Hamster Lump

[Indic0]

So around late December I had noticed a lump in my hamsters testicle area and began to raise concern as it wasn’t going away. I was giving it the benefit of the doubt that it was his testicle and would go away but it hasn’t. Around late January he was taken to the vet where they had done an xray and discovered his testicle had grown to x3 the normal size. Keep in mind this entire time he’s been incredibly unbothered by it. He eats and drinks as normally, runs on his wheel normally. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t even noticed it’s there. Anyways the vet wants to neuter him which initially made me incredibly anxious due to how much I’ve seen online that neutering is usually extremely dangerous that the cons really out way any pros. His surgery is Tuesday and I am incredibly nervous but really we don’t have much of a choice. It’s growing so if we leave it, it’ll just keep getting bigger and bigger until it actually does start to affect his mobility. I was wondering if anybody had any advice with recovery or really anything that will make me less anxious. My mom has been going with me to the vet since this is my first pet which I own and care for 100% on my own and she feels pretty confident with the vet and the vet even said he’s very active and playful given that he’s 2 years old, but the surgery alone is the thing making me anxious regardless of who does it .

Anyways anything helps. Thanks!

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome to the forum.

I can understand your concerns, surgery is always a difficult choice to have to make for a hamster especially as they get older & your hamster is a good age now.
It’s great that he’s still active & the problem doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all.
Has the vet given you any idea of what’s causing his testicles to become so enlarged? It’s not something I’ve come across before without a tumour or some growth being involved.

If they are growing fast then I guess surgery is your only option although at his age it might be worth considering waiting a while longer but not knowing any more details I’m not really able to say & don’t like to question what the vet recommends.

Recovery is mostly just about keeping them quiet & comfortable, depending on the type of cage & set up he has you might need to set up a smaller caage for recovery so there’s no risk of him injuring himself & you can keep a closer eye on him.
The vet should give him pain relief for afterwards that will keep him comfortable so that shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[Maz]

Hello. I'm so sorry to hear this. When you say Tuesday, do you mean tomorrow? Was this an exotic vet? I think usually you are given the option at this age. Either surgery or continue as he is with pain relief and adapting his cage so he can manage easier - but that would probably lead to a point where he would need to be put to sleep if it was causing too many problems. There is the risk it could become strangulated as well possibly or prolapsed

A vet would normally not propose surgery unless the hamster was in good healthy condition, despite the age. It is a very worrying time for you. It's difficult to comment without more information - eg if it's an exotic vet or what other options were suggested, if any.

Also, as Elusive says - if the vet has given a cause. If it's a tumour then it's very likely there could be secondaries and either the tumour return or the cancer come out elsewhere. Which is why these are difficult decisions. If it's cancer I would probably not have surgery at this age, but then you would need to be prepared for the fact the hamster may need to be put to sleep at some point when pain relief stops being effective.

Hamsters can recover well and quite quickly from surgery though. The first few days they need to be kept warm and in a smaller hospital tank without a wheel and nothing they could catch the wound on. The anaesthetic means they don't regulate body temperature well for a few days and can get cold. So if you go ahead with the surgery then you'd need a hospital cage/tank ready set up. It still needs to be a secure cage as they can be pretty active after a day and try and climb out! A bin cage is fine if it has a lid.

Did the vet mention chance of strangulation of the lump or cutting off the blood supply?

 

[Indic0]

Hello & welcome to the forum.

I can understand your concerns, surgery is always a difficult choice to have to make for a hamster especially as they get older & your hamster is a good age now.
It’s great that he’s still active & the problem doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all.
Has the vet given you any idea of what’s causing his testicles to become so enlarged? It’s not something I’ve come across before without a tumour or some growth being involved.

If they are growing fast then I guess surgery is your only option although at his age it might be worth considering waiting a while longer but not knowing any more details I’m not really able to say & don’t like to question what the vet recommends.

Recovery is mostly just about keeping them quiet & comfortable, depending on the type of cage & set up he has you might need to set up a smaller caage for recovery so there’s no risk of him injuring himself & you can keep a closer eye on him.
The vet should give him pain relief for afterwards that will keep him comfortable so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Hello. I'm so sorry to hear this. When you say Tuesday, do you mean tomorrow? Was this an exotic vet? I think usually you are given the option at this age. Either surgery or continue as he is with pain relief and adapting his cage so he can manage easier - but that would probably lead to a point where he would need to be put to sleep if it was causing too many problems. There is the risk it could become strangulated as well possibly or prolapsed

A vet would normally not propose surgery unless the hamster was in good healthy condition, despite the age. It is a very worrying time for you. It's difficult to comment without more information - eg if it's an exotic vet or what other options were suggested, if any.

Also, as Elusive says - if the vet has given a cause. If it's a tumour then it's very likely there could be secondaries and either the tumour return or the cancer come out elsewhere. Which is why these are difficult decisions. If it's cancer I would probably not have surgery at this age, but then you would need to be prepared for the fact the hamster may need to be put to sleep at some point when pain relief stops being effective.

Hamsters can recover well and quite quickly from surgery though. The first few days they need to be kept warm and in a smaller hospital tank without a wheel and nothing they could catch the wound on. The anaesthetic means they don't regulate body temperature well for a few days and can get cold. So if you go ahead with the surgery then you'd need a hospital cage/tank ready set up. It still needs to be a secure cage as they can be pretty active after a day and try and climb out! A bin cage is fine if it has a lid.

Did the vet mention chance of strangulation of the lump or cutting off the blood supply?

The vet doesn’t know what’s causing it however they did mention wanting to send it to a lab after surgery to get a definite answer on what it is. Yes the surgery is tomorrow and the vet we found is an exotic vet. It took us a while to call around and find a vet who would see a hamster and often it lead to them giving us a number for a vet clinic who does have an exotic vet, only to find out that clinic actually doesn’t have an exotic vet. We did that for a while until we found this one. Although he is 2 he hasn’t slowed down at all from when he was younger and the vet had said despite his age, because he’s very active and healthy, if he was hers she would do the surgery. However, the vet did not mention other options. As for the hospital cage, what does that consist of and how do you ensure the hamster is warm? I use glass fish tanks and planned on buying a smaller one so that he wouldn’t need to walk around as much to get to his water or food. I also wasn’t sure about bedding? The bedding I use does have a little bit of dust when it’s fresh coming straight out of the package and was worried about infection. I was thinking maybe a guinea pig fleece liner? Also I’m assuming he also wouldn’t be allowed to burrow for a little bit? If you guys have any answers to these questions I’d appreciate it. That way I can get some shopping out of the way now rather than waiting till tomorrow and doing it while he’s at the vet. Thanks!

 

[elusive]

If you’re iusing a glass tank you could put some fleece blankets or something around the outside to keep it warmer don’t put any fabric inside just in case it gets chewed which could be dangerous.
You could also use a heat pad close to but not directly in contact with the tank, you just want to keep him warm but not too hot.
The best thing really though is just to try to keep the room temperature high enough to keep him comfortable.
Which substrate do you use? A paper substrate like Kaytee would be fine but shavings might not be so good with a healing wound.

 

[Maz]

Your vet sounds like she knows what she is doing then and it will give your little boy a chance. There are so many unknowns which is what makes these decisions so hard. It’s unknown if he would go downhill quickly if he didn’t have the surgery and it’s unknown if he will have a problem during or after surgery.

But if he seems fit and healthy then the surgery may not be a big issue for him. I had a lump removed on a healthy 21 month old hamster and he was fine. After five days his wound was almost healed and he was back in his main cage.

Whether or not you should pay for a biopsy is another matter. In hindsight I wished I didn’t know because if they do get a lump come back afterwards they wouldn't do surgery again anyway - so then it’s just a case of living out their lives on pain relief.

A hospital tank doesn't want to be too small - I made that mistake! They can still be pretty active after the first couple of days and I ended up having to sit up half the night with the hamster out of the cage in a playpen! Because he was frantic in the small hospital cage. Something about 75cm x 45 cm would be fine - either a tank or a bin cage. Or something like a zoozone if you can get one.

Bedding - best if it’s paper bedding and only about four to six inches. Four or five inches is fine. No wheel - maybe a cardboard tunnel, a chew, a cardboard house and the odd other item as long as there is nothing rough or with sharp edges.

In terms of keeping warm - the solid sides help but the main thing is to keep the room temperature ambient at at least 20 degrees c. That is more effective than blankets really - it’s cold air that can make them shivery.

I’m sure the vet will give you a post op sheet of info as well.

 

[Maz]

I had a Robo who got a large lump underneath and I opted not to have surgery at the time as it was such a large area of his tiny body - the vet said it was up to me. He lived another 6 months and I had to level his cage as it would drag and affect his mobility. He did have to be pts in the end as he started chewing it which the vet said suggested he was in pain even though he was on pain relief.

However, many times I regretted not having the surgery as he struggled more and more but was still very active. There is no right or wrong answer really.

If your vet seems confident then maybe go with that. Because the future is unknown as to whether he would get worse or not.

 

[Maz]

I think with it being the testicles though there might be a risk of a strangulated testicle cutting off the blood supply or prolapse if it was left and that would be an emergency surgery. But I haven’t seen it.

 

[Maz]

I also know of a Syrian who had surgery at two and was absolutely fine. The lump did come back though. But it maybe gave him a more comfortable life for a few months.

 

[Maz]

It’s maybe a bit late to cancel now anyway . I would get busy organising the hospital tank/cage and we’ll all keep our fingers crossed. Do update us.

What bedding do you use? You mentioned it being dusty. There are various paper beddings. My hamster’s wound had a sort of invisible plaster spray over the top that helped keep it clean. Like a clear film. So it’s mainly sharp or rough things and to make sure they don’t over exert himself to avoid splitting stitches. He’ll also need to be on Loxicom for a few days after surgery so you could maybe get some baby food. A pea sized amount of that with the meds dropped on top usually goes down well and is a nice treat for them.

There’s a list of safe baby foods below - I use a jar lid as a separate dish to put it on.

Baby food options

This thread is for baby food options. Eg for an older hamster needing softened food or for a hamster on medication (using baby food to put the medication in). This list will probably change over time and need updating and editing now and then as things stop being available or new things become...

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Maz]

Usually after a post op check after 5 to 7 days they can go back in their main cage. Do you have a playpen area in case he wants to come out after the first couple of days?

 

[Indic0]

I also know of a Syrian who had surgery at two and was absolutely fine. The lump did come back though. But it maybe gave him a more comfortable life for a few months.

If you’re iusing a glass tank you could put some fleece blankets or something around the outside to keep it warmer don’t put any fabric inside just in case it gets chewed which could be dangerous.
You could also use a heat pad close to but not directly in contact with the tank, you just want to keep him warm but not too hot.
The best thing really though is just to try to keep the room temperature high enough to keep him comfortable.
Which substrate do you use? A paper substrate like Kaytee would be fine but shavings might not be so good with a healing wound.

Thank you both for the help . I use Kaylee’s paper bedding and unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of it that are recent. I do have pictures of it from late December when I had originally noticed it however it was about the size of a pea at that time and it’s now way larger. About a little smaller than a blueberry I think? Maybe a little bigger? To be honest I’m not entirely sure and I feel like my anxiousness is making me remember it larger than it actually is so if that sounds kind of absurd it’s probably smaller than a blueberry lol. I’m at work at the moment but will try to get a picture when possible. I also call it a lump but I’m pretty sure it’s just the testicle itself. I don’t remember the vet ever saying there was a growth ON the testicle only that the testicle itself was roughly x3 the normal size. Regardless you guys have been very helpful. Thank you

 

[Indic0]

Usually after a post op check after 5 to 7 days they can go back in their main cage. Do you have a playpen area in case he wants to come out after the first couple of days?

Whoops sorry forgot to answer that last question. Yes I do have a playpen for him.

 

[Maz]

Keep us posted I think they usually like you to drop them off early morning then go through their surgery list for the day - so the op might not be till lunch time or early afternoon. After the op they monitor them in a recovery tank with food and water in until they come round. Mine came round almost straight away and they said he was very lively! They kept him there a bit longer for monitoring and then call you when they’re ready to collect.

I was asked to take some of the usual food and a water bottle with me but vets may vary on that

Kaytee C&C is fine.

 

[Indic0]

Keep us posted I think they usually like you to drop them off early morning then go through their surgery list for the day - so the op might not be till lunch time or early afternoon. After the op they monitor them in a recovery tank with food and water in until they come round. Mine came round almost straight away and they said he was very lively! They kept them there a bit longer for monitoring and then call you when they’re ready to collect.

I was asked to take some of the usual food and a water bottle with me but vets may vary on that

Kaytee C&C is fine.

Will do and yes the vet had requested the same as well as some clean bedding from his cage, a few of his usual treats (I’m assuming to try and encourage him to eat?) and a hide he’s comfortable in. They want him dropped off around 7:30 and said that they’d call sometime in the afternoon when he’s ready to be picked up. I believe the rough estimate pick up time was 4:00 or 5:00 pm.

 

[Maz]

Good luck

 

[elusive]

Hope it all goes well.

 

[Maz]

Sorry for all my typos earlier - I was on my phone I've corrected them now.

 

[Frida]

I hope all goes well for your hamster tomorrow

 

[Indic0]

I hope all goes well for your hamster tomorrow

Sorry for all my typos earlier - I was on my phone I've corrected them now.

Hope it all goes well.

Hey all! So we just picked him up from the vet. They said he was eating right out of surgery LOL. They gave us Meloxidyl for the pain and said no bedding in his cage for 7 days. They recommended a towel and dog pee pads for the cage instead. He also needs to eat food with his medication since he can’t take it on an empty stomach. They also put him in a cone but it was really bothering him so the vet said he’s good without it we just need to make sure he’s not licking his incision. I’m gonna look into getting baby food to make giving him his medicine a little easier.