Hamster not eating much

Maz said:
Mites need vet treatment unfortunately - it needs to be prescribed by a vet. It might not be mites. I was unclear from the photos above whether he had fur loss or not? There are other reasons for fur loss if he does have it and his improved diet will help too. Usually with mites their skin is sore and maybe even bleeding where they have scratched so much and really quite bald patches.
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no he’s not bald. there is a lil fur loss but i think it’s because of his diet cause i didn’t know what do i add in his diet for protein but you helped me with it. i started giving him eggs and walnut as you mentioned earlier.
 
Socks Mum said:
If you can find Ivermectine in a brand specifically for hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice, it might help as it is is a topical insecticide. The formulation has to say safe for hamsters on the box though so that the dose is safe. The brand is Xeno and it might be available online. I hope your hammy feels better soon.
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thank you. i shall visit the vet soon
 
Maz said:
Xeno spot-on may be available to buy. It's not usually recommended as it can be toxic to hamsters unless it's the right thing in the right dose. The idea being that it hasn't actually been diagnosed as mites so you wouldn't want to be giving it unnecessarily. Most vets will see hamsters as well as other animals. Are there any vets at all in your area? It would help to know if it's mites or something else really.
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there are actually no good vets nearby. i went to this place where he prescribed multivitamin and vitamin c drops for him. you asked me to stop with that so i stopped adding drops in his water. i give him fresh food everyday and try to keep his cage clean.
 
Socks Mum said:
My vet prescribed it for Socks, but she did carefully weigh him and could tell me the exact dose for him. It is better to get it from a vet. She prescribed it without a skin scrape, but did do a visual examination.
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will do, thanks.
 
my hamster is losing fur
 

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Aw I’m sorry to hear that. It does seem to be just on the back of his neck. What wheel does he have? Sometimes a wheel with a spindle that isn’t large enough can cause fur to rub off there - but it does seem quite a bit of fur loss so it’s possible he’s got mites.
 
shall i get him ivermectin drops or something? i’ve seen him itching/scratching as well
 
I think you need to see a vet to check if it's mites or not because Invermectin is strong stuff and should only be given if it's definitely mites. The vet could do a skin scraping and look under the microscope to see if it's mites - they're not visible except under a microscope.

Hamsters have mites living on them as normal - but in a very limited number. When they "get mites" it means there is an over proliferation of mites, which is usually because of a low immune system. Various things can knock their immune system - stress being one thing, but sometimes it just happens. When they're older they might get run down eg. It's fairly common.

There are other things that cause fur loss as well which is why you really need a vet to check your hamster over.
 
Maz said:
I think you need to see a vet to check if it's mites or not because Invermectin is strong stuff and should only be given if it's definitely mites. The vet could do a skin scraping and look under the microscope to see if it's mites - they're not visible except under a microscope.

Hamsters have mites living on them as normal - but in a very limited number. When they "get mites" it means there is an over proliferation of mites, which is usually because of a low immune system. Various things can knock their immune system - stress being one thing, but sometimes it just happens. When they're older they might get run down eg. It's fairly common.

There are other things that cause fur loss as well which is why you really need a vet to check your hamster over.
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okay, thank you. i’ll take him to the vet
 
hi, i took him to the vet but he said that nothing is wrong with my hamster. he is ok and prescribed multivitamin drops. i am really worried. he is slightly losing fur and he keeps itching himself. he’s very lazy and sleeps most of the times. please help me.
 
Mahika said:
hi, i took him to the vet but he said that nothing is wrong with my hamster. he is ok and prescribed multivitamin drops. i am really worried. he is slightly losing fur and he keeps itching himself. he’s very lazy and sleeps most of the times. please help me.
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what can i do?
 
How old is he again? It's good in a way, if the vet says there is nothing wrong with him. Can I ask what the weather is like? (I can't remember which country you're in :-)). In hot weather, hamsters can sometimes have a bit of a moult.

I wouldn't give vitamin drops personally - not in their water anyway. But if there are skin and fur issues, I usually give a pinch of linseeds every day. After 6 weeks to two months, you should notice their fur improving or even regrowing in places. I assume it's partly the vitamin e in the linseeds but it's more than that, as they are a whole food with various oils etc that affect the whole body positively.

Additionally, if vitamins are needed, I give a pinch of hemp seeds daily - these are supposed to contain all vitamins and minerals needed, in a more natural way - and hamsters seem to like them - they are sort of nutty. They lick up both seeds. I usually put out a separate little dish just for the hemp seeds and linseeds (eg a jar lid) - and put a pinch of one at one side and a pinch of the other at the other side. But I would start with just linseeds for now, every day. Otherwise sometimes they only eat one and not the other. If the vitamin drops can go in food you could give those as well for a while, plus the linseeds. Although personally I would just give the linseeds, then after 6 weeks or so introduce the hemp seeds as well.

The itching - it is normal for hamsters to scratch a lot - it's part of grooming and normal. If he is scratching so much it is causing raw and open areas then that is not normal. But if it isn't then it could just be him grooming a lot. They sometimes groom more at some times than others.

I can't remember what bedding you use as the other possibility is an allergy. I'm sorry I haven't read back! So can't remember if this has been mentioned before. Hamsters can be allergic to any type of wood - whether it's hardwood or softwood. It's a possibility if he has anything other than paper bedding (which is hypoallergenic).

Did the vet do a skin scraping for mites at all? I assume if he thought it was mites he would have prescribed something for them though.
 
he’s 7-8 months old. i use chipsi wood shavings 3/4th od his cage and tissues on the other side - 1/4th (he sleeps there) as his bedding. i live in Bangalore, India. its 19 degrees now and in the day time its 30-31 degrees. i’ll start giving him linseeds aka flaxseeds right? no the vet didn’t do any kind of skin scraping. he just checked and put some drops behind his ears and prescribed multivitamin and vitamin c drops. but i won’t give him that because you said it’s not good for him as his water intake will reduce.

thank you so much Maz
i really appreciate it
 
It sounds like the vet might have treated him with Invermectin anyway if he put some drops behind his ears - just in case it was mites :-)

With the heat, it could well be a bit of a moult as well and the daily linseeds will really help his fur and skin. You could always put the drops in a mushy treat like a bit of banana or something and see if he will eat it. If he tastes the vitamin drops he might not eat it.

Ok so Chipsi is one of the