Absesses possibly?

Question
Ever since I got my hamster, I noticed a dark spot on his fur. I noticed that he has been always cleaning that certain spot. One day, I could see the skin underneath and it looked like an irratated lump. I figured another hamster had bitten him and took him to the vet. The vet prescribed an antibiotic that is for cats and dogs. I applied this once a day for two weeks. The lump has gotten worse, and it looks more irratated. Today I went to Petsmart and looked at other Honeybear hamsters. They also had these spots, and the other hamsters too. I asked about the spots (all the hamsters had it in the same spots) and the people there could not figure it out. Do you have any clue what this is and how I can treat it?

Answer
Dear Liza,
thank you for your question.
I'm fairly sure that what you've found is one of the hamster's scent glands. Syrian hamsters have two, one on each side, right in front of the hindlegs. They look a lot like moles.Here's a picture:
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/80/94180/1024_6565616464373264.jpg
They can sometimes look a bit swollen and irritated, but usually it's nothing to worry about.
I recommend that you change the vet, though. When they don't know that hamsters have glands in that spot, I wouldn't trust them with anything else.

If your hamster has someting different, please get back to me! A picture would be very helpful.
Jennifer