Christine Yule]

That's a really good idea Christine for anyone with a mesh wheel. And I have to say Georgie is beautiful - what a lovely sable! :D

Thanks Spud's Mom. It saves buying a new wheel and I haven't found many suitable wheels that are big enough without the mesh. There is one that is a 'silent' wheel but it is far too big to fit in anything but a large aquarium.

Thanks for saying Georgie is beautiful :oops: I think he is too! :D

[babyboos]

great idea and you could sew it on if you didn't want to use glue or couldn't find any non-toxic glue, due to the wire structure. Just check the lining and stitches to make sure hamster isn't chewing the cloth and thread on a regular basis.

[Beowolf72]

I never thought of putting cloth on the wheel! What a fabulous idea!

We just got back from the vet and my poor little guy has a corn on his foot. :( He has to go in for laser surgery on Tuesday. I'm very nervous! But the vet really seemed to know what she was doing and Xido really took to her. She sees lots of hamsters...so that makes me feel better.

I greatly appreciate everyone's replies! We will definetely look into the products you all recommended so hopefully we won't have to do surgery again!

Will let you know how it goes! Please pray for the best!

[Spuds Mum]

Will be thinking of you and Xido. Healing thoughts will be travelling over the water on Tuesday x

[souffle]

Your vet sounds great and very competant. I will be thinking of little Xido and wish him well very soon. Let us know how it goes.

[Beowolf72]

Well, the good news is we did not have to do the surgery. With the combination of limited wheel time and lots of rest his foot is doing much better! There is still a small scab, but it's not as big and his little toes aren't as spread out and swollen.

Thank you all for your help with this matter. And we do have a really wonderful vet! :) She even called to check on him the next day!

[Spuds Mum]

Wow, fantastic news! Glad little Xido is recovering nicely! :x