Irritated nipple

Question
I have a dwarf hamster, yesterday my boyfriend noticed one of its nipples is irritated.  It is bright red, hard, and has a scab on top.  She has been itching it a lot, but no fur loss or change in her activity.  Wondering if you've ever seen this before.

Answer
Hi Jennifer

How old is she?  Has your hamster recently had a litter?  A couple of things come to mind: hamsters can get mastitis - but this usually occurs when a litter has been born. This is caused by a bacterial infection.   Obviously if this occurs when a mother is nursing her young, it often ends up in the death of the litter.  However, if it is this, then it is treatable with antibiotics.

Is there any pus coming out of the nipple?  You can bathe and massage the affected gland with a warm compress (not easy with a dwarf)and if there is any pus this should help release it.  You could try this for a day or two and see what happens.  Try to keep the area clean if you can.

Another thing could be that she has got mites or similar and has been scratching - but it is an unusual place for this to occur, plus you'd expect the area to be red all over.  

It could be a cyst or a tumor - which would definitely need investigating by a vet to see if it needed removing/drained.

Providing the situation doesn't get any worse, and she doesn't show any sign of deterioration in herself, I think it would be worth monitoring the situation for a day or two and trying the warm (don't make it too hot) compress.  I think you may end up taking her to a vet in any case as she may well need antibiotics - but you might be able to identify the condition more clearly before you take her.

Hope this helps you.  Let me know how you get on.

Regards
Sheila