Thread: Hamster with large lump??

My daughter has a tiny Siberian Dwarf that has a lump half the size of herself. She's had it for several months and in talking to a friend/vet, I was told that nothing can really be done that most vets would be willing to do on something so tiny. We figured it must be cancer.
I know cancer is common in household rodents but would cancer open up? The center of the lump was on her last teat on the right side. This morning Pickle noticed that there was a hole where the teat used to be. Nothing has drained and it's not bleeding plus the lump is still there. Is it possible that her skin had stretched to the max and her teat ruptured to allow for more room?
If it's cancer, I don't get it because I've never heard of it opening up like that.
Now it's a giant lump with a big open hole in it...

Came back to add that if the hammie ever showed signs of pain or that it really bothered her to move, that she would have been put down. She still skittered and climbed and it doesn't seem to have affected her leg closest to it at all...

Could be mastitis (sp), here's an article with similar symptoms.

http://www.forrestg.pwp.blueyonder.c...l/lumpbump.htm

Unfortunately my sons hamster had the exact same thing, a lump under his throat, & yes, it was cancer. The stuck a needle in it once & drained it; about 6 months later the vet put him to sleep. He is buried in the flower garden in the backyard. His name is Mr. Brown. Snif.

This is amazing! I thought I was the only one!! When I was a kid, about 25 yrs. ago, my hamster had a HUGE lump on his hip. I was upset and we went to the vet, he made a small incision and looked at the inside tissue and said it wasn't cancerous and could be operated on. My father was in his early 50's and raised on a farm, so it was a rodent to him, but thank goodness he had a soft heart and said he hated to think it was in pain, so he allowed me to have the surgery for him. It was almost $40, for a $2 hamster!! They shaved him, operated on him, and he was fine for many years after that. I always look at it as very fond memory and one of the sweetest things my dad did for me.

Thanks folks...

I'm not sure that it is mastitis(sp?) but it does give me a whole new area to search for answers.

I wish that I knew what to do but after talking to that friend of ours, I asked our regular vet about operating on it and he said basically the same thing the friend did and he added that I would be lucky to find a small animal vet that would do it. Most of the vets around here are cat and dog and some might venture into birds or reptiles. Bijou isn't much bigger than my thumb.

I keep going in there to check on her and to check the cage for ooze but all she's doing is sleeping or munching her carrot piece. She still seems fine.

Pickle found a fledgling bird the day before yesterday and I put it back up in a tree. It was windy that night but I didn't see it yesterday morning. Then I found it in the parking lot and it was wounded with a broken leg and some bleeding out of it's "breathing holes". Bigger birds were picking on it so I brought it in because I didn't want Pickle to see it being attacked and killed in front of our apartment. It died last night. I knew it would but I couldn't convince her. I think she's thinking I couldv'e done something else... So she's already dealing with that.

I'm sorry but I clearly stated that the hammie does not seem to be effected by this, She stilll climbs her cage, skitters and jumps around. I have watched her very closely and I think putting her to sleep based on your experience and opinions would be more cruel.
I have asked the friend what to do and she can't believe that it opened up. She also said that cancer would not do that and as long as it isn't draining, leave her alone with it. When/if it does drain, she will come over to treat her by syringe draing it completely and prescribe some supplements of a vitamin/antibiotic combination.
Bijou seems to be taking pretty good care of it and stops to clean quite often.

My daughters both have pet hamsters. Both hamsters at one time have had lumps...then the lumps have dissapeared. The life expectancy of hamsters is on average 2 years which may be another reason why a vet would not consider doing anything about it.