Hamster dry skin

[AcheloisD]

Hi all

I have a dwarf hamster (Hermes) that we’ve had since mid July. He is my second dwarf hamster.
Since we got him, I noticed he spends quite a lot of time scratching around his ears and sides. When I looked closer, I saw lots of white flakes on his skin in those areas and a bit of redness. He does not stay super still and gets pretty stressed when handling so it is hard to get a good look for more than a second or two. He was in a pet store for nearly three months before we adopted him.
He has a bit of hair thinning in those areas but not visually balding and no open wounds.

I am in the process of booking a vet appointment for him to get checked for mites but I don’t visually see any in the cage or when looking at him. Our first hamster had a grain mite infestation once and I was able to spot them on a whimzee and I haven’t seen any on any food or chews in his cage.

We did a partial clean of his cage recently which did not seem to ease the scratching.

Some more information;
He has 600 square inches of space and 7” of bedding depth.
His bedding is full cheeks paper and partially aspen. He only had paper in the pet store.
He has a sand bath with classic yellow reptisand (dye free and no added calcium).
He gets Mazuri rat and mouse blocks and Higgins sunburst seed mix.
He eats and drinks normally and he is using the bathroom as normal
He does seem to sleep a lot and in weird places and positions through the day but that might just be his personality.

I feel like it is most likely allergies as if he has had mites I feel like his condition would be more severe (ie significant hair loss) and not just the dry flakes around his neck which have worsened a bit.

He unfortunately won’t stay still long enough to get a good photo.

Hoping for some advice on what it could be or how to ease his discomfort while we wait for his appointment.

Thanks all.

 

[Riven]

Hello

Sorry to hear Hermes is having some skin troubles. There are many reasons why skin irritation occurs and many different things can be a factor.

There's a few things you can check before you go to the vet so you can mention you've ruled these out which will help the vet make a treatment plan for Hermes.

1. What substrate are you using as some do irritate the skin more that others.

2. Mites and other creepy crawlies can hitch a ride in bedding and food so it may be worth freezing before using if possible. Ensure it's defrosted and at room temp before using/serving.

3. If Hermes is a long haired hamster he may benefit from being brushed once a week to remove and debris and loose hair.

4. Cage ventilation can affect skin and coat quality especially if the cage/ tank they're kept in is a higher humidity.

5. Cleaning supplies can irritate airways and skin also, always ensure the cage is properly cleaned, dried and aired before you start putting bedding/wheel/toys and hamster back in.

6. Dust and allergens are all around us so you may benefit from an air purifier in the room where you keep Hermes if you don't already. This will help to filter out anything which may be irritating his skin.

7. Aerosols and household cleaning products and detergents may be transferred onto him during handling which may cause issues.

8. If in the case of dry skin, having some flaxseeds (linseeds) in his diet a couple of times a week or some oily fish once a week. The omegas and other fatty acids can help replenish the skin barrier which can help with dry skin, coat quality and allergies. You will notice a difference within 6-8 weeks.

9. Mites are always a possibility and you can't see them with the naked eye unfortunately. The vet will need to take a swab or skin scraping to determine whether or not this is the case and prescribe treatment. Please do not use over the counter medicines as they're not strong enough.

Hopefully these points will help you rule in/out the reason to why Hermes skin is sore and provide him with some relief soon.

 

[Zelda]

Riven wrote an excellent reply, to which I would add that other nuts and sunflower seeds can also be excellent sources of healthy fats. My Zelda will also chow down on sardine meat which is an excellent source of essential omega fatty acids. Best wishes!

 

[Maz]

I would try and rule out allergy first maybe and replace the aspen with paper bedding. If you can do that without too much disturbance. Hamsters can actually be allergic to any type of wood - even hardwood.

@elusive recommends evening primrose oil for skin conditions (orally). Jist a drop on some food. Maybe try it on some soft food like porridge or baby food on a teaspoon.

In addition to linseeds which really do with wonders for fur and skin but it can take a couple of weeks. A pinch of linseeds daily separately somewhere - on a dish or shelf. They tend to just lick them up.

If there’s no improvement after a week or two then maybe see a vet and ask for a skin scraping to check for mites under a microscope as it concerns me that spot on (invermectin) can be overused unnecessarily sometimes by owners and vets just guessing it might be mites without testing properly.

It could be mites though. Personally I’d try changing the bedding first and using those supplements.

 

[Maz]

That should say evening primrose oil by the way!