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To: hamsters_online@...
From: devonviolets0612@...
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:26:19 -0700
Subject: Re: [hamsters_online] HELP

Hi Andrew,

 

Little 'Petal' is not losing any hair, her skin just looks a little red to me where she is scratching, although the vet did make a point of saying her skin looked better during the treatment, she said it looked dry and flaky but it didn't to me.  I'll try the extra veg and milky cereal and try shredding kitchen towels and see where we get with that.  The vet tried me on some stuff I had to put on her twice a week which didn't help at all, then she gave her an injection a week for 4 weeks, which really helped but even at the end of that she was still rubbing herself up the bars of the cage.  I've tried the dyed fluffy beddin, paper bedding, i'll try your suggestion and let you know.

 

Thanks  Tracey

----- Original Message ----
From: Andrew Bryan <dunctonhams@yahoo.com>
To: hamsters_online@yahoogroups.co.uk
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 2:34:12 PM
Subject: Re: [hamsters_online] HELP

Hi Tracey

 

What does her skin look like?  By that I mean, is she losing large patches of fur, are there any "weeping" areas, are there any open wounds, lumps etc?  I'm not a vet, and would always recommend that people trust the vet when they have a medical issue with their hamster, but "skin cancer", (to me, at least), suggests lumps, and you haven't mentioned any.

 

Like Emma said, the simplest thing you could do to help your hamster is changing her bedding; this would be the first line of attack!   I have known hamsters allergic to certain dyes and things and it manifested as baldness.  However, the hamsters didn't appear to "itch" - just lose hair.  However, like Emma, a bedding allergy is the first thing I would investigate.  Plain, white, unbleached tissues, (e.g kitchen roll), are the safest bedding in hamsters that you suspect to be allergic to something.  If you try that and she starts to improve, you've cracked it!

 

If she doesn't respond to a bedding change, the mites might need to be reassessed.  Hamsters CAN get sarcoptic mites, (the ones that give dogs and foxes mange), but of course are not usually in contact with other animals to become infected by them.  Hence, when the vet says "mites", they usually mean demodex ones, which all hamsters carry normally.  These are specific to hamsters, don't transmit to other animals, (they have their own!), and are normally kept under control by the hamster's immune system.  However, when the hamster is "below par", (for example, when slightly off colour, just weaning a litter or simply elderly), the mites can flare up, causing problems. 

 

If your vet has treated your hamster for mites, (with Ivermectin, I guess?), this will deal with the current mites - as you said, she seemed to improve for a while.  However, treatment for mites will not - necessarily - cure the underlying immune issues.  Since your lady is now into late middle age, you might try giving her a little extra TLC to try and boost her condition.  For example, a little milky cereal will give her extra minerals and vitamins in a tasty form.  Also, a little extra greens may give her the "oomph" to beat back the mites.  Lettuce isn't generally recommended for hamsters but a friend of mine, following a recommendation in a very old hamster book, supplemented the diet of an otherwise healthy but balding hamster with SMALL amounts of lettuce each day and his coat grew back.  (Although that's just one incidence, so it's not conclusive - just another thought).

 

To ease the skin, if it seems dry or crusty, I have used baby oil - just a little on my hands and then running my hands over the animal's body.  Also, if the fur is coming off in "scurfy mats", (matted at the roots), you may find a bath in warm water with a little baby shampoo helps.  (This won't cure the problem, it just removes the itchy, scurfy bits!)  If you do bath her, make sure she's kept warm until she is completely dry and fluffed out again.

 

Hope this helps.  If you continue to feel worried, I would go back to the vet; they have access to resources and skills we don't have.  Best wishes.

 

Andrew

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