Dwarf Hamster lost fur on back!

Question
We are worried about our hammy..His fun wore off on his back below his head. We found fur on the tube of the cage to the top look out box. The plastic must have cut his back when he went in and out. We closed up the tube to the look out. Is there anything we can put on the sore area to help it heal? Sorry my daughter and I didn't notice this before it got so bad. The case was over $30, and not that old but it maybe time to get a basic cage without the tubing. Please advise if you can. Thanks

Answer
Dear Patty,
thank you for your question.
Minor injuries tend to heal bets on their own, oinments often just make the hamster scratch and will make things worse. The fur should grow back withut any problems.
I always recommend tanks or homemade cages for hamsters because most storebought cages are way too small and you cannot fill in much bedding for the hamster to dig in. Sometimes you can get a cheap tank at garage sales or over the internet, try
http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html

The tank mustn't be higher than wide for proper ventilation and you'll need a mesh wire lid. The minimum for dwarf hamsters is 30x15x15" long, wide and high, 40x20x20" for Syrian hamster in my opinion.
OSB panels (can be bought at the hardware store) are a good choice if you want to build your own cage. You just need to paint them two or three times with acryllic paint to make them pee-proof. Here's a pictures of good hamster cages, many of them homemade:
http://www.diebrain.de/hi-gehege.html
for Syrians)
http://www.diebrain.de/zw-gehege.html
(for dwarfs)
(click on the thumbnails for bigger pictures, the measurement are centimeter)
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer