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Wound and hair loss on head

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milton’smom

Hi found a small cut on my hamster’s head the other week. Read some articles online and decided to let it heal on its own and observe the wound. It got better a few days ago but yesterday found another wound near the same area and even more hair loss. He did not fall or have any other hamsters in the cage with him. Havent observed him rubbing against his cage at all either. Cant find anything online similar to this and wanted to know what it may be. Should I be worried?
 

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Hello & welcome to the forum.
It is a concern that this has happened twice now so the important thing is to try & find the cause.
Have you checked everything in the cage for sharp edges or entrance holes that are just that bit too small so he scrapes his head when going through, or anywhere else in the cage where he might be pushing his head into something.
Are his nails ok? If they get too long it’s possible for them to scratch themselves when grooming.
The wounds look clean as far as I can see but do keep an eye on them & if they don’t seem to heal or begin to get infected you will need to take him to your vet.
You can bath wounds with saline solution if necessary.
 
Hello! Thank you so much for your reply! Truly appreciate your help. I did try checking his cage but so far one of the only things I can think of would be his wooden wheel where there’s a gap between the base and wheel. There’s a huge path beside it though but he tends to still go underneath the gap when he passes through. Will keep watch. Thank you again so much!
 
That could be what’s causing it, they do seem to like going under the wheel for some reason, have you given the wheel a check for any rough bits?
 
I have and so far the edges are smooth. Just a bit weirded out since he’s never had this problem before and we’ve had this wooden wheel for 9 months now. Will try rearranging his cage to see if helps. Thank you again! Definitely helped me worry a lot less 🙏🏼
 
Hello and welcome to the forum!

It is a worry when we do our best and make our hamsters cages as safe as we can and they still find a way to squeeze under something or hurt themselves.

Have you rearranged Milton's cage before? If yes, was he alright or stressed out by it? I'm only asking because hamsters can become disorientated if their things are not in their usual place.

It's more important to find the cause i think, especially as the injuries are so close to his eye. One way would be to install a night camera with a motion detector so you get an idea of what he does at night.
 
Beryl said:
Hello and welcome to the forum!

It is a worry when we do our best and make our hamsters cages as safe as we can and they still find a way to squeeze under something or hurt themselves.

Have you rearranged Milton's cage before? If yes, was he alright or stressed out by it? I'm only asking because hamsters can become disorientated if their things are not in their usual place.

It's more important to find the cause i think, especially as the injuries are so close to his eye. One way would be to install a night camera with a motion detector so you get an idea of what he does at night.
Click to expand...
Hey Beryl! Thank you! I have rearranged it a few times before. He seemed more curious than stressed (if ever only a little and adjusts really quickly) when I did since he’s a very chill hamster. True about the eye thing. That’s what got me worried too. Not sure if I have the ability to put up a night camera though but hopefully rearranging the cage to a more effective layout would do the trick. Will definitely keep you all posted 🙏🏼
 
Hello and welcome. That does look like a nasty place to get a cut. Usual culprits for things like that are - a possibly nail end protruding from a wood item or an animal. Like if they’ve been near a car or in with another hamster. I’m guessing that’s not the case though.

As it’s on his head area it does suggest he might be pushing his head under something. It doesn’t sound like the wheel of you’ve had it so long and there’s a decent sized gap on it. Annoying when it’s a mystery. Usual advice is to check all items in the cage for any sharp bits (even bendy stick bridges can have sharp bits).

But the fur loss is puzzling too. How old is he?

It’s a bit concerning that it’s so close to his eye. Is there any chance he could escape at night from his cage?

Not sure what cage you have but some hamsters have been known to chew a hole through a plastic bass which could leave sharp edges.

Or squeezing through bars? Assume bar spacing is narrow enough?
 
I would think the fur loss is most likely caused by the same thing as the cuts if he’s pushing hard at or through something.
 
Yes that’s a good point - “wheel rub” is quite common on the back (fur loss or soreness) if a wheel has a spindle and isnt that large. But if it’s a wood wheel it wouldn’t have a spindle I would think and why his head rather than his back?

So yes suggests he’s been pushing his head through something.

Cats can also paw through cages actually - which is why they need to be kept away from hamster cages!
 
Do you have a photo of his cage in case we can spot anything? Just had another thought - some wicker toys (like the little tipi houses) can have sharp edges where a bit of wicker end pokes out.
 
Maz said:
Hello and welcome. That does look like a nasty place to get a cut. Usual culprits for things like that are - a possibly nail end protruding from a wood item or an animal. Like if they’ve been near a car or in with another hamster. I’m guessing that’s not the case though.

As it’s on his head area it does suggest he might be pushing his head under something. It doesn’t sound like the wheel of you’ve had it so long and there’s a decent sized gap on it. Annoying when it’s a mystery. Usual advice is to check all items in the cage for any sharp bits (even bendy stick bridges can have sharp bits).

But the fur loss is puzzling too. How old is he?

It’s a bit concerning that it’s so close to his eye. Is there any chance he could escape at night from his cage?

Not sure what cage you have but some hamsters have been known to chew a hole through a plastic bass which could leave sharp edges.

Or squeezing through bars? Assume bar spacing is narrow enough?
Click to expand...
Hi everyone! Thanks for all your insights! The wheel has no nails protruding out of it and we have no cats. I can’t say for sure but I’m estimating he’s around 11-12 months old. Milton doesn’t escape or try to either (not since 9 months ago when we got the wheel). He has 2 cages (a wooden and wire cage connected by tubes). With regards to him putting his head through anything, he usually has the same few places which werent really a problem for months. No bridges or permanent toys either.

I’m beginning to think it may also be his habit of jumping off of his second levels (even when he has stairs and tubes) that arent too high but he may have hit his head in the process. I’ve moved the wheel to a farther end and am hoping that solves it. Will keep you all posted! Thank you again!
 
Would you like to post a picture of Milton's set up so members can give you tips?
 
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It depends how high they are :) But it’s a possibility - fall risks are something I didn’t think of. And they behave like lemmings sometimes! Not sure that would explain the hair loss though.
 
Hello! Sorry for the late update everyone but I’ve been out of town the past few weeks but his wound has healed and his bald patch is gone! I think we found the problem and I think believe it was him bumping into the wheel when coming down from his 4 inch high second level right in front of his wheel (even though there’s more space to do so). Moved his wheel to a far corner instead and haven’t noticed any issues since! Thank you so much again for all your help! Truly appreciate it 🙏🏼

Also wanted to share that he has a new den hideout (even though he has two other hideouts already). Funny thing is and ironically enough, it’s the spot between the wheel and the wheel base facing the corner of his cage. He sure loves that spot 😂
 
Thank you for the update and so glad to hear that everything is well with Milton now.
It must have been such a worry for you.

Yes, they love their wheels and sometimes burrow and sleep near them.
 
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