Mouth bleeding

Question
My daughter was putting her hamster back in her main cage after cleaning it and noticed that her mouth was bleeding.  Her fur was wet around her mouth and her front paws were tinged with blood (probably from grooming).  There wasn't anything sharp in the temp cage she was in, except for her wooden chew sticks.  She seems to be acting fine, but it's tricky trying to clean her mouth to see if it's still bleeding - I don't think it is.  She's sleeping now (normal, as it's daytime) but my daughter's still nervous.  I think it's probably from the chew stick - have you ever come across this before?  Any help you could offer would be great.  Thanks -

Answer
Dear Kari,

Although this is not something I personally have come across before, I have heard of this. Chew sticks will very rarely cause health issues, especially bleeding. If your daughter's hamster was out of the cage, there are a number of things she could have cut herself on, that would be easy to overlook. this could also be malocolussion, whaen the hamsters teeth are mis-ailigned, if your hamster has been chewing on the bars of the cage, this is very possible. My advice-get her out of that cage and into a glass 10 gallon tank, or a cage with vertical bars.
Try to keep the hamsters mouth clean, but DON'T use ANY soap or disenfectants. If the bleeding persists for more than a few hours, contact a vet.
The hamster is probably upset, so try not to play with/touch her until you are sure about what is going on, however make sure she has enough food and water, as well as nesting material(cotton balls work the best) to keep her happy and feeling safe.
I wish you all of the best, and I hope your hammie heals quickly!
Sincerley,
Sarah