Possible blood found on Pumpkin's wheel

[Leila0420]

Hi all, just wanted some health advice regarding my 12 week old little Syrian hamster called Pumpkin. I got her 2 weeks ago from a good independent pet shop and she's settled in well, happy to be handled although still a little skittish when there's new noises but is happy to come and say hello when you talk to her. But this morning I found what looks like a large amount of dark red blood trod into her wheel. She was awake and happily bustling around like normal so I got her out and checked her over and could not find any cuts or blood around her tail/ mouth/ nose. I couldn't notice any changes in her behavior and she definitely had the energy to get very grumpy and chatter her teeth at me after I keep anxiously checking her over... But she has a habit of using her wheel as a toilet (lots of yellow urine stains on the wood) so I thought maybe she is passing blood when she urinates? I couldn't find any other possible blood stains in the cage or in her other toilet spot though.
I have an appointment booked at the vets for her tomorrow but was wondering if anyone has any advice or recommendations I could check for in the mean time? She has a 100x50x45cm cage with a good few toys in, do you think it's worth taking them out until I can find out what may be causing the bleeding? Any comments or advice would be much appreciated, I really want to make sure my wee beastie is OK.
Thanks, Leila

[Shana]

what type of wheel does she have? could she have caught a nail on it? pulling a nail out can lead to a lot of blood, but it might not leave too much of a mark on the hamster's foot. the fact that you don't see any blood in her other pee spot is a good sign. does she have any food or treats that have red dye in them? sometimes food dye can stain urine, and surfaces if it gets wet. good luck at the vet, and keep us posted!

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Leila, it's good you've got an appointment at the vet, when it comes to blood you can't take any chances by delaying the treatment, Archie's well now, but, he was really ill with it and was on antibiotics for 6 weeks, I think it had a lot to do with him being older that it took ages.
Pumpkin is very young so the vet will probably prescribe antibiotics. They can be quite hard on the stomach, so I recommend Probiotic yoghurt, put a bit on a spoon to be licked of.
Good Luck at the vet and keep us posted on Pumpkin.

[Leila0420]

Shana thank you for the advice- she has a 29cm diameter Karlie wonderland wooden wheel, I had a good look and don't think there's anything she could possibly get caught on... I also put in a cardboard tube I made from an empty tea tub that has red and tartan pattern on it. She's been chewing at it so that could be a possible cause. I'm going to take both with me to the vets.
Teddiham and Thin Lizzy thank you for the link and advice. I'm glad Archie is better now!

I kept her cage close to my bed last night so I could check on her and found her running at 4am with more blood on the wheel. I gave her a full check over and again no cuts or blood around any of the obvious places which I think means it's more likely she has something like UTI? I still cant find any blood anywhere else and she is still very bright eyed and energetic but I'm really anxious to get her to the vet now... I'll let you know how it goes.

[racinghamster]

Hi Leila. You mentioned that she has a Wonderland wheel? Have you checked the pads on her feet for any small splinters? I know there have been some reports of wooden wheels causing foot injuries and the blood you are seeing could well be caused by her padding around on this wheel if it hasn`t been lightly sanded or checked for any abrasive surfaces? This wheel can be coated on the inside using safe Plastikote paint which makes the running surface smoother. Just thought I would mention this because if it isn`t something you thought on checking, it could be the culprit. You don`t want her being put on antibiotics unless it really is necessary for something other than a few blisters on the feet! x

[racinghamster]

I found this image posted on here just to let you see what this wheel can do: This looks to me like splinter blood caused by the hamster running on a rough surface.

[Leila0420]

Hi racinghamster, thank you so much for that photo!! That is exactly what I'm seeing on her wheel!! Exactly the same! I've looked at her feet as much as I could but she's so energetic it's really hard because she just wants to play... I took her wheel out before I went to work today and have a spare plastic wheel that's 20cm diameter I can give her while I try to find some plasticoat. Hopefully the vet can have a good check over her feet today as well as any other possible causes.
Honestly thank you so much though! My poor little beastie... I feel guilty, I should have checked more wheel reviews before I gave her this one...

[racinghamster]

Glad I could help a wee bit just to give you another clue as to where these blood stains may be coming from. My guess is that it is the wheel, but the vet may or may not find anything wrong with her feet but if she`s active and happy, I wouldn`t be quick to put any antibiotics into her if the vet takes a guess and suggests it `may be` a urine infection. If there is no evidence of that, tell the vet your suspicions are with the wheel. Given the evidence (and you mentioned that the pee in the wheel was yellow?) I would say remove the wonderland wheel and you will probably see symptoms disappear. x

[Leila0420]

I think you might be right I'll take the wheel with me and show the vet the photo you posted too. Replacing her wheel with her old plastic one means I can wipe it down to monitor her pee for blood too just to be on the safe side. Again, thank you so much!!

[Pebbles82]

Don't blame yourself for getting that wheel. Plenty of people have it with no problem at all, but it is a good idea to check for any splinters when you first get it. I didn't - I just put mine straight in because like you it didn't occur to me.