What is wrong with my hamster?
Those are symptoms of an impacted pouch. Hamster’s cheek pouches are dry, not moist like human’s, and they can become impacted if he/she is unable to extract what is in the pouch. Sticky foods, commercial fluffy bedding and some sharp pointed seeds are the most common culprits. An impacted pouch will appear as a lump (sometimes resembling an abscess) and on occasion can sometimes be so large it causes the eye to close. There is no effective home remedy for this condition, the pouch needs to be emptied and rinsed by a veterinarian. This is one of those conditions where an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure, don’t feed sticky foods that adhere to the inner lining of the pouch and be aware of anything given to a hamster that might be stored in its pouch. Like small babies that tend to put everything in their mouths, a hamster tries to put everything in its pouch!
he might have gotten a wood chip splinter in the eye… not sure if you have a vet in your area that deals with hamsters, but they might be able to help. Also, a hamster’s natural environment was actually SAND… So you could always try that for your next one. I had a hamster that was pregnant when I got it, gave birth to 6 little hampsters in the first week, all with different colors. One of them was smaller than the others, and didn’t get much food, and died. The other 5 grew up really fast, and got given away to various people we knew.
If the eye looks like it is crusted over and the cheek is also puffy it’s a good idea to get your hamster to the vet. If you are sure that it’s not food stored in the mouth then what you describe sounds like it could be a cheek pouch infection. Besides the cheek pouch looking puffy or swollen sometimes their eye can tear a lot and cause it to close shut. A cheek pouch infection can only be cured by the vet prescribing antibiotics. Untreated the infection will only get worse possibly causing an abscess.
