Lumpy Russian Hamster :(

Question
Hello, last night when picking up one of my dwarf Russian hamster i noticed a big lump on his belly. He seems to be around where his scent gland is. I don't know whether it may have got infected or something. His behavior has not changed in the slightest..he is still running around everywhere and always eating and when we had a look at the lump he didn't seem to flinch with pain or anything like that. We don't know whether to take him to the vet or see how he does and if it gets worse? Can you help?

Answer
Hi Becci

Lumps that appear on hamsters can one of several things:  worst case is that it is a tumour of some sort - in which case, the sooner a vet looks at it the better as some tumours can treated/operated on if they are diagnosed early.  It could be a cyst, or an abscess.  These can be treated easily by a vet - they would need to remove any pus that was in them and put your hamster on antibiotics.

So, I would suggest you get him looked as as soon as possible so that any treatment can be started before the situation gets any worse.

Regards