Possible Illness

Question
Hi Shelby,

I've had my hamster Nibbler for just over a year now and over the last few weeks have noticed that her left back paw is swollen with redness. Sometimes there will be scabbing as if she has bit down on the swollen paw or it's scraped against something. Today when I took her out of her cage for some attention I noticed that there appears to be pus inside of this swollen area.

I've had plenty of hamsters before and have never had this sort of thing happen before and I was curious if you had any inclinations of what this may be?

Thank you,
Sarah

Answer
Hi Sarah

It certainly sounds as though she has caught it on something which has broken the skin and caused infection.  Hamsters do get abscesses and cysts and this is something your vet needs to treat.  They will clean the pus out of the wound and treat with antibiotics.

With regard to how she did this - this is difficult to know.  She has either scratched it on something - are there any toys in her cage that have sharp edges?  What type of bedding are you using?  Is it the fluffy type?  If so, swap immediately to the shredded paper type.  The fluffy bedding can get caught around hamster's legs and they struggle to free themselves - sometimes they actually chew their feet/legs off to get free.  If you are using this bedding there is always a possibility that this is what has happened and she has chewed herself, which has subsequently infected.

Hope you get on OK.

Regards