My syrian hamsters leg :(

Question
QUESTION: hello im Rachel  my hamster started to limp yesterday her back leg its red and looks bruised no blood has been lost and no bone is poking out she will let me touch her leg as well i have removed her wired caged and wondering weather to move her ball out of the cage she is 1 year old and i don't want to loose her she means so much to me any advice would be great full!

ANSWER: Hi Rachel

I'm sorry to hear about your hamster's leg.

It is hard to know if she has just injured it or broken it.  To be on the safeside I would assume it is broken at this point in time.  The important thing is to make her house as easy as possible to get around as you want her to rest her leg as much as she can.  This means removing any platforms, wheel, ball, climbing frames etc.  

There is some argument over what to do with a hamster who has a fracture.  One argument is to do absolutely nothing other than to make the cage easy for them and remove anything that might result in over-use.  Nature can heal bones over a period of about 4 weeks providing they are rested.  If you let nature take its course she will be reluctant to exercise as it will hurt her for the first week or two.  The other argument is to prescribe pain killers etc as it is cruel to let an animal suffer.  however, if you do this then as she won't be in any pain she will continue to try and use her leg.  The decision is up to you as to whether or not you see a vet.  However, I would strongly advise you consult a vet if the leg swells, goes a strange colour - i.e. blue, or there is clearly a problem as sometimes vets need to amputate limbs of hamsters, especially if the circulation is compromised.  Also if you are worried about her it is worth seeing a vet to put your mind at rest.  If you don't know of any vets, it is worth phoning a few to find out if they have a small animal specialist there, and also what their charges are - most charge a much lower fee for a hamster, but it is worth establishing this before you go.

If she did end up losing her leg then this isn't a problem in captivity - so don't worry about this.  I've had several three legged hamsters before and they were fine - you just have to adjust their cage and remove the wheel.  I can advise on this if this were to happen.

If she has just sprained it, then there should be some improvement in a few days time.  

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i have taken everything out of the cage and plenty of bedding down she occasionally waddles on her lags she still can run is this a good sign of recovery like she has just sprained it or something?

Answer
Hi Rachel

Thanks for the update.  It sounds like you are doing all the right things and as she isn't worried about her leg I would take that to mean that this is a good sign.

I suggest you monitor her over the next few days - if it looks as though there is nothing wrong and this was just a sprain, then slowly reintroduce her toys/wheel/ball etc. If she is still limping/showing signs that there is a problem or you aren't sure, then don't reintroduce her toys for another a couple of weeks.  If she deteriorates/the leg shows signs of swelling etc. then I would advise getting her seen.

Hopefully this will sort itself out and she will be fine.

Regards
Sheila