So, I think my Hamster is gonna die soon...

[Pickles]

He has had a cyst (or a lump) recently (for less than a week) & he has decided to pop it -__- It has shriveled down and is developing a scab.
He seems normal about it, running on the wheel and eating normal.
Now his right cheek is swelling and shutting his eye.
I think its time for him to go :( I've had him for over two years, and I have no idea how long hes been in the petstore/where the petstore buys hams from, but im guessing hes pretty old, hamster-wise.
Just thought I'd share. Any thoughts on this?

[I_royalty_I]

I've had a bunch of hamsters and never had that happen to any of them, that's strange o-o

Maybe he will be fine, just a minor problem.

[Solgaleo]

Might be swelling from the healing.

Keep an eye on your hammy. Are they eating and running around like normal?

Def take them to the vet if you can. You might end up kicking yourself over it if you don't :C

[gudboy]

gosh bring him to the vet. should've bring him when he popped it

[Crayon]

This happened to my hamster and she died a week later.
I would take him to the vet, although when I tried taking mine to the vet they were pretty unhelpful

[Chelle]

Definitely vet time! I run a small animal rescue so I deal with shit like this all the time. Any swelling of the face can indicate tooth involvement and that's something you don't want to fuck around with as it can go bad FAST.

The lump, was it an abscess? If so he should be on antibiotics, even if it's popped. You'll want to squeeze any pus out of it if you can.

[Slasher]

Hamsters are such fragile pets. Maybe yours will die soon x) Mine is getting fatter every day!

[Chelle]

Due to the overall genetic shittyness of today's rodents, they are having more and more health issues. Ethical breeders are working to fix this, but since all stores get their stock from mills or back-yard-breeders (NO reputable breeder would sell stock to a pet store) then they're just being bred with no regards for health. Most pet stores get their small animals from small animal mills (and I'm sure we all know the horrors of puppy mills) so you can imagine why they're so fragile health-wise. The best way to help the state of today's small animals is to adopt from a rescue/humane society or buy from an ethical, reputable breeder (which are VERY hard to find - for example there are NO ethical rat breeders in all of Canada). If enough people stop buying from mill-supplied pet stores, we could shut down mills entirely (pipe dream, I know, but we all have to start somewhere!).

[Pickles]

Might be swelling from the healing.

Keep an eye on your hammy. Are they eating and running around like normal?

Def take them to the vet if you can. You might end up kicking yourself over it if you don't :C
He seems so normal about it. Running on the wheel & eating normally.

gosh bring him to the vet. should've bring him when he popped it


This happened to my hamster and she died a week later.
I would take him to the vet, although when I tried taking mine to the vet they were pretty unhelpful


Definitely vet time! I run a small animal rescue so I deal with shit like this all the time. Any swelling of the face can indicate tooth involvement and that's something you don't want to fuck around with as it can go bad FAST.

The lump, was it an abscess? If so he should be on antibiotics, even if it's popped. You'll want to squeeze any pus out of it if you can.


Hamsters are such fragile pets. Maybe yours will die soon x) Mine is getting fatter every day!


Due to the overall genetic shittyness of today's rodents, they are having more and more health issues. Ethical breeders are working to fix this, but since all stores get their stock from mills or back-yard-breeders (NO reputable breeder would sell stock to a pet store) then they're just being bred with no regards for health. Most pet stores get their small animals from small animal mills (and I'm sure we all know the horrors of puppy mills) so you can imagine why they're so fragile health-wise. The best way to help the state of today's small animals is to adopt from a rescue/humane society or buy from an ethical, reputable breeder (which are VERY hard to find - for example there are NO ethical rat breeders in all of Canada). If enough people stop buying from mill-supplied pet stores, we could shut down mills entirely (pipe dream, I know, but we all have to start somewhere!).

I've just taken him to the vet today, as Crayon said, they were pretty unhelpful. The bill was a hefty $45 for a 'check-up'. All they said was to bring him back if it doesn't get better in a week, if he has a week.

I'm doing what I can to keep him comfortable and healthy-rinsing his food and water bowl/tube, changing the bedding everyday, and cleaning the cage more than twice a week.

I sure hope he gets better ):

Heres a picture of him on better days (in his travel cage) :)

[Only registered and activated users can see links] 75_n.jpg

[Chelle]

To find a rodent-knowledgeable vet is really, really tough. Not all vets know how to treat small animals or even what to do. We have to drive over an hour to our rescue's rat-knowledgeable vet. $45 sounds like an awesome price to me, because in this area it's around $80-$100 for a check up visit.

Also, I'm not sure about hamsters, I'm not very knowledgeable about them, but I know that seed mixes are very poor diets for rats. Maybe look into getting him onto a pelleted food instead (Oxbow is an awesome brand). Ironically it's easier to find nutritional information on rats because they're used in lab settings most often so the labs want them to be in peak physical condition.

I would try posting on hamster forums to find a hamster-knowledgeable vet in your area who might be more helpful to you, such as this one: [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Cara]

Most of the time, vets are pointless. Hope your hamster is okay!

[Pickles]

Hes currently on a seed, pellet, & grain diet mix (which you cant really see on the picture). Occasionally he gets some hard-boiled egg whites or bread (in small portions of course).
I don't think our vets know what theyre doing (though im not the one to talk, theres not much i know either)
I'll check that website & see if they can do something for me & my ham.

[Chelle]

I don't know what the vets are like in the States, but as I said in Canada it's hard to find a vet that really knows what they're doing with small animals. Taking what I've studied about rats, if there's facial swelling that normally indicates tooth involvement. If there was a cyst or abscess he should be on a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as Baytril (enrofloxacin) or doxycycline (I don't know if those work with hamsters, but those are the go-to antibiotics for rats). I really do think your best bet is to post on a hamster-specific forum asking for advice and asking about any hamster-knowledgeable vets near you.

[Crayon]

Poor baby. :(
I'll pray for him.

[Solgaleo]

Gosh I feel thankful now that my vet actually knows how to handle small animals & exotics...

Wheatley (my hammy) and I will keep your hammy in our thoughts

[Chelle]

How's your little guy doing? We had a hamster surrendered to us today at the rescue and it made me think of you.

[bitwercito]

LOL.. i love animals, really. I work on a zoo... last month the monkey died.. that was sad!