My hamster has what I think is an abscess...

Question
I've raised mice since I was 5. So I'm very familiar with them. I started to raise hamsters when I turned 12.
I started with a black bear hamster and was breeding them like i did with my mice, so I'm not too new with the subjects of small animals.
I now have Roborovski hamsters. Both are female, but just this week i was petting one of them and i noticed she had a large bump on her right hip. I've been watching it and it seems to be getting a tad bigger but now i think it has stopped growing.  I would have to say i haven't even had them a year yet, most likely close to it, though.
I touch the bump and it's really soft and all of her fur is intact. She doesn't seem to have any problems doing any of the normal things. She runs on her wheel, plays in her ball, eating and drinking regularly, sleeps normally. But lately i have been noticing the two squeaking a whole bunch and when i go over to the cage one is on top of the other whom is belly side up. If the bump is from a wound, its probably an abscess, but she wont stay still for me to see any bite marks. Do you have any information to help me? Or should I take her to a vet?

Answer
Hi Noelle

When Robos fight they do tend to nip each other's rear end, and it is quite possible that this is a bite that has become infected.  If this is the case your vet will need to treat your hamster with antibiotics and if necessary drain any pus from the wound.

Hamsters do sometimes get tumors (although Robos seem to get these less frequently than the other varieties of hamsters), but these tend to look red/purple and can grow very quickly over the matter of a few days.

I would strongly advise that you get her checked out to get a proper diagnosis and the relevant treatment.

Good luck with this.

Regards