Healthy chinese hamster - scab on head

[Jemima]

I have a nearly 2 year old Chinese hamster called Jemima. She is a happy girly hamster with bright eyes, beautiful coat and loves running around the carpet at night. She had a scab between her shoulder blades about 6 months ago that healed and within the last month a scab on her head that started off quite big, fell off leaving reddish skin underneath then recurred, this time smaller, fell off again and now a week later is back although not as big as the first scab. She is in good health, lives alone with no other pets in the house and there is no sign of mites. I'm worried the scab keeps coming back.

[racinghamster]

Hi Jemima. Nice to meet another chinese owner. I can`t really say what this could be if it`s scabbing up first between the shoulder blades and then appearing on the head. It could be that she is scratching the area and causing it to open up and it`s scabbing over and then healing up by itself, or it could be a vitamin deficiency. I only mention this because it can lead to skin and fur disorders in rodents. If you know there is nothing in her environment to cause this, I would keep a close eye on her behaviour generally and if your worried that she has an open wound that may become infected, you can mix up some saline solution (one teaspoon salt to one pint of boiled, cooled water) and gently wipe the cut or scab with a cotton ball every now and then if you see a flare up. This will keep her skin clean around any cuts. No need for creams or powders as these can be ingested and may cause a toxic reaction unless prescribed by your vet as being safe if licked.

What is her diet? I imagine she`s been fed the same diet for the most part, but sometimes it can be beneficial to add a few other things to improve her overal immune system and health in general. Does she have any fresh veg?

[Jemima]

Hi racinghamster,

Jemima's diet is largely Burgess Supahamster for dwarves although she is picky and likes the mealworms best, treats are Sainsburys mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp) which she seems to hoard rather than eat, cooked garden pea once a week, occasionally a very small piece of cooked bacon fat or homemade bread. She has been tried on most fresh veg when we first got her but peas are definitely her favourite if a bit sugary. I was actually thinking of getting her claws clipped by a vet as I feel this may be the problem. Tonight the scab has gone (removed by grooming) but there is a red scratch underneath. I'm mostly concerned that the wound may become infected.

PS I love my Chinese, this is the first hamster I have owned since a number of not long-lived Syrians I had as a child which in retrospect probably died from the stress of living in a tiny cage and being owned by a small child. I hope I look after her properly and she repays me by coming to me when she is out on the carpet and I call her back. She is a beautiful little character and quite single-minded when it comes to what she wants. She has been known to fight me over a Barbie shoe that my daughter left on the carpet and she decided "that fits in my pouch therefore it's mine"!

[racinghamster]

She does sound like a typical chinese! If the scab has came off again it will be a case of either leaving it alone or bathing it with just a little saline to keep it clean if you see the wound oozing or feel it`s not healing up. If her claws are overly long, it might be worth having your vet clip just the ends and taking a look at her little wound.

If she plays on the floor/carpeted area, she could have picked up an allergy to house mites or anything that we can`t see. My chinese gets to play on my bed with a fleece blanket over it and plenty of pyjamas and bed jacket to play in!

Her diet sounds fine, but I would leave out the bacon fat (that is saturated fat and not a good thing) and the garden pea will contain sugar, but if it`s only a once a week treat, it should be fine. Raw veg is better for her and a little 5mm piece of broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber or bell pepper are all safe for her without having high sugars.

Chinese hamsters are lovely wee characters eh? I find them very mouse-like (I kept mice for over ten years previously) and the chinese have many of the same characteristics of mice. Gentle in nature and character.