sick hampster

Question
our hampster seems to have sores, open, weeping and now coated with stuff...on her feet.  She smells bad, and I am not sure what the problem is.  She has a plastic cage, which we keep very clean, and she has the proper bedding and food...we don't have a vet that works on hampsters in our area...help!  Should we just put her out of her misery or what? Thanks

Answer
Unfortunately, I don't know much about hamsters. If she's getting sores on her feet, I'd change the bedding and keep her on paper towels for a while so they don't get infected or irritated. If she smells bad then its possible that you're not cleaning the cage enough. On the other hand, it could also be the drainage from her feet.
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/pdfs/exotics/hamsters.pdf
Check the section on housing.