Q&A for How to Treat Your Hamster's Broken Leg

Please take the hamster to see a vet, even if you only suspect a fracture. The hamster may well be in pain and needs to be assessed for appropriate pain relief at the very least.

Hamsters heal at the same rate as most creatures. For an uncomplicated cut or wound, the average healing time is 7 to 14 days.

Yes, hamsters can break bones. The bones in a hamster's leg are thinner than matchsticks and may break accidentally, such as if the hamster is dropped from a height.

Clean the wound as soon after the injury as possible with weak salt water—use 1 tsp of salt mixed into 1 pint of boiled (and cooled) water. Then bathe the injury twice daily until it's healed. If discharge or pus is present, then antibiotics may be necessary.

A broken bone of itself may not be fatal, but it's important to be aware of the pain the hamster may be in. If the hamster isn't mobile enough to reach their food or they won't eat, then the break may not kill them but starvation will.

Breathing heavily is a sign of shock and/or pain. To treat the shock, be sure to keep the hamster warm, and let her rest in a dark place, such as her house. However, a hamster's small size makes it difficult to give pain relief, as an overdose is likely. If you are managing the shock and she is still breathing heavily, then contact a vet, as she is likely to be in considerable discomfort.

Yes. Rest is a crucial part of allowing the bones to knit together. It's important to remove the wheel so that she can't run around in it. Also, if you have a large modular hamster cage, remove all the modules and keep her just in the central cage so that she doesn't further damage the leg by crawling through tubes to get to the next space.