Hamster cheek pouch

Question
Our hamster stuffed along treat into it's pouch and when she spit it out, the pouch came out of her mouth, and has happened again since. I can also feel the pouch though her fur like it is swollen. What should or what can I do to keep this from happening again, besides not giving her that type of treat again, or spending a fortune on a vet?

Answer
Hi Trent

A hamster's cheek pouch is very long and extends right down the body.  The pouch does sometimes appear to come out of the mouth or turn itself inside out, but I have never known it to actually come right out.  I suspect what has happened is that she has scratched it and perhaps this has caused some sort of infection, hence the swelling.  I would inclined to watch her over the next few days - make sure that any food in her cage is in small pieces so she isn't going to try pouching big pieces of food.  Check there is no pus coming out of her cheek, and see if the swelling heals on its own. If it doesn't or if she is clearly becoming unwell, then it is adviseable to get her to a vet as she may need antibiotics.  It could also be that she still has food in her pouch (some foods can cause problems for hamsters, such as fatty items, hamster 'chocolate and yoghurt' drops as these melt in the pouch and cause a blockage).  In which case you might notice a smell coming from her mouth - if this is the case the she definitely would need to see a vet who would have to wash out her cheek pouch.

As she is susceptible to this happening the only thing you can do to prevent it is to make sure she only has small pieces of food so she doesn't force any long items into it.  I often break up hamster biscuits as some can be quite long or strange shaped.  

I hope you get on OK.

Regards