My hamster has a growth :(

[trissykosa]

Hi! Just today I noticed that my hamster Astro has a growth on the right side of her mouth. It's kind of small-ish, brown, and crusty. I tried researching, but I didn't find anything that fits that description perfectly.
I would take her to the vet to get it checked out, but I currently am struggling financially. Can someone please help me identify what it is that she has wrong with her and hopefully some home remedies? If I can't take care of it by myself I may be able to take her to a vet after around a month, but if at all possible I'd like to try and help her myself and not have her wait that long. She's a sassy girl, but I love her
Best picture I could take, sorry

[souffle]

Has she been bar chewing or bottle spout chewing at all? This can cause them to get scabby lesions around the mouth.
It might be worth trying to stop this happening or moving her in to a tank or large plastic box and see if this clears. If it doesn't you need to try and get vet care for her. Is there a charity near bye or any vets who may offer a payment plan maybe?

[trissykosa]

Originally Posted by souffle

Has she been bar chewing or bottle spout chewing at all? This can cause them to get scabby lesions around the mouth.
It might be worth trying to stop this happening or moving her in to a tank or large plastic box and see if this clears. If it doesn't you need to try and get vet care for her. Is there a charity near bye or any vets who may offer a payment plan maybe?

Thanks for replying!
She has been bar biting a lot, and she did used to chew on the bottle spout. I moved her into to a larger bar cage from chewy so I could fit her water bottle through the bars instead of putting it inside her tank where it was free real estate for chewing.
I'll try to find a way to stop her bar biting, and if she doesn't stop I'll move her back into her tank. I can try to find a way to get her water bottle through the mesh top. I'll also look into a way to get her some care if things don't clear up.
Do you have any suggestions to stop her bar biting?

[trissykosa]

Originally Posted by trissykosa

Thanks for replying!
She has been bar biting a lot, and she did used to chew on the bottle spout. I moved her into to a larger bar cage from chewy so I could fit her water bottle through the bars instead of putting it inside her tank where it was free real estate for chewing.
I'll try to find a way to stop her bar biting, and if she doesn't stop I'll move her back into her tank. I can try to find a way to get her water bottle through the mesh top. I'll also look into a way to get her some care if things don't clear up.
Do you have any suggestions to stop her bar biting?

Since this I've researched more and I've decided to use a storage bin to use as a hospital cage for her. It's been about 2 days and the growth is still there, but I'm still watching
I won't move her back into her wired cage, and I've opted to instead buy a larger storage bin and make an enclosure out of that.

[Lilafernim]

Just as advice minimum cage size for hamsters tend to be 80x50cm but female Syrian hamsters ideally need 100x50cm. I myself have a female Syrian in an Alaska cage which is below 100x50 and I need to upgrade, I’m just currently in the middle of a move so I need to figure out what I’m doing. I just tend to get her out more to make up for it and make more use out of levels and hides to make the most out of the space I have.

Make sure there are multiple hides including tunnels and chew toys. Whimzees are great, even cardboard or an egg box make for something to chew. Most the time they bar bite means they need more space and hopefully these measurements will help guide you.

A storage bin box is fine, but still make sure it is at least 80x50 but ideally 100x50 as they can still do something called pacing instead of bar chewing. Also make sure there is good ventilation

[trissykosa]

Originally Posted by Lilafernim

Just as advice minimum cage size for hamsters tend to be 80x50cm but female Syrian hamsters ideally need 100x50cm. I myself have a female Syrian in an Alaska cage which is below 100x50 and I need to upgrade, I’m just currently in the middle of a move so I need to figure out what I’m doing. I just tend to get her out more to make up for it and make more use out of levels and hides to make the most out of the space I have.

Make sure there are multiple hides including tunnels and chew toys. Whimzees are great, even cardboard or an egg box make for something to chew. Most the time they bar bite means they need more space and hopefully these measurements will help guide you.

A storage bin box is fine, but still make sure it is at least 80x50 but ideally 100x50 as they can still do something called pacing instead of bar chewing. Also make sure there is good ventilation

Thank you for the advice! I'll take everything into consideration.