The hamster can be affected by various disorders of the cheek pouches, in particular impaction, prolapse and abscesses.
Impaction
Sometimes the contents of the cheek pouches become impacted and adhere to the pouches themselves, which the hamster can no longer empty. Over time, the contents putrefy. Generally, the pouches can be emptied without requiring sedation by using tweezers or by instilling tepid water with a syringe with a blunt-ended lachrymal duct needle. With the help of gentle massage, the contents of the pouch can be made to emerge. If the material has been in the pouch for a long time, it may have caused bacterial or fungal infections, so it is useful to wash the pouch with diluted betadine or clorhexidine. In more serious cases a systemic antibiotic should be given. Fistulae sometimes develop, although these tend to heal.
Prolapse
Prolapse of the cheek pouch (whether unilateral or bilateral) is observed frequently in female hamsters (Fig. 1). The prolapsed pouch appears as a small, fleshy mass that emerges from the mouth and that, over time, becomes ulcerated and undergoes necrosis. The causes of this problem are unclear; some researchers have hypothesized that it is mainly a behavioural problem due to continuous storage of over abundant food supplies.
If the prolapse is recent and the pouch has not been damaged, the pouch can be replaced. After having washed it abundantly with chlorexidine, the pouch is reintroduced into its correct site and, using a cotton bud as a guide, full thickness trascutaneous stitches are placed to anchor it to the wall of the cheek.
Alternatively, the pouch can be excised, applying a through and through stitch to the base of the pouch and cutting it (Fig. 2). Both types of intervention are performed under general anaesthesia (preferably with isoflurane induction and maintenance). The hamster leads a normal life even after excision of both cheek pouches
Abscesses
Pointed or sharp objects introduced that enter the cheek pouches can cause small wounds leading to the development of abscesses. The treatment of abscesses is drainage and administration of antibiotics.