Dwarf Hamster-Eye Infection?

Question
I've noticed that my dwarf hamster (a little over 1 yr old) has been favoring his left eye. His right eye is very swollen and shut. There doesn't seem to be any discharge. I wiped his eye with water with a q-tip and after i did that he opened it slightly. Could this be an simple eye infection ? Do you recommend any home remedies that could work ? I would like to avoid the vets office because I am a broke college student. Thanks so much!

Answer
Hi Liz

Sorry to hear that your hamster has an eye problem.  Eye problems are quite common in hamsters because their eyes are so prominent they can injure them.

The important thing with a hamster is to make sure their eyes open daily otherwise they can get stuck shut and pus can build up behind them and cause problems.  If you boil up some water, add salt, then wait for it to cool down and use this to gently wipe the area and try to get the eye open.  I note from your subsequent update that when his eye was opened there was a reddish fluid.  Hamsters have glands at the back of their eyes that secrete a reddish fluid and this is to prevent the eye from drying out.  When there are health problems hamsters tend to produce more of this fluid - sometimes it can look as though the eye is bleeding.

It is difficult to know why your hamster has an eye problem - if this is an infection that would require antibiotic eye drops/ointment.  Bathing the area with salt water might help.  However, if there is any form of infection (hamsters can get conjunctivitis which is quite painful for them and you have to be careful handling a hamster with this as you can transfer it to yourself - so always wash your hands after touching him just in case) it will definitely need treating.  When a hamster has conjunctivitis the eye area looks red and sore.  The common drugs that can be used are:Tiacil ophthalmic solution or Fucithalmic ointment.  I don't know if you can buy these from a pet shop where you live or if you need to see a vet.  If you have a good pet shop it might be worth enquiring, otherwise I'm afraid you would need a vet to prescribe them.  In my experience of hamsters with conjunctivitis they only tend to need one vet appointment for the medication and it usually works very quickly.  I appreciate that vets can be very expensive, and a lot of vets don't have small animal experts therefore it is always worth either checking to see if you have a local pet rescue who can advise (for a donation), a pet charity who has veterinary advisers, or phoning several vets - firstly to confirm their fees as they should offer a much reduced standard consultation fee for a hamster (you can also ask them how much the medication would cost) and perhaps come to some arrangement if the fee is too high.  Also check there is someone there who has treated hamsters before.

If there is an injury that has caused an infection this definitely needs to be checked out.  

I hope this helps you and you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila