Why does a hamster have pouches

An abscess is an infection that has built up into a small pus-like lump. A small nick, tear or puncture can have serious consequences especially if the infection spreads and gets into their bloodstream.

Cheek pouch abscesses are easily treated if caught quickly enough with a course of antibiotics. If you do notice your hamster is in pain or struggling to eat, then it is well worth getting them checked out by your vet.

Another common occurrence in hamsters is cheek pouch tumors. Typically, tumors tend to only affect one pouch, however, once they take hold, they can cover the entire cheek from mouth to shoulder. Unlike an abscess, cheek pouch tumors are firm to touch and tend to be more serious. Unfortunately, tumors can often be cancerous and are difficult for veterinary surgeons to operate on.

This is a much less common occurrence; however, it does still happen for some hamsters. Eversion occurs when the cheek pouch flips outside of the mouth leaving a pink bulge protruding. Because of this, your hamster will struggle to eat and drink and maybe in some pain. Depending on the severity of the cheek pouch eversion, most vets will be able to pop the pouch back inside.

If this does not secure it into place, then a few stitches may be required. Another rare condition is cheek pouch impaction. This happens when large pieces of food or bedding are shovelled into the mouth only for them to become stuck! When the food starts to decompose it can cause infections and abscesses to occur. Most hamsters are able to cup their cheeks to push their food out, but if something does become lodged then you should take them to a vet immediately.

Most hamsters will empty their cheek pouches efficiently using their front paws. If, however, you notice it is impacted and they are unable to clear their pockets, then you may need to intervene.

This can only be addressed by a veterinarian. Oftentimes, the cheek pouch must be stitched back into place — and only a vet should try this. Sometimes these things happen despite doing the very best by our hamsters.

However, it is never a bad idea to act with precaution to minimize the risk of these occurrences happening to your hamster. Impaction is often caused by a hamster eating very soft foods. Other issues can be avoided by ensuring that your hamster only has access to safe things to chew on. Chewing is an important part of hamster wellness, as it files down the teeth to keep them at a safe and comfortable length. Too-long teeth can snag on the edges of a cheek pouch and even tear it.

Make sure to provide high-quality chewing toys or treats , like untreated wood, for this purpose. Make sure that any broken plastic, like toys and tunnels, are discarded immediately.

Damaged hamster cages should also be replaced, for this reason, and a slew of others. A hamster can store a lot of food for a very long time. Do your best to remove old and stale food from their cage when you see it. Still, keep an eye out for this regardless. Stale food is unhealthy food! Never try to remove food from your hamster's cheeks! If you suspect there may be an issue preventing your hamster from emptying his or her cheeks - get them to the vet.

But do not do it! A hamster will empty their cheek pouches on their terms if you give them enough time. Just inspect the little guy closely and see whether or not it is taking short but deep breaths. If yes, then it just means that it is hibernating. You may also pick a hibernating hamster up but you will notice that it will be quite weak and limp due to the fact that it is dehydrated.

Inspect its heartbeat Another sign of life that you should look out for when you think your hamster is hibernating is its heartbeat. A beating heart will always tell you that it is still alive but is merely in a suspended state of hibernation.

But the problem is that telling whether or not your hamster has a heartbeat can be pretty tough considering how small these little furballs are. Try applying a bit of pressure but not too much.

When you do so, the heart will start beating in about a minute after applying a slight pressure to its chest. But be careful not to apply too much pressure as it can actually end up causing internal injuries to the hamster.

Its food and water will remain untouched Naturally, whenever an animal is hibernating, it will undergo a period where it will be in a state of suspension. As such, when that happens, they will become inactive as they fall into a deep slumber. They will not move around or even eat and drink. As such, if you check its food and water and they remain untouched, that could only mean that your hamster has entered a state of hibernation and will not wake up until the temperatures begin to warm up again.

The hamster will become stiff The problem when it comes to hamster hibernation is that these little furballs will become so stiff whenever they are hibernating. In fact, they are so stiff that you might think that they are actually dead. Their entire body will become so stiff that one would think that it would be impossible for its limbs to begin moving again. It should feel cold to the touch Your hamster should not feel warm at all while it is hibernating. The truth is that it should feel so cold that you would think that you are feeling a dead body.

