My golden hamster is about 1.5 years old I have recently moved house and he has not been coming out as much at night I kinda just felt like that was probably just from the stress of moving and him getting used to new scents.
Anyways I got him out last night and he seemed pretty normal and healthy but I noticed a tiny bit of blood on my hand obviously this made me panic I was hoping it somehow came from me instead of him so I Inspected him.
He had a little bit of blood on his back foot but his foot does not look injured at all
After inspecting him more I noticed that the blood came from his penis its not a lot of blood only a little bit but I am worried what to do and what it could be as far as I am aware he is eating normally and drinking normally just sleeping a little more then often then normal apart from that he seems fine what should I do? And what could it be?
I am thinking about taking him to the vet just worried they can't help him
Hello Robbie and welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear of your hamster bleeding. Often bleeding can be a urine infection and this can be easily cleared up with antibiotics and pain relief. Please do not panic as there is every chance your hamster has an infection and these are treatable.
Thank you for your quick response it has helped me feel less stressed I will take him to the vet so i can find out if it is a urine infection and get him the medication he needs and deserves
Rainbows advice is good . I am sure the vet will help and may give antibiotics. The antibiotic tastes absolutely foul and is difficult to give in food as not many foods disguise the taste of it. Some people find that drawing up a bit of runny honey in the syringe with the meds means the hamster will happily take it from the syringe and lick it up. If the hamster freaks about taking it from the syringe (some don’t like the syringe) then you could drop it onto a tiny pea sized amount of beefy food like beefy dog food - that usually works and they eat it all up . Just so you can get prepared to get some extras in if antibiotics are prescribed.
Just to add he will also be adjusting to the new environment after the house move as well but as long as your familiar scent is around he should adjust fairly quickly . You’re still familiar even if the environment has changed. Although it’s best to find a permanent home for the cage and not move it. Even a room change can be a big change for them.
It might be quieter, noisier or darker in the new location than before so he’ll be adjusting to that too. It’s also cold at night these days so they often do hide away and only come out in the night until the weather warms up a bit and the nights get lighter.
Okay thank you so much for all the amazing advice I will take everything all of you has said into consideration I hope tomorrow I can take him to the vet so he can get all the care he needs
Hi guys so last night I cleaned his home out so he is nice and happy but I did not notice any blood on his private parts or foot I am going to check again tonight
That is positive - if it's a UTI it could be intermittent bleeding. Are you wondering if it got from the foot to the penis rather than the other way round? Maybe check his cage to see if there's anything sharp he could have caught himself on - sometimes even a bendy stick bridge could have sharp bits and some bark wood items can have a nail protruding or something.
I am honestly not sure when changing his bedding I was looking very carefully for blood because he likes to use toilet paper for his bedding I felt like it would be very easy to spot but I did not find any blood at all I don't think he has anything sharp in his cage
I saw him the other day itching in that area of his private parts so I am honestly not sure at all what it could be if it's a UTI or maybe he just scratched himself a bit too hard I keeping a close eye on him in the evenings/night I am just not sure whether to call the vets or not what do you guys think?
I personally feel it may be helpful to give the vet a urine sample just to make sure there is no infection. With the scratching his private area it kind of sounds like he is not comfortable there. I am sure other members will have other opinions too.
Tricky. You could observe for 2 or 3 days and see how he goes. On the one hand, a vet check is important if something may need treatment. On the other hand such trips can be stressful for the hamster. I would keep an eye on him but if he continues to scratch in that particular area (not a place they usually scratch) then this would suggest discomfort.
How often do you clean him out by the way? Just wondered if you'd seen the cage cleaning tips on the home page. Generally it's best not to clean out too often and especially the nest area - unless it's pee'd in. Just to avoid removing their familiar scent. Cleaning out a lot also causes stress and then they're more likely to get infections due to lowered immunity. Sensitive little things are hamsters!
I'm not suggesting you are cleaning him out too much! But many people are advised to do full weekly cleans by pet shops and this is not good. They always need something that still has their scent on it.
Thank you for the advice I try to clean him out once every 2 to 3 weeks and I always leave a bit of his clean bedding in his nest so he has his scent in there still
You can spot clean mostly if you have enough depth of substrate. With that and a litter tray I got 3 months or more before doing a substrate change because the cage stays clean and dry Spot cleaning in between is just removing the odd handful of substrate and replacing it with a clean handful. Any other items that need cleaning - eg wheel - you can do as and when needed - so you're not cleaning everything at the same time.
Syrians will use a litter tray - if you put it in the right place - ie the place they've chosen as a toilet - often a corner of the cage. It makes life a lot easier for you and the hamster! I put Chinchilla sand in the litter tray - soaks up the pee. Mine always use it. Then you just empty the litter tray out once or twice a week.
I get these - easy for the hamster to get in and out and high back that stops splashes.
So at about 1 at night I went and checked on my hamster still no blood again on either his private area or his foot this is relieving news but I also find it quite strange it's been 2 days now and no blood I am going to check tomorrow as well. He acts pretty normal the only thing I can point out is that since moving house (moved in about 2 months ago) he does not come out much at night (at least from what I can hear) can anyone think of any reason why?
Thanks guys
Best wishes
Robbie
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its not a lot of blood only a little bit but I am worried what to do and what it could be as far as I am aware he is eating normally and drinking normally just sleeping a little more then often then normal apart from that he seems fine what should I do? And what could it be?
. I am sure the vet will help and may give antibiotics. The antibiotic tastes absolutely foul and is difficult to give in food as not many foods disguise the taste of it. Some people find that drawing up a bit of runny honey in the syringe with the meds means the hamster will happily take it from the syringe and lick it up. If the hamster freaks about taking it from the syringe (some don’t like the syringe) then you could drop it onto a tiny pea sized amount of beefy food like beefy dog food - that usually works and they eat it all up 