Evening Primrose Oil for Hair Loss

[baobaotheham]

Hi! I hope I submitted this into the right category. My hamster is experiencing slight fur at the moment. There’s no change in behavior or itchiness and there are some difficulties in trying to get a vet at the moment. I’ve heard some people use evening primrose oil for fur loss but I can’t seem to find any specific for small animals. I’ve seen some for cats and dogs but others for humans. Can anyone tell me if those are safe for hamsters and if not, where to get the proper kind? Thank you!

 

[Maz]

Hi. I've used it before and one of our experienced members is a big fan of it for skin and fur condition. Just a drop on their food. This is the one I've used

Dorwest Evening Primrose Oil - click here

However linseeds are excellent for helping fur thicken and regrow. I've used those more than Evening Primrose oil and seen fur grow back within 2 to 3 weeks. You need to give them as a daily dose - a pinch of them on a separate little dish each day. The hamster just licks them up. Brown linseeds are supposed to be better than golden.

So I would try the Linseeds first. A bag isn't very expensive and can last a long time - maybe a couple of years or more! It makes their fur thick and glossy but it can take 2 or 3 weeks for it to show regrowth. If still no improvement then try the Evening Primrose oil.

How old is your hamster (Syrian from the photo?) and is the hamster male or female? There can be many causes of fur loss and it can help narrow down the cause, whether it's age, hormones, diet, or something else.

 

[baobaotheham]

Hi. I've used it before and one of our experienced members is a big fan of it for skin and fur condition. Just a drop on their food. This is the one I've used

Dorwest Evening Primrose Oil - click here

However linseeds are excellent for helping fur thicken and regrow. I've used those more than Evening Primrose oil and seen fur grow back within 2 to 3 weeks. You need to give them as a daily dose - a pinch of them on a separate little dish each day. The hamster just licks them up. Brown linseeds are supposed to be better than golden.

So I would try the Linseeds first. A bag isn't very expensive and can last a long time - maybe a couple of years or more! It makes their fur thick and glossy but it can take 2 or 3 weeks for it to show regrowth. If still no improvement then try the Evening Primrose oil.

How old is your hamster (Syrian from the photo?) and is the hamster male or female? There can be many causes of fur loss and it can help narrow down the cause, whether it's age, hormones, diet, or something else.

Hello! Tysm for your response! I’ll check those both out and see if there’s any improvement. Bao Bao is a male Syrian hamster. He was born on October 28 so he’s about 6 months old if I’m doing my math right. He’s still pretty young which is why I’m worried. I feed him Bunny Nature hair and skin. I know protein deficiency could lead to fur loss but he won’t eat the mealworms so I’ve resorted to feeding him eggs and chicken to get his protein in. Nothing’s changed in his behavior too (I have a pet cam). It doesn’t itch it and it’s not inflamed and I don’t see any marks so I don’t think it’s mite. He just…bald in that area. If his fur is smoothed down like in the first pic, you can’t really see it which is why I didn’t notice at first. But kinda brush the fur up near his neck, then you can see the bald spot. The photo was on flash which is why the contrast is stark

 

[Maz]

Aw he's gorgeous. It probably isn't dietary if it's just that one place, and the location suggests he might be rubbing against something in his enclosure - ie trying to squeeze underneath something? Is there anything in his enclosure that might be causing neck rubbing? Or - it could even just be normal with him being long haired. With a shorthaired hamster you wouldn't have hair movement like that - they're either furry or a distinct bald patch. But it's hard to tell from the photo It sounds like his diet is fine. But I would definitely try the brown linseeds daily as they are great for fur condition and can't do any harm.

 

[baobaotheham]

Aw he's gorgeous. It probably isn't dietary if it's just that one place, and the location suggests he might be rubbing against something in his enclosure - ie trying to squeeze underneath something? Is there anything in his enclosure that might be causing neck rubbing? Or - it could even just be normal with him being long haired. With a shorthaired hamster you wouldn't have hair movement like that - they're either furry or a distinct bald patch. But it's hard to tell from the photo It sounds like his diet is fine. But I would definitely try the brown linseeds daily as they are great for fur condition and can't do any harm.

Aw he's gorgeous. It probably isn't dietary if it's just that one place, and the location suggests he might be rubbing against something in his enclosure - ie trying to squeeze underneath something? Is there anything in his enclosure that might be causing neck rubbing? Or - it could even just be normal with him being long haired. With a shorthaired hamster you wouldn't have hair movement like that - they're either furry or a distinct bald patch. But it's hard to tell from the photo It sounds like his diet is fine. But I would definitely try the brown linseeds daily as they are great for fur condition and can't do any harm.

I’m not certain because I can’t think of anything he might be rubbing against that could be rough enough to take off his fur. Just in case, I replaced all his bedding and disinfected everything to remove any debris that might be irritating his skin. I thought that it might be because he’s long haired too. I’ve only ever had one long haired hamster and this never happened so I was panicked. It’s hard for me to get a proper pic and look closely without hurting him so I let it be. I’ll make sure to try everything you suggested! Thank you very much for your help I attached a pic of him with his little Easter basket cause it’s so cute