Hamster finger injury!! Advice needed

serenity · 01-16-2022, 09:15 PM

Hey guys, so about three nights ago I noticed that my hamster's finger on her front paw was a bit pinkish, and on the tip of it, it seemed a bit dark brown/black. Her behavior was odd for a few days prior to that as she was in her house more often and hardly on the wheel. But after I ended up wiping it with Saline and monitored her for a few days, I found that she became more active. Throughout the two nights, I gave her fresh food and wiped her finger with a cotton ball and thyme tea I brewed. I am confused because her nail is still on (it has slightly bent to the left), and her finger is still red with the brown/black part becoming a bit crusty but somehow her behavior however has improved, she's more active, drinks her water & food, and walks perfectly fine.

I'm concerned however about what might have happened? I suspect she broke her nail maybe digging.. but from the picture and description does it look infected? Will it heal on its own? I've made an appointment with the vet but the only time I can make one (due to covid) is in a week. I'm worried that she won't make it until then.. I'm not sure how finger injuries work and I'm really worried. Any advice?

I have attached a picture as well for further clarification.

Amethyst_ice · 01-16-2022, 09:40 PM

Hello and welcome,

Ouch that certainly does look sore. Hamsters nails have a quick and when they break a nail, the quick can sometimes get broken which is painful.

Given the swelling, there may be some infection and leaving a week wouldn't be best. Can you ask to send your vet the photo and try get antibs and anti inflams perhaps?

I'd remove the whee in the mean time and ditch the thyme tea.

serenity · 01-17-2022, 12:26 AM

Thank you for replying! I cleaned out her cage two days ago and I'm making sure it's clean. I'll call and try to get an appointment with another vet sooner, preferably in the next two days. But in the meantime should I leave the thyme tea for sure?
I don't want to make it worse and I thought it would help for now as it's an antiseptic. I can continue with the Saline as the swelling went down after the first day.
Also is do you think there is any hope that it would clear out on its own or get better in the coming days?

Amethyst_ice · 01-17-2022, 01:38 AM

We obviously can't give vet advice here but it looks pretty angry and painful. It looks infected and what you dont want is for it to move further up the foot, hamsters are only small so an infection can take hold. A vet can also prescribe Metacam, an anti inflammatory and pain killer. It's already been 3 days you said, personally I would be trying to get meds asap now

Ria P · 01-17-2022, 03:55 AM

All i can say is that if it were my hamster she would have been seen by a vet by now because i'd class this as an emergency. Even a general vet who doesn't specialize in exotics would be able to prescribe antibiotics and or painrelief. They can work out the dosage going by the weight of the hamster and a conversion chart.

serenity · 01-25-2022, 10:01 PM

Hey guys! Sorry for the late response but just here to give a little update. So I took everyone's advice and rescheduled for an appointment the following day with another vet. But we ended up having a snowstorm in my area and so they were closed. However, I got her into the vet the very next day!
The vet basically confirmed it was an infection (from the inflammation) even though it was healing (as the scab was forming), however she was concerned that from the infection the poor little things finger could just die off. She said that it wasn't life-threatening and that she would be just fine but her finger would just die off and it would be uncomfortable. But ofc Im not letting that happen so I asked what we could do to save it and she prescribed two medications, one was an antibiotic (for 14 days) and the other was an anti-inflammatory (for 10 days) that I have to give her orally. It kinda sucks bc I feel so bad when I have to force her to take it

but on the good news! It has only been half of the treatment so far with both of the medications and her finger looks normal again! The scab fell off and it healed, and the inflammation is completely gone, she looks perfectly fine now (:

Oh and also note that the vet explained to me that Hamsters have very high pain tolerance, they could even have a broken bone and try to go on the wheel so just bc your hamster's behavior is fine doesn't mean they are, please take them to the vet!! Thank you guys for all your help and your support <3