However, if you tried to warm its habitat but it still feels unresponsive even after a few hours or a few days, there is a good reason to believe that it has fallen ill or may have even died due to the cold temperatures.

Hamster Teeth Problems. Hamsters, like most rodents, have 2 pairs of incisor teeth. The lower pair is the longer pair, and will look very large compared to the top pair. This does not hurt if done right, since you are only pulling a little at the fur on the back of his head. Yellow teeth in hamsters is no unhealthy. Those can be serious dental problems that require a veterinarian.

Hamster are rodents, and as such they have an inherent need to always be chewing on something. This is mostly because their front teeth are always growing.

So, your hamster friend need to file them down regularly in order to keep them healthy. Teeth problems hamsters can develop, and how to spot them Your hamster can develop dental problems. Overgrown The most common problem found with hamsters, overgrown teeth lead to several problems. Or, it could be that he has nowhere to file the teeth down onto, like chew toys or cage bars.

Or, it could be tooth decay from possibly sugary food depending on what you feed your hamster , which can lead to an infection. In any case, this is something to treat at the vet. Typical symptoms to look for Usually hamster dental problems can be spotted fairly quickly.

Bad breath An infection especially, will smell terrible. You can notice this when you pick up the hamster and play with it. Or, by giving it something to chew onto and then you might smell the problem. If you scruff the hammy you will probably be able to see which tooth is infected. This needs to be treated immediately, otherwise your hamster is at serious risk. Sudden loss of appetite This can come along with an infection, or even just overgrown teeth.

Now, do keep in mind that hamsters can and do become very picky eaters. For example my Teddy Syrian adult male favors the sunflower seeds, peanuts, and other vitamin bits he finds in his food bowl, and leaves the plain grains aside.

Make sure to account for the weight of the cup! Chattering teeth are usually a sign of nervousness, and are accompanied by a short temper, and lots of cage biting. If your hamster has chattering teeth, and also chews on the cage bars a lot, it could be a possible tooth problem indicator. Like tooth pain, or an infection.

Do keep in mind that chattering teeth can show up even if your hamster is healthy. He could be just aggitated or trying to intimidate you. So make a mental note of chattering teeth, but this is not a clear sign of just tooth problems. Drooling Hamsters, like cats, do not drool normally. So if your hamster is suddenly drooling, it could be a sign of him not being able to close his mouth properly because of his teeth.

Bad temper Hamsters, like humans, do not respond well to pain or stress. So if your hammy has a tooth ache, he might be snappy. Imagine your last tooth ache. So your usually mild and cute hamster might turn into a snappy, nippy hammy with no patience for anything.

He might not even let you touch him in some cases. Now, not all ill-tempered hamsters have tooth aches. But this could be a sign of tooth problems. Cage biting If your hammy suddenly started biting the cage bars, this too could be a sign. Your hammy could be seeking some relief from the cage bars, instead of his chew toy because the bars are, well, much harder and are also cold.

Obviously, your hammy biting the cage bars is not a good idea. This happens by repeated chewing and biting onto hard surfaces. But, those surfaces should never be as hard as the cage bars, or the glass of his glass tank. The hamster will file them down himself Most of the time, the hamster will file the teeth down himself. You can help him out here by giving him the right kind of toys to use for his teeth.

Chew toys and other options for your hamster friend One option is chew toys. Hamsters do well with wood based chew toys. So for this reason a set of toys like this one will help your hamster not only file down his teeth, but also keep his mind occupied. You can find the listing on Amazon here, and see the reviews for yourself. Another option is giving your hamster friend a walnut, or a chestnut so he will want to chew and gnaw on it. My teddy has a walnut in his cage and he goes absolutely insane when he sees it.

But he loves biting into the shell, and your hammy will probably do the same if your give him one. Other options include bendy bridges, which are made from wood, and can serve as a great chew toy for your hamster friend.

You will find those on Amazon as well. And finally, hamsters will chew on absolutely everything. Including their food bowl and hideout. For this reason, and not only more on that here I recommend you get your hamster friend a wooden hideout.

