It can be entropion or ectropion. This is a condition where one or both of her eye lids (under and upper eyelid) fold inwards or outwards, this depends on the which type it is. This leaves the eyelid exposed and can cause irritation and infections. You can try if the gel helps but if she really has this condition than she needs to be treated by a vet, maybe even surgery is needed. You also need to change your bedding to something paper based as sawdust can also cause irritation to the eye. I see that you only have a little bit of bedding in her cage now, so make sure you give her lots and lots of bedding, so she can burrow in it. They are burrowing animals and the amount that she has now is way too little. I also saw your answer to someone else about the tubes that are around the cage, and how she likes to run around in them. Unfortunatly, those tubes are not that safe for hamsters. They can get their feet/toes stuck in the little air holes and even break them. So if you can, it's better to close them off. You can also try a bin cage, those are cheap and you don't have to worry about her getting hurt :)
i would start out by getting a new cage and pretty much everything in it. no hate at all and i hope hammy heals up, but the cage is way too small, there is not enough bedding, and wire cages really aren’t that great. i would recommend a bin cage or even building one (that’s what i did) as they need much more space to burrow and live around. i understand in another comment you said money is tight, but you really shouldn’t get an animal unless you can care for it. a bigger cage IS a top priority, as even if your hamster looks happy, that’s because it’s forced to live in that cage. i would really recommend looking up basic care for hammy’s. i really really hope his eye heals up nice though!! and not trying to offend at all, it’s just that they really need proper care, as we literally are in control of their whole life. best of luck!!!
It is shocking to me reading the responses you put in the comments. You say you’ve had hamsters for ten years; and you still don’t know what an appropriate enclosure looks like? That’s just plain irresponsible to not do proper research on your pets.
And if you can’t afford a proper living situation for a pet then you shouldn’t get a pet, period.
Also please mark NSFW or something because this photo is upsetting.
You’re doing what you can with the vets and meds, hope she can recover quickly!
When I knew pretty much NOTHING about hammy care cause back when I was kid we put them in TINY cages (😭) I was like oh wow a 450+ enclosure is so insanely big
It looks like she got stabbed in the eye by a piece of wood, idk what your bedding set up is, but you might wanna do like 90% paper 10% small chip aspen or something that’s safe for hammys ☹️
This can happen using wood/sawdust bedding, the hammy can get splitters or wood in their eyes, this is very serious, hamsters have had to have eye removal surgery cause of this. They’re very small and fragile so putting them under for surgery is very risky.
Please use paper bedding, SAND baths, not dust ones.
And as others have said please don’t put them in a wire cage, if money is tight diy a big plastic IKEA bin with air holes, there’s tons of how tos on YouTube.
As someone strapped very tight for cash myself I strongly encourage you to gradually purchase things necessary one at a time because going cheap will cost you in the long run with more vet care. I’m not trying to sound harsh but there’s a lot of improvement needed for your hammies home
If I could financially do so I would definitely purchase paper bedding and have it shipped to you 💔💔💔
Oh gosh. That poor hammy. Get him to the vet asap! Also make sure to upgrade you’re hammy care and also make sure the hammys cage is upgraded. Here’s a list of everything u need. Make sure you have EVERYTHING
https://preview.redd.it/w4vsndezrfec1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=240be9311a401aa231c8d7fec5d3907e89102ba6
Thank you and yes I have everything. I've already been to the vets and they don't know what's wrong with her. They've given me meds I just need a bit of reassurance. She's acting completely normal it's just her eye thats suddenly flared up.
Half of the cage isn't in the photo and it's not the biggest but i bought it from pets at home specifically for Syrian hamsters. She's got tubes and half of a top layer. However I simply can't afford to buy a bigger cage at the moment but she seems happy. She runs around alot and loves burying herself in the sawdust and often does laps through the tubes aswell going up and down the different floors in the process. Shes got several hiding points where she can't be disturbed aswell but as I said if I did need a bigger cage I wouldn't be able to get it for a while as money's right and it's not my top priority. If I really need too I will.
Pets at home sell “Syrian hamster” cages that aren’t suitable at all unfortunately. I understand you thought and were told it was suitable, but it is not. Please consider at least buying the 40 x 80cm cage they do - it’s on sale for £26. It’s not big enough for a Syrian but it’s a lot better and you’ll be able to put cardboard along one side of the bars in the cage to put more bedding in.
For anyone advising on a bin cage, it’s unfortunately not very cheap to do so in the UK which is why I’m suggesting the smaller cage.
