Hamsters are delicate little animals who can become like family within a short period of time after bringing them home. Raising a hamster can be rewarding when everything seems to be going well.
Any abnormal signs of illness in your hamster can trigger a wave of emotions from anxiety to fear. The next logical step is to seek answers as you’d want everything to go back to normal with your beloved furball without delay.
Why is my hamster bleeding from its bottom? Bleeding from the bottom may be a sign that your hamster is suffering from wet tail disease, cancer, pyometra, or gastrointestinal issues. Kidney stones, bladder infections, and physical injuries can also lead to bottom bleeding in hamsters.
Table of Contents
Why is My Hamster Bleeding From its Bottom?
There can be several explanations for your hamster’s bottom bleeding problems. Here are the 7 main underlying reasons why your hamster is showing signs of blood oozing from the anus area.
1. Physical Cuts or Injuries
Hamsters love to play and often move up and down their cages throughout the night when healthy. From burrowing deep in their litter to running on exercise wheels and playing in their cages, hamsters love to stay physically active.
Unfortunately, this constant physical activity often leaves them prone to cuts and scratches that may result in bleeding. If your hamster has been cut in the bottom area, signs of blood loss may be inevitable.
Most physical cuts are treatable at home and begin with dipping cotton wool in lukewarm water to gently clean the affected area. Dipping a q-tip into a mild antiseptic and applying it to the wound can stop the bleeding and eliminate the possibility of infections.
However, if the cut seems deep or you’re having trouble stopping the blood loss, an immediate visit to your vet should be considered.
2. Wet Tail Disease
Wet Tail is a potentially life-threatening disease that affects hamsters. Although it is more common in young Syrian hamsters, the condition can affect hammies of any breed at any age. Symptoms of Wet Tail disease include watery diarrhea, dehydration, and bleeding around the bottom.
Additionally, a hamster suffering from Wet Tail may seem severely dehydrated with swollen or sunken eyes. Bloody stool and swollen rectum are other signs you should watch out for.
In extreme cases, affected hamsters could even die from the condition. If your hamster is bleeding from the bottom and showing a few of the signs stated above, an immediate visit to a vet can be critical.
3. Labor
Are you a first-time hamster parent? Your female hamster may be bleeding from the bottom because she’s in labor. The small body sizes of these pocket rodents allow them to hide pregnancies with greater effect. You can miss signs of your hammy’s pregnancy even when they’re right there in your face.
Hamster pregnancies can be as short as 16-22 days so missing out on it is pretty normal unless you have raised female hamsters in the past. Vaginal bleeding typically occurs at the onset of labor which can be misconstrued as a sign of illness or infection.
The key is to provide the right nesting material as soon as you receive confirmation that your hamster is in labor. This should provide more comfort for the expectant mother and newborns while minimizing the risk of injuries.
4. Pyometra
Pyometra is a leading cause of bottom bleeding in elderly female hamsters (i.e. 24 months or older). It is a uterine infection characterized by blood or pus oozing from the vagina (open pyometra). Whenever the hamster’s cervix opens, blood pops out resulting in the significant bleeding you may have noticed in your hamster.
Closed pyometra can be even more critical since the blood builds up in the hamster’s uterus resulting in a tumor-like swelling. Blood poisoning and eventual death become inevitable when treatment is delayed.
Your vet can provide treatment for pyometra but only when medical attention is sought in time. Neutering or spaying is the only way to cure pyometra in female hamsters. In elderly hamsters, antibiotics or pain medications may be prescribed to provide some form of relief.
5. Gastrointestinal Infections
Hamster bottom bleeding could also be a result of gastrointestinal issues. If your cute little pet rodent is showing signs of a stomachache such as pain and lack of mobility, that can be a clue that the bleeding may be digestion-related.
Have you made changes to your hamster’s diet recently or noticed signs of appetite loss? Or perhaps your hamster is vomiting or showing signs of diarrhea?
These could be mega clues that the bottom bleeding is tied to gastrointestinal issues. A good look at your hamster’s diet should be critical at this point. Also, check your hamster’s poop for signs of abnormalities in color, texture, or quantity.
A quick appointment with your vet should help outline the main reasons for the stomachache and resultant bleeding. Antibiotics and pain medications may also be prescribed to ease your hamster’s comfort and eliminate blood loss.
6. Kidney Stones, Urinary, and Bladder Infections
Urinary and bladder infections can be detrimental to your hamster’s health in many ways including bottom bleeding. Kidney stones may also result in bloody urine and stool as well as several signs of discomfort.
These infections can affect your hamster’s appetite, energy levels, and moods. Hamsters battling kidney infections drink more water, urinate more, and may face urination difficulties even when the urge is strong.
7. Uterine Tumors
Uterine tumors could also be the underlying reason behind heavy bleeding in the female hamster’s bottom area. Tumors typically originate from environmental or genetic factors and may be benign or malignant. Either way, tumors can have negative consequences for your hamster’s health.
A visit to your vet can confirm the presence of these tumors after extensive tests such as ultrasound scans and X-rays. Unfortunately, surgery remains the most effective form of treatment for tumors in any part of your hamster’s body.
You’ll have a big decision to make once your vet confirms that your hamster’s constant bleeding in the anus is a result of uterine tumors. Deciding whether to put your hamster through the stress of undergoing surgery can be difficult for many of us.
Surgery may also carry prohibitive costs ranging from a couple hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on your city and the vet’s skill level.
What To Do When Your Hamster is Bleeding
The last thing you want is to wake up to bleeding signs from your hammy’s bottom as this may be evidence of a more serious problem. While panic mode may set in, self-control can be critical at this point.
Here are vital steps every responsible hamster parent should take once anal bleeding signs are spotted in a hamster.
Stop the Bleeding
Continuous blood loss can lead to serious consequences for your hamster’s health so the first effort should focus on stopping the bleeding as quickly as possible. You can press a few paper towels on the affected area if the bleeding is still fresh and apply a bit of pressure to stop more blood loss.
The vagina and anus of a hamster are located quite close to each other. Knowing the specific opening your hamster may be bleeding from can be quite confusing for many of us. This is why dipping paper towels into each area is recommended to clear up any lingering confusion.
Book a Vet Appointment
A visit to your vet should be high on the agenda to help uncover the underlying reasons behind your hamster’s bottom bleeding. Book an appointment as soon as possible and be sure to discuss any observations during the visit.
Your vet will likely conduct thorough examinations of the hamster to provide a diagnosis of the reasons for the bleeding. Any potential treatments will also be discussed so you can make the right choice for the affected hamster.
Feed Your Hamster Kale
Seek to replenish your hamster’s blood levels as soon as you spot signs of bleeding. You can pick up fresh kale from the nearest Walmart and feed a spoonful of the nutritious green leafy vegetable to your hamster daily.
This should ramp up hemoglobin production levels so the lost blood can be quickly replenished. Broccoli can serve as a good alternative to kale and is often recommended by vets for hamsters diagnosed with anemia.
Conclusion
Why is my hamster bleeding from the bottom? Many underlying reasons could be behind your hamster’s blood loss issues. It can be as simple as a cut from a fall or another form of physical injury to a more complicated health condition such as uterine tumors.
Hamsters may also bleed from the bottom due to gastrointestinal issues, bladder or kidney infections, and pyometra. In some cases, a female hamster in labor may also exhibit signs of bottom bleeding.
A vet appointment should clear up any confusion by providing the answers you seek especially if there are no conspicuous cuts or physical injuries on the hamster.