Help! - Hamster raw patch!?

gimblewart · 06-08-2015, 02:29 PM

Hello all,

So my hamsters just woken up for the evening, normal behavior as ever, waiting for her usual cuddle and play on her ladder happily squealing for my attention.. ^_^

Took her out of her cage to have a massive play around in her home made pen etc, and she came to sit on my lap when I noticed on her back behind her leg she has a massive red fur-less almost raw patch? I'm going to take her to the vets asap anyway but I'm very concerned for her! Does anyone know what this is? It has literally appeared over night as it wasn't there yesterday!

Its definitely not her bedding/housing/exercise etc everything's very safe and all recommended products (not the useless stuff pets at home just chucks at you), shes not behaving any differently to what she normally would. Also she is four months old

the picture came out a little darker than it is, more pink than red/dark no puss or sign of infection or blood/scabbing. on her back maybe a cm up from her right leg.

any help appreciated

or incling to what it might be

racinghamster · 06-09-2015, 08:30 AM

Hi gimblewart. It does look as if something has burst or a patch of top layer skin and fur has been pulled off. She has probably been licking at it and looking at it as it is, I would advise using a Q Tip (cotton bud) and mixing up some saline. One pint of boiled, cooled water and while it`s hot, add a teaspoonful of table salt. This will dissolve in the hot water.

When she`s wide awake and in playful mood, dip the cotton bud into the saline and gently wipe it over and around the wound, being careful not to apply too much pressure. There are solutions a vet can prescribe for such things that are antibacterial, but salt water saline is a good start. Place a towel down on your knee or on a surface low down so she doesn`t fall or run off. Always be safe when doing such things. This should keep the wound clean.
Check the cage for any sharp edges or splinters on wooden cage toys or shelving/ramps. If you find anything suspicious, remove it. It seems an unlikely place for such a wound to happen, but hopefully it will heal over. Keep a close eye on it. x

gimblewart · 06-10-2015, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racinghamster

Hi gimblewart. It does look as if something has burst or a patch of top layer skin and fur has been pulled off. She has probably been licking at it and looking at it as it is, I would advise using a Q Tip (cotton bud) and mixing up some saline. One pint of boiled, cooled water and while it`s hot, add a teaspoonful of table salt. This will dissolve in the hot water.

When she`s wide awake and in playful mood, dip the cotton bud into the saline and gently wipe it over and around the wound, being careful not to apply too much pressure. There are solutions a vet can prescribe for such things that are antibacterial, but salt water saline is a good start. Place a towel down on your knee or on a surface low down so she doesn`t fall or run off. Always be safe when doing such things. This should keep the wound clean.
Check the cage for any sharp edges or splinters on wooden cage toys or shelving/ramps. If you find anything suspicious, remove it. It seems an unlikely place for such a wound to happen, but hopefully it will heal over. Keep a close eye on it. x

Thank you so much!!!

racinghamster · 06-10-2015, 01:05 AM

No problem. Let us know how she is in a few days. x

katmick · 06-14-2015, 07:34 AM

Hi Gimble,hope your hammie is better now. X

gimblewart · 06-15-2015, 03:58 AM

Hello! She is okay now

Took her to the vets, she had mites, which I had already pretty much diagnosed as I bought her over the counter treatment - the vet says if she is still scratching after a few weeks bring her back and they'll try a different treatment. As for the bald patch, as she has always had a damaged leg since we bought her, she drags it and therefore drags her bottom too

I was wondering if anyone knows a non-abrasive substrate for her cage? She has non-chemical wood shavings at the moment (not used with the obviously dangerous wood materials, dust free yadda yadda ^.^...) so I kinda of want to avoid that, since with mites, and I don't particularly want it scratching her patch by accident. So if anyone has any suggestions, that'd be awesome!

racinghamster · 06-15-2015, 04:18 AM

The only paper based one I would suggest is Fitch. It`s like Carefresh only better and although it comes in large bales, it pays for itself really. I wouldn`t buy Carefresh even though it`s absorbent. Fitch isn`t dusty and unlike Carefresh, your not paying a lot for a smaller bag.

Pleased to hear your wee hamster is doing okay. x

cypher · 06-15-2015, 05:29 AM

Good to hear it's nothing to serious, I'd recommend Fitch too, it is about as dust free as it's possible to get, doesn't have any smell (it's just recycled paper) & is really comfortable for hams, I use it for all of mine & they do really well with it, burrows, nests et al!
The bales are pretty huge at 20kg but worth it if you have the space, they do a 10kg "sample" bag but it costs almost as much as most of the price is delivery!
Fitch Recycling - Fitch Pet Bedding

gimblewart · 06-16-2015, 02:39 AM

This is wonderful, thank you both so much ^_^ Do you know where I could purchase Fitch in the UK? or is it better to order online?

xxx

racinghamster · 06-16-2015, 03:33 AM

I think you have to order the bale online gimblewart. I`m not too sure if Fitch is commercially available in farm shops or not. I only had a sample from a member on HC a while ago to try it, so I`ve never had to order the bale itself. x