Hamster help please respond ASAP

Question
Hello i have a winter white hamster the i just got a couple days ago.  I just noticed he has a  patch of skin missing next to his cheek and it basically looks like he got cut but all the skin is gone by the wound i just don't know what it is.  Please help ASAP

Answer
Hi Austin

sorry to hear about your hamster. It is difficult for me to know what is wrong, but it could well be that he was kept with other hamsters and has suffered an injury of some sort.  The important thing is to make sure the cut doesn't infect.  Therefore, it might be a good idea to gently wipe the area with warm salt water to prevent infection.  You can also buy an ointment from pet shops called Teatree cream which is a natural antiseptic and you could put a tiny amount of this on the wound. If this is just a cut, hopefully after a few days of doing this it will get better.  If however it starts to get worse, starts to swell, looks inflamed, or if there is any pus then I am afraid that a vet may need to have a look at it as they might need to prescribe antibiotics.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila