Small lump on hamsters chest/underbelly.

[Tosan]

Hello again. I posted one thread before regarding my little Nara in the past.
I have a new little guy (first male Syrian I've ever had, always females before!). He's a few months old only, he is very active and friendly, such a sweet little guy.
While picking him up I noticed a little lump on his chest just under his left front arm. My oldest hamster who passed a couple months ago (just died of old age, rest in peace little angel <3) actually had a similar lump in almost the exact same spot. She had it for a while and I monitored it, it never grew and always stayed the same size so it seems it was benign.
Just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences - are these types of little lumps generally benign or was my other hamster just lucky? I'll probably take him to the vet soon (money's tight is all but I'll do it anyway cause I want to make sure he's okay). Just looking for someone who's maybe had a similar experience and if it's something I should be super worried about. It's a firm lump, smaller than a pea I suppose. It stayed the same size for about 6 months when I noticed it on my oldest hamster and it never seemed to turn into anything so I'm hoping that's the case here, although if it's not super expensive or painful for the little guy to surgically remove it from the surface I might just have that done.

Thanks!

 

[elusive]

I haven’t experienced a small lump like this but I know there are quite a variety of things it could be & there’s no way of really knowing without getting it checked by the vet, hopefully it isn’t anything to worry about but I would get the vet to have a look just to be sure.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Welcome back and congratulations on your new hamster! I would get the lump checked out just to know what it is. Often lumps are harmless but I feel it is best to get it check to ensure this is the case. I understand the vet is expensive but better in the long run in case the lump were to grow.

It would be lovely to hear all about your new hamster so you may want to start a diary for him and tell us all about him.

 

[Maz]

Hello and lovely you have a new Syrian The others have said it all really. It’s good you noticed the lump and hopefully the vet can advise. Lumps do need to be checked out really. It sounds unusual if the hamster is very young but it’s possible he has had a previous injury before coming to you.

It could be an abscess possibly as well which is easily sorted but important it’s diagnosed . Did you get him from a pet store? Only asking because if you need to pay a vet bill it could be worth trying to claim the cost back from the pet store.

 

[Tosan]

Welcome back and congratulations on your new hamster! I would get the lump checked out just to know what it is. Often lumps are harmless but I feel it is best to get it check to ensure this is the case. I understand the vet is expensive but better in the long run in case the lump were to grow.

It would be lovely to hear all about your new hamster so you may want to start a diary for him and tell us all about him.

He is a little cookies and cream cutie. I couldn't think of a name for him immediately so I just started calling him "little buddy", so I guess that's his name now He's incredibly chill and tame for a pet store hamster. He wasn't scared to be pet right off the bat, he was already willingly climbing into my hand after about a week. This is very rare I find, having had several hamsters over the years, he's only the 2nd one who climbs into my hand like this.
I assume it's the higher IQ little floofs that figure out climbing into my hand = free roam time. He only climbs into my hand when he's in his tank because he knows that's the "elevator to freedom" - same as my other hamster that did this. He doesn't like to be grabbed, as most hamster don't, but he's very willing to allow me to just snatch him up and hold him sometimes.
Lola was my oldest who passed recently, the other one who had a seemingly benign lump - one of her unique traits was always trying to climb up my legs while I sat at my PC, it was so cute. Little buddy is the only one besides her to do that already! He recently started climbing up my legs so I lift them and make a bridge so he can climb onto my lap, often all the way up to my shoulder. He's a precious little guy, so full of personality!

I also have this other huge beautiful chonker I named Raven!
I went to get some more bedding at the pet store and I always look at the hamsters....and have to convince myself not to take them all home.
I commented to the pet store employee how huge she was, and he said "yeah she's been here a while, probably 3 months, no one takes her home" - That broke my heart, she's so gentle and beautiful, she deserves a good loving home. She appeared fairly docile and relaxed, and she's legit the biggest hamster I've ever seen. I took her home, she's slightly skittish at times but she lets me pick her up already. They're such incredible sweethearts, I love how all their little personalities vary so much.

 

[Tosan]

Hello and lovely you have a new Syrian The others have said it all really. It’s good you noticed the lump and hopefully the vet can advise. Lumps do need to be checked out really. It sounds unusual if the hamster is very young but it’s possible he has had a previous injury before coming to you.

It could be an abscess possibly as well which is easily sorted but important it’s diagnosed . Did you get him from a pet store? Only asking because if you need to pay a vet bill it could be worth trying to claim the cost back from the pet store.

Yes it was from Petco (I hate supporting animal mills at all but there are no reputable breeders near me and I still feel these precious babies deserve a good home even if it supports and perpetuates the poor breeding practices). I'll see if they reimburse, although I've had him for about 2 months and last time this happened and they covered it, I believe they said they only cover the first month so they probably won't.