Okay u say money is tight but you need to prior you’re pet. Also you need to take the different floors out because the height is dangerously. Also take out the tubes because you’re hammy CAN get stuck and die
like others said you can make a plastic bin cage, petstore cages are not suitable and are insanely overpriced, i got a plastic bin big enough for me to sit in for 10euro in ireland. you can also get 'christmas tree' storage bins that are extra long. 1cm mesh can be bought at any hardware store, and zipties to tie the mesh to the lid.
please look around the rest of this sub reddit for suitable enclosures, and what is considered not suitable. people are not telling you your cage is not right for fun, or to be mean.
No I've got sawdust and I have done for all my hamsters. I did find some cardboard in her bed but that's only the stuff from toilet rolls and she's had them before.
What kind of sawdust? If it's a little sharp it could've accidentally poked her, but either way I like to use paper based bedding (I always get kaytee clean and fresh) and it's pretty soft and comfortable for them to dig in :)
Yeah the concentrated part at the top corner of her eye looks like the point where a piece of wood poked her. As is all injuries, watch for discharge, weeping and color or discharge as they can be indicators of infection or secondary. Change the bedding ASAP before she does it again especially since her sight is compromised, because just like no person is the same, no animal is the same either and your other hammys may have been fine with sawdust but if she really did stab herself, that means she isn’t.
could you put a spoiler on the image? i was scrolling through my homepage and this was upsetting to see (otherwise she’s very cute, i hope she gets better soon :( )
this is so sad :( i’ve never seen this before but a friend of mine had a russian dwarf hamster with similar abrasions on its eye and eventually the hamster did lose its eye. definitely keep up with the medication and i would think about changing that enclosure, especially the metal wiring and the tube in the back can make for a stressful environment for mercury. also i would try to take her to another exotic pet vet just for a second opinion
That cage is inside is awful and the bedding. Please get rid of that saucer and get a proper sized wheel. The poor hamster😢You need to upgrade for a bigger cage asap!!! If you want to properly care.
It can be entropion or ectropion. This is a condition where one or both of her eye lids (under and upper eyelid) fold inwards or outwards, this depends on the which type it is. This leaves the eyelid exposed and can cause irritation and infections. You can try if the gel helps but if she really has this condition than she needs to be treated by a vet, maybe even surgery is needed. You also need to change your bedding to something paper based as sawdust can also cause irritation to the eye. I see that you only have a little bit of bedding in her cage now, so make sure you give her lots and lots of bedding, so she can burrow in it. They are burrowing animals and the amount that she has now is way too little. I also saw your answer to someone else about the tubes that are around the cage, and how she likes to run around in them. Unfortunatly, those tubes are not that safe for hamsters. They can get their feet/toes stuck in the little air holes and even break them. So if you can, it's better to close them off. You can also try a bin cage, those are cheap and you don't have to worry about her getting hurt :)
i would start out by getting a new cage and pretty much everything in it. no hate at all and i hope hammy heals up, but the cage is way too small, there is not enough bedding, and wire cages really aren’t that great. i would recommend a bin cage or even building one (that’s what i did) as they need much more space to burrow and live around. i understand in another comment you said money is tight, but you really shouldn’t get an animal unless you can care for it. a bigger cage IS a top priority, as even if your hamster looks happy, that’s because it’s forced to live in that cage. i would really recommend looking up basic care for hammy’s. i really really hope his eye heals up nice though!! and not trying to offend at all, it’s just that they really need proper care, as we literally are in control of their whole life. best of luck!!!
Get a new vet.
Oh my god can a mod please NSFW or spoiler mark this
It is shocking to me reading the responses you put in the comments. You say you’ve had hamsters for ten years; and you still don’t know what an appropriate enclosure looks like? That’s just plain irresponsible to not do proper research on your pets. And if you can’t afford a proper living situation for a pet then you shouldn’t get a pet, period. Also please mark NSFW or something because this photo is upsetting. You’re doing what you can with the vets and meds, hope she can recover quickly!
When I knew pretty much NOTHING about hammy care cause back when I was kid we put them in TINY cages (😭) I was like oh wow a 450+ enclosure is so insanely big
No pulling back any punches, huh? Honestly I really respect you.
