My hamster might have swallowed metal. What should I do now?

Thanks for reaching out about Minnie. You can try to massage the bead out of her cheek pouch if you can feel it. If the bead is large, probably not able to swallow it. If Minnie is lethargic, a veterinary visit is recommended, the sooner than better. It is not possible to induce vomition in hamsters. Good luck.

An immediate check up is required as this ingestion can lead to severe gastrointestinal side effects. Surgery to remove the wire may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If he ingested it yesterday and seems fine today then he was very lucky but he is probably now out of the danger zone as the drug is not likely to still be in his system (unless he is hiding it in his cheek pouch).

It's hard to tell, it depends how much she ate and how much she chewed it before she swallowed it, it could potentially cause her some severe gastrointestinal problems, you will need to watch for lack of appetite, lethargy and constipation in the next couple days.

Oh my goodness! I really don't think a guinea pig would swallow a needle but I guess stranger things have happened! I would be concerned if you are fairly convinced he ate it. It would be easy to see if he did with a simple x-ray that your vet can do. I recommend you have that done as it will ease your worries. If he did ingest it, that would be an emergency and it would need to be removed (either surgically or with an endoscope). Otherwise, as as I am sure you can imagine, that sharp needle could perforate though his stomach or intestines and cause serious damage that can be fatal. If the x-ray shows no needle, then no worries! Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Try not to worry but if it is metal, it can be toxic. Heavy metals i.e. Containing zinc or copper),lcan cause toxicity which can result in severe anemia. You should take him to the nearest veterinary emergency hospital to discuss x-rays and possibly induction of vomiting.

I really have no answer for you on this especially since I haven’t seen Ferris myself. Sounds like a freak accident. If the wound isn’t that deep and it’s not bleeding I would just leave it alone honestly. It should heal just fine on it’s own. Sometimes doing too much treatment for something minor stresses them out more than it’s worth. If you’d like to post again with a picture of the wound then maybe we can help you better.