Bald Patches

[hamster lover 123]

Hi! I’ve noticed Toni has a slight bald spot near her bottom. Is this normal for hamsters around one and a half years old?

Thanks

 

[Hank]

Do you have a picture?

 

[Maz]

As Hank says, a photo would help From 18 months on they are considered "ageing" so it is possible it is age related, but having a look would help. Also is the skin dry or flakey?

 

[hamster lover 123]

No, can’t see any dry/flaky skin. Here are some photos.

 

[Maz]

I see what you mean. I think really it would be an idea to have a vet check and a skin scraping done, just to rule out mites. That's one reason bald patches appear. It seems unlikely if there's no dry flakey skin or itching and extra scratching. If that's ruled out then it could be hormonal related to age. But giving a pinch of linseeds daily I've found helps fur re-grow and makes their coat lovely and thick and in good condition. You can usually tell within 2 weeks. So it would be worth doing that anyway. But I think you should have a vet check.

 

[hamster lover 123]

Okay, thanks very much for your advice. We’ll phone the vet tomorrow and have a look into linseeds

 

[Maz]

Linseeds aren't expensive. The size of the bag would last many years! I put a pinch of them on a separate dish (or on a platform maybe) and they just lick them up. They seem to really like them. They're very healthy. I get these

Organic brown linseeds

 

[hamster lover 123]

Hope Toni enjoys these! Thanks

 

[Maz]

Let us know how you get on. My Robo ended up with balding bottom latterly and it wasn't really established what it was, but he was really quite old.

 

[Hank]

I think Maz has already covered it. Hopefully the linseeds help.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[hamster lover 123]

Will do. Sorry to hear about your Robo, Maz.

 

[Maz]

Thank you.

 

[hamster lover 123]

Good evening!
Just an update on Toni:
The vet has told us it could be a few things such as hay allergies, mites or hormone-related. It could even be the early stages of Cushings disease or skin cancer. Overall, they aren’t completely certain and have advised us to remove hay from the cage and administer some spot on parasite treatment just to be sure.

 

[Maz]

I think that sounds sensible. Yes vets can't always tell everything. There are so many causes of fur loss. Mites and allergy are common ones. I think Cushings is quite rare so I wouldn't worry about that. But hormones can cause all sorts. If it clears up after the spot on treatment and removal of the hay you might still not know! By the way do you freeze the hay before using it? Because hay can have all kinds of little mites (that you can't always see but hatch out). What bedding does Toni have?

Hope it clears up soon The Linseeds will still help the coat condition generally

 

[hamster lover 123]

No, the hay comes from a hay cube bought from PetsAtHome. Toni’s bedding is mainly CareFresh with some SafeBed Paper Shavings too.

 

[Maz]

I think if it was an allergy he would be scratching a lot - and maybe have some respiratory issues as well. She is very cute

 

[Maz]

Sorry I just called Toni he and she in the same sentence I meant she

 

[hamster lover 123]

I think if it was an allergy he would be scratching a lot - and maybe have some respiratory issues as well. She is very cute

I have noticed she is itching and washing a bit more than usual!

 

[hamster lover 123]

Sorry I just called Toni he and she in the same sentence I meant she

I do it all the time!

 

[Maz]

Ok so if, after she's had the Invermectin spot on, and the hay has been removed - if it continues, then I'd suspect allergy. It has been known for some hamsters to have a bit of a reaction to Carefresh - which is cellulose rather than paper - but it's not that common and not clear why.