blood in urine

Question
Hi Joanne,
I have a male white albino hamster that is about 2 years old, he's had a growth in his back for about a year now that grows and shrinks but doesnt seem to affect his behaviour. Today for the 1st time i have noticed that he has blood in his urine, obviously this is not a very good sign, what do you think is wrong and what should i do?

Answer
hi lee,

no this isnt very good either way. it could be one of many things but the most likely causes are:

bladder or kidney infection, another symptom of this is excessive drinking.

aspergillis fungus, which is found as black patches somewhere in the cage, leading to a bladder infection, brought on by the toxic fumes coming from the fungus.

and thirdly, not a usual sign for this disease but it could also be wet tail. this is caused by unhygenic living areas. try cleaning out his cage very thougholy using small animal cage disinfectant, wash your hands before and after handling him.

whatever the reason he MUST see a vet IMMEDIATELY. ring them first thing, tell them the problem, and the vet will more than likely see you the same day. and should cost no more than 10-15 dollars. if you dont have the cash up front, tell them to send a bill to your home.

good luck with this, thank you for your question, please ask again if you need to, do let me know how you got on.

joanne :) x