 

[Maz]

That’s lovely little buddy is so tame with you already . Chonker does look quite big! They can vary in size a lot! How much does Chonker weigh? The biggest one I’ve had was about 280 Grammes. But I know there are some bigger than that!

Yes that’s a shame if it’s two months they will probably say it’s too late for a vet refund.

I know good breeders are few and far between in the US and long distances. But at least Chonker was not stuck in the pet shop any longer.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Aw, Little Buddy sounds like he has bonded with you already. Chonker is beautiful too.

 

[Tosan]

That’s lovely little buddy is so tame with you already . Chonker does look quite big! They can vary in size a lot! How much does Chonker weigh? The biggest one I’ve had was about 280 Grammes. But I know there are some bigger than that!

Yes that’s a shame if it’s two months they will probably say it’s too late for a vet refund.

I know good breeders are few and far between in the US and long distances. But at least Chonker was not stuck in the pet shop any longer.

I haven't weighed her, honestly for her sheer size she's not as heavy as she appears! I had another hamster who was smaller but felt so much heavier. She seems to be a healthy weight just a large frame!
And yes, I was very happy to finally get her out of that awful pet store tank and into a giant hamster villa She just enjoyed her first free-roam tonight, a very curious and inquisitive little cutie!

 

[Tosan]

Aw, Little Buddy sounds like he has bonded with you already. Chonker is beautiful too.

Yeah a lot of the time due to their upbringing at animal mills and pet stores, I find they're rarely this tame so quickly, he's a special little guy for sure.

 

[Riven]

Welcome and congrats on your new hammy.

Regarding the lump, unfortunately there's no way to tell whether it's benign or not just buy looking at it. Best get it checked as he is so young. Was he kept in a tank with other hamsters? Sometimes pet shops don't separate them at the correct age.

 

[Tosan]

Welcome and congrats on your new hammy.

Regarding the lump, unfortunately there's no way to tell whether it's benign or not just buy looking at it. Best get it checked as he is so young. Was he kept in a tank with other hamsters? Sometimes pet shops don't separate them at the correct age.

He was alone in his tank when I got him, but sometimes there's more than 1 in the same tank at the pet store so maybe he wasn't always alone.

 

[Tosan]

Well the good news is the vet said it's his sternum protruding which is fairly common and nothing to worry about, especially when their body size isn't very big. He's a small guy (eats healthy but not exactly a chonker!)

 

[Maz]

Oh that's really good news. Glad it's nothing serious. He will probably thrive and fill out now he's with you Sounds like he needs a good diet and lots of tasty healthy treats! And a tiny bit of veg each day.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Thank you for updating us. This is wonderful news.

 

[Tosan]

Updated Question for Buddy!
I have never had a male before so I don't have much experience when it comes to their testicles and however they may change or shift. I noticed when he was walking on my bed, he had a slightly-more-than-pea-sized ball in the center area of his testicles. I couldn't tell if maybe they just shifted position or what - but it was in the center of where the balls would typically be, so it stood out to me.
I googled stuff to see if it was abnormal but couldn't find anything conclusive - I didn't notice this before and neither did the Vet when I took him recently.
I went to pick him up and take a picture but now instead of a very prominent swollen pink ball, it's now looking like this (shown in picture). Any idea what this is? Is it just his testicles shifting around due to temperature/etc or could this be cause for concern? I guess the fact it's not a lump anymore is less concerning but it transformed from pink-ball to whatever this is in the span of 5-10 minutes which I find strange. I assume it's just the temperature or something causing them to shift and now it looks like it's just loose skin.

Had so many hamsters with genetic defects and issues I tend to be easily worried these days...

 

[Maz]

If it comes and goes it will be his testicles descending. It can look quite alarming - first time I saw it I thought it was a tumour. They have a more prominent bulge at the back end shape than a female hamster, which is the testicle area, but sometimes (often when they're relaxed or warm and comfortable) the testicles will sort of poke out and look like a pink lump - which is normal - sometimes just one of them. So I suspect it is that and nothing to worry about, but keep an eye on it. If it's something that's permanently there then that may be cause for concern. I can't quite see very well from that photo but it's very common for people to think there's something wrong when it's just their testicles poking out!

 

[Tosan]

If it comes and goes it will be his testicles descending. It can look quite alarming - first time I saw it I thought it was a tumour. They have a more prominent bulge at the back end shape than a female hamster, which is the testicle area, but sometimes (often when they're relaxed or warm and comfortable) the testicles will sort of poke out and look like a pink lump - which is normal - sometimes just one of them. So I suspect it is that and nothing to worry about, but keep an eye on it. If it's something that's permanently there then that may be cause for concern. I can't quite see very well from that photo but it's very common for people to think there's something wrong when it's just their testicles poking out!

Okay that's what I was hoping for, thank you so much!