Bald Patches

teeny_tiny_tony123

teeny_tiny_tony123

Hamster Legend
Member
Messages
84
Reaction score
230
Points
250
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 :)
 
Do you have a picture?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 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?
 
No, can’t see any dry/flaky skin. Here are some photos.

IMG_2310.jpeg

IMG_2308.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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.
 
Okay, thanks very much for your advice. We’ll phone the vet tomorrow and have a look into linseeds 👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: 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
 
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.
 
Thank you.
 
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. :)
 
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 :-)
 
No, the hay comes from a hay cube bought from PetsAtHome. :) Toni’s bedding is mainly CareFresh with some SafeBed Paper Shavings too. 👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: 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 :-)
 
Sorry I just called Toni he and she in the same sentence :ROFLMAO: I meant she :)
 
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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top