Dry (and thin) hamster skin

You didn't alarm at all Socks Mum :) - views on the topic have always been wide ranging and some hamster owners have had concerns before. There was an issue many years ago with a mix made by a hamster owner, which was for sale commercially, that was very popular, and some hamsters died or had fur loss while on it - it caused a huge issue and the mix isn't sold any more. The person who made the mix was a proponent of lentils in it. I'm not saying it was lentils that caused the issue - it clearly didn't have the right nutritional balance, but while home made mixes might sound healthy and full of variety, they can be problematic.
 
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Posted at the same time as Elusive :)
 
Maybe lentils should be classed as a "controversial" food :) . I agree with Elusive that it doesn't sound like there is a lack of protein but I would be concerned about malabsorption of nutrients or allergy.
 
I'd suggest switching to the Higgins Vita Garden for a while. It's sugar free and has fortified vitamins and probiotics. It only has 15% protein so the protein would need to be supplemented - nuts, mealworms and egg would be fine and hamsters really enjoy fresh food treats. Plus 2 or 3 science selective pellets daily.
 
It would help to know if this is a recent problem or something that he’s had since before Sittinghammy adopted him as it could be due as much to a poor diet previously as to the current diet, either way he would most likely improve the some of the supplements already mentioned.
 
Yes that is a bit of an unknown :) And I'm sure the supplements would help. But personally I would want to change the mix for a while also.
 
Very good point Frida! Yes hamsters can be allergic to certain beddings or any wood bedding, even hardwood. Some have even had problems with Carefresh I believe. But not with paper beddings or other paper based beddings.
 
Sitting Hammy - is it the Chubby Cheeks mix you have? I think that has a lot of lentils.

Aside from diet, there may be something else going on, but you could see if diet and supplements help first. You can see a change within two or three weeks with linseeds, if it's something simple.
 
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