This will make it easier for your hamster to file down his teeth, since he will wake up in the middle of the night to chew a little. And he will chew on his hideout, without even getting out of his nest. I looked around for a hideout very similar to the one I have for my Teddy. Still, he loves it, and it keeps his scent. You can find the listing on Amazon for this wooden hamster house here, and read the reviews. You can take the hammy to the vet If the case is severe, and immediate attention is needed, you can also take your hamster friend to the vet.

There are a few guides to filing down hamster teeth at home, or even clipping them. Seek professional care for him. This can happen like with humans too.

Maybe the hamster ate a food that made a small cut in his gums, and that cut got infected. There could be other reasons, but the end result is the same. This is dangerous for your hamster to swallow, so it must be solved quickly. You can check this by holding the hamster in your hand, and gently scruffing him.

This will pull back his lips and you will see his teeth. He might not like being held like this, so expect a bit of squirming. Expect lots of squirming if the hamster does have a serious infection, since it will possibly hurt him a bit.

In this case, take your hamster to the veterinarian. He will prescribe a round of antibiotics that are safe for small animals.

He will tell you how to administer the medication to your hamster. Usually the veterinarians that have experience with rodents are labeled as exotic, meaning that they will also know what to do with unusual pets if the case arises. Misshapen or broken hamster teeth There are some unfortunate hamsters who are born with misshapen teeth. They are misaligned since birth, but they can sometimes be corrected. You can notice this at the pet store by looking closely at the hamster for any mouth problems.

You will also be able to notice this when the hamster tries to drink a bit of water. Just use the scruffing method and check the teeth. There should be no gaps, or odd angles or crossed teeth. If there are such problems, take your hamster to a veterinarian. Breaking teeth are a sign of malnutrition, or poor health, old age, or a possible illness.

It depends on each hamster, and his own medical history. Broken teeth are particularly dangerous, since the hamster can cut himself on them. Helping your hamster with bad teeth For any hamster with bad teeth, the diet is important. But the food he eats has a direct and large impact on his health. You can take care of this by giving your hamster friend a healthy food mix, to make sure he has all the basic nutrients already in his food bowl.

This particular mix has all the nutrients your hamster needs, including the harder, sturdier grains hamsters need to chew on in order to file down their teeth. The whole bag will last you a couple of months or more, depending on how much you feed your hammy.

You can check the listing on Amazon here, and read the reviews as well. Aside from the healthy food mix, you can give your hamster from your own pantry or fridge. A large amount of the foods we humans eat are also safe for hamsters, so you should check out this article on what foods are okay and not okay for hamsters to eat. Just remember, fruits and high-fat foods should be kept to a minimum, since they can lead to an obese hamster.

And always, always, make sure your hamster has something wood-based to chew onto. A word from Teddy I hope you found out how to care for your teeth in this article. I know us hammies can get a bit overzealous with our chewing and biting, but we do have dental problems from time to time. So if you want to know more about us hammies, you can check out the articles below for valuable info on how to care for us If you want to know how a hamster would fare living with a rabbit in the same cage, you should read this article.

As in, leaving the hamster in his cage all his life is not a problem, as long as he has a large enough cage. He does need a bit of exercise, but this is where his exercise wheel comes to the rescue.

The only exceptions are the Dwarf types, who can live with a sibling or two of the same sex. Even so, I recommend keeping any and all hamsters alone, one hamster per cage. Their cages need to have plenty of hiding places, so they can feel safe. This also means that taming the hamster will not be as easy as taming a puppy.

He will take anywhere between a few days and a few weeks to trust you. And that trust can always be lost, or forgotten if you stop interacting with him for a few days. Still, hamsters make for very entertaining pets. This means that if you go to bed before 10 PM you might just miss their waking up. They want to explore and see everything. There is no in-between. About the rabbit — general info and personality Rabbits are very different from hamsters.

For a very long time I thought that, with rabbits being rodents they must be very similar to hamsters. Rabbits are everything the hamster is not. While they too are small compared to a dog , even the tiniest bunny is bigger than the largest hamster.

