Hamster losing fur on rear and neck :(

F10 doesn't look like it's available in the US for some reason, at least not at regular pet stores or on amazon
 
Interesting so another forum said demodex mites only live on the hamster and not in their environment. not sure how accurate this is though

seeing a lot of people saying white vinegar and water solution to clean their enclosure so i'm gonna try that first and use really hot water
 
i also emailed the vet asking if there is anything OTC that i can put on her skin to clean the cuts and for pain management or anything they could prescribe as well
 
That's fine for cleaning an enclosure but not necessarily for killing mites in an enclosure. Although it's a good start. I have seen that information you mention and I am not sure it is correct. We've always understood that a full cage clean is needed when a hamster has mites, disinfecting all items and replacing bedding or they can just keep getting them back again.

I'm not convinced that white vinegar will kill mites either - certainly for red mites information is that vinegar can't penetrate their exoskeleton. It's similar with head lice - very hard to actually kill them unless you use something that's harmful to humans as well!

As far as I know, disinfection has always been the way to go.
 
Biscuit_7 said:
i also emailed the vet asking if there is anything OTC that i can put on her skin to clean the cuts and for pain management or anything they could prescribe as well
Click to expand...
Ask if they sell F10 as well!
 
You're right, F10 isn't available on Amazon.com any more. Some people in the US use diluted bleach for cage disinfection. That is an option but it would need to be rinsed well afterwards and aired a bit to get rid of the aroma.

Vinegar is a good cleaner and disinfectant but it doesn't kill everything. It does kill moth eggs though!
 
Yeah and the metal bars are painted so I'm not sure how bleach would affect that
 
Maz said:
You're right, F10 isn't available on Amazon.com any more. Some people in the US use diluted bleach for cage disinfection. That is an option but it would need to be rinsed well afterwards and aired a bit to get rid of the aroma.

Vinegar is a good cleaner and disinfectant but it doesn't kill everything. It does kill moth eggs though!
Click to expand...
IMG_1109.png
have you heard of this before? this one's available in the US
 
I haven't heard of the first one. The second one might be too strong for hamster. I think bleach diluted wouldn't affect bars but I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I think if there wasn't any suitable disinfectant available I would use dilute bleach or white vinegar and hope for the best! When I've used white vinegar, I haven't diluted it. I've just sprayed it on, left it for a bit, rinsed it off, then washed it all again with soap and water. It gets rid of most of the vinegar, but leaves a very faint aroma, which my hamsters seem to have found quite interesting rather than it bother them. I believe the bleach solution is 10%. ie 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Or a cup of bleach to a gallon of water.
 
I guess the US has certain restrictions on chemicals because most of these things are hard to get. Where do you live? Maybe I need to move there next 😂
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Maz
I believe the usual recommendation in the US though is bleach for a mite infestation - for the cage.
 
Biscuit_7 said:
I guess the US has certain restrictions on chemicals because most of these things are hard to get. Where do you live? Maybe I need to move there next 😂
Click to expand...
I'm in the Uk :-) Some things are easier to get here, some things are easier to get in the US! We can't get reasonably priced glass tanks and there are no proper lids for tanks either. Glass tanks here cost hundreds of pounds!
 
I'll come join you and bring some glass tanks with me. I'm thinking about moving abroad once I save up enough money anyway, I think I'd like it better somewhere in Europe honestly
 
  • Love
Reactions: Maz
So I think you don't want to keep cleaning her out weekly - that will just increase her stress which means her immune system is lowered and the mites can proliferate.

I think you need to do one big disinfect, new bedding, and then leave her for a while - plenty of new bedding and then just "spot clean" in between. ie take the odd handful out and replace it - usually just the pee area or pick any poops out if they start taking over.

So I would do the 10% bleach solution on the cage, to be sure. Chuck all the bedding and disinfect or bake everything in the cage. Then replace everything. Instead of using the wood shelf (which would be hard to disinfect unless you can bake it?) you could just tie cardboard inside the bars so she can't climb, and maybe add a platform instead.
 
Sounds good. I'll do a diluted bleach solution and rinse thoroughly and let it dry tomorrow and put her in a clean bin while I do. And I'll just put in some sort of cardboard platform - she likes climbing but only on that side so this will allow her to sit up there and not fall very far - the base is deep too and if there's enough bedding she'll be fine if she falls
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maz
Sadly I got sick as well today but I am hoping I feel better enough by the end of the day today or tomorrow to be able to do a deep clean
 
Do you think i should put her old wheel back in? it was smaller but she loved using it and she stopped running when i put the new bigger one in. not sure if it's because she doesn't like it or just because she doesn't feel well :(
 
So sorry you’re not feeling well 😕. Yes look after yourself - it’ll wait a few days. Is her new wheel spinning ok?

Just looked at your photo - the wheel is quite high up above the wood shelf. You could try having it at substrate level maybe - it could be she doesn’t feel like climbing up there. If you stand it on top of the substrate it won’t be that stable but what you can do is tie the stand to the bars at the back. Sisal or sea grass string is best for this or a long plastic cable tie. Normal string isn’t really safe if chewed - likewise rubber bands - but maybe she doesn’t chew? I’d hate for you to have to buy something else specially but if you have to, plastic cable ties are very cheap 😊. You need the longest ones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top