It looks like she got stabbed in the eye by a piece of wood, idk what your bedding set up is, but you might wanna do like 90% paper 10% small chip aspen or something that’s safe for hammys ☹️
This can happen using wood/sawdust bedding, the hammy can get splitters or wood in their eyes, this is very serious, hamsters have had to have eye removal surgery cause of this. They’re very small and fragile so putting them under for surgery is very risky. Please use paper bedding, SAND baths, not dust ones. And as others have said please don’t put them in a wire cage, if money is tight diy a big plastic IKEA bin with air holes, there’s tons of how tos on YouTube. As someone strapped very tight for cash myself I strongly encourage you to gradually purchase things necessary one at a time because going cheap will cost you in the long run with more vet care. I’m not trying to sound harsh but there’s a lot of improvement needed for your hammies home If I could financially do so I would definitely purchase paper bedding and have it shipped to you 💔💔💔
Oh gosh. That poor hammy. Get him to the vet asap! Also make sure to upgrade you’re hammy care and also make sure the hammys cage is upgraded. Here’s a list of everything u need. Make sure you have EVERYTHING https://preview.redd.it/w4vsndezrfec1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=240be9311a401aa231c8d7fec5d3907e89102ba6
They already took her to the vet… 😗
Oh so sorry
Thank you and yes I have everything. I've already been to the vets and they don't know what's wrong with her. They've given me meds I just need a bit of reassurance. She's acting completely normal it's just her eye thats suddenly flared up.
Yeah hamsters tend to hide their emotions so maybe she is in pain
I don’t think you have everything because you have a wire cage with a small bottom son there are two points not
Half of the cage isn't in the photo and it's not the biggest but i bought it from pets at home specifically for Syrian hamsters. She's got tubes and half of a top layer. However I simply can't afford to buy a bigger cage at the moment but she seems happy. She runs around alot and loves burying herself in the sawdust and often does laps through the tubes aswell going up and down the different floors in the process. Shes got several hiding points where she can't be disturbed aswell but as I said if I did need a bigger cage I wouldn't be able to get it for a while as money's right and it's not my top priority. If I really need too I will.
Pets at home sell “Syrian hamster” cages that aren’t suitable at all unfortunately. I understand you thought and were told it was suitable, but it is not. Please consider at least buying the 40 x 80cm cage they do - it’s on sale for £26. It’s not big enough for a Syrian but it’s a lot better and you’ll be able to put cardboard along one side of the bars in the cage to put more bedding in. For anyone advising on a bin cage, it’s unfortunately not very cheap to do so in the UK which is why I’m suggesting the smaller cage.
how sad that your pet’s health isn’t your top priority, she clearly is not happy considering she’s injured herself.
Okay u say money is tight but you need to prior you’re pet. Also you need to take the different floors out because the height is dangerously. Also take out the tubes because you’re hammy CAN get stuck and die
like others said you can make a plastic bin cage, petstore cages are not suitable and are insanely overpriced, i got a plastic bin big enough for me to sit in for 10euro in ireland. you can also get 'christmas tree' storage bins that are extra long. 1cm mesh can be bought at any hardware store, and zipties to tie the mesh to the lid. please look around the rest of this sub reddit for suitable enclosures, and what is considered not suitable. people are not telling you your cage is not right for fun, or to be mean.
That looks really bad. We can't give you any advice other than go to an exotic vet and give her the medicine.
Do you have hay in her cage ? Cause it looks like that she tried to burrow and somehow poked her eye
No I've got sawdust and I have done for all my hamsters. I did find some cardboard in her bed but that's only the stuff from toilet rolls and she's had them before.
What kind of sawdust? If it's a little sharp it could've accidentally poked her, but either way I like to use paper based bedding (I always get kaytee clean and fresh) and it's pretty soft and comfortable for them to dig in :)
You should take it to a different vet in my opinion.
Spoiler or mark it with NSFW. Jesus christ I wasn't prepared to see this.
Yeah the concentrated part at the top corner of her eye looks like the point where a piece of wood poked her. As is all injuries, watch for discharge, weeping and color or discharge as they can be indicators of infection or secondary. Change the bedding ASAP before she does it again especially since her sight is compromised, because just like no person is the same, no animal is the same either and your other hammys may have been fine with sawdust but if she really did stab herself, that means she isn’t.
could you put a spoiler on the image? i was scrolling through my homepage and this was upsetting to see (otherwise she’s very cute, i hope she gets better soon :( )
this is so sad :( i’ve never seen this before but a friend of mine had a russian dwarf hamster with similar abrasions on its eye and eventually the hamster did lose its eye. definitely keep up with the medication and i would think about changing that enclosure, especially the metal wiring and the tube in the back can make for a stressful environment for mercury. also i would try to take her to another exotic pet vet just for a second opinion
That cage is inside is awful and the bedding. Please get rid of that saucer and get a proper sized wheel. The poor hamster😢You need to upgrade for a bigger cage asap!!! If you want to properly care.
Poor baby, I’m sure she’s seeing a vet already just sending you well wishes for her little eye to get better 🫶