You can get anything from Dwarf bunnies to the ridiculously large Giants. That means your cage and pens are going to vary according to the type of rabbit you have.

Bunnies are social. Definitely social. Rabbits can and do get aggressive, but not often. But they will attack if you insist on annoying them. Territory is a big thing for rabbits. They will mark any and every thing they think they own. Your sofa, the carpet, under the table, between counters, your leg, maybe even your shoes. They do this with a combination of pee, pellets, and rubbing their chins onto surfaces. Food and treat differences between hamsters and rabbits Food is fairly different for hamster and for rabbits.

Firstly hamster eat almost anything, but they prefer and start with grains. Hard, dry grains are their usual meals, accompanied by nuts and seeds. A bit of fruit and vegetables are welcome, if they can find them. You can find a whole bunch of commercial feeds for hamster, and most of them are good.

A few vegetables like sweet potato and carrots are limited too, since they will only worsen their condition. But what does a rabbit eat, aside from the classic carrots?

Well plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the leafy green kind of foods. They eat lots of timothy hay as well, since they use it to file down their teeth and for nutrients as well. Aside from all of this, rabbits will need pellets as feed. Rabbits go through a bag of food much faster than a hamster seeing as a hamster only needs a teaspoon or two of his dried food mix every day. A rabbit can need even 4 heaping tablespoons of pellets!

This is aside from all the extra veggies and hay. Cage sizes and exercise requirements for rabbits and hamsters Cages are a big problem here. Mostly because a hamster will only need a cage of minimum 24 x 12 inches, and about 12 inches tall. This is the absolute minimum, and I recommend getting a cage much larger than this. Most barely reach this size, actually. Wide open spaces make them panic and they will want to find a safe, dark corner to hide in.

As for their actual exercise needs, hamsters do a whole lot of running. This is why they always get an exercise wheel with their cage. But the wheels that come with the cage you buy are almost always poor quality plastic wheels that barely spin. You need a good, solid, big wheel to let your hamster get all of his exercise.

You can find out more about exercise wheels for hamsters here. Rabbits, on the other hand, need not only a much larger cage, but also a very large play area. Most people agree that providing the rabbit with a whole room, all to himself, would be best. But not everyone has a spare room. The exercise space should be a minimum of 2. Rabbits can sometimes jump very high, and like to jump on top of things.

The living area and exercise space need to be linked together so the rabbit can come and go as he pleases. So in short, keeping a rabbit in an apartment or house is going to be very difficult.

In a garden outside however, you can provide much more space. So think about this carefully. You should read here more about the cage and playpen areas necessary for rabbits. Do not underestimate rabbits, cute as they may look. Still, hammies are perfectly fine on their own, and are mostly low-maintenance.

Rabbits need plenty of attention and petting and rubbing behind their ears. They need to be the center of attention.

They will eve ask for your attention, either by butting their head against your hands or legs, sometimes even nipping gently. Sometimes they might even just lay flat across you, or parts of you. And if you thought all squirrels had them, not quite. Only ground squirrels have cheek pouches, including chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs. Chipmunks can transport grocery orders as large as themselves in their oversized face luggage. These little sea slug cuties are one of known species of nudibranchs.

Their crazy coloring comes from the food they eat. See more nudibranchs in our nudibranch gallery. Pocket gophers are rebels: Not only are their teeth on the outside of their mouth—all the better for digging without getting a mouthful of dirt—but they also keep the pouches on the outside of their cheeks. An entire monkey subfamily, Cercopithecine , including guenons , baboons , and macaques , is defined by having cheek pouches, which extend down the sides of their neck.

Fishing bats, for example, will grab a fish and fly away, letting them continue to fish. Ruminants, like cows, have a different kind of pouch, a multi-chambered stomach that allows them to re-chew food later, while birds have crops, an enlarged part of the esophagus that acts similarly.

All rights reserved. Cheeky animals Cheek pouches are expandable pockets inside the mouth that start at the cheek and can extend across the shoulders, as they do in hamsters, or down the sides of the neck, as they do in monkeys.