Pls Help..<Worrying Owner>

[khinfung]

Hi there,

While playing with my hammy, i spotted a black lump on his tummy. He doesn't mind when i touching the lump or stroke it.

Is there anything I should worry about?

He is a dwarf hammy and he is about 1 yrs old. I have also attached a picture.

Somebody pls advise me what I should do. Thanks in advance.

Getting very emotional right now :sad:

[WinnieTheHam]

Male dwarf hamsters have a scent gland there :) I think that's what it is. I can't tell if there's anything wrong with it, i'm not too knowledgable on dwarf hamsters. I'm sure someone else will come along and let you know.

[Jeir]

Female dwarfs also have a scent gland there. =)

It does look a little dirty, but that could also just be skin pigmentation. It certainly doesn't look infected. If you're worried about it being dirty, get a cotton bud, dampen it a little, then gently stroke over the scent gland to clean it.

[racinghamster]

Hi khinfung. The scent gland looks a little `mucky`, meaning, it could need cleaning with some gentle persuasion! It may just be a build up of fluid from scenting around the cage.

You can use a cotton ball/pad or cotton bud to clean the gland with warm water, but the build up may be hardened and prove tricky to remove. The scent gland should appear skin coloured and not that brownish colour. It`s not too bad looking at your image, but if you are worried that you can`t remove the build up yourself, a vet could help do that. It`s a bit like hardened ear wax that builds up and hardens on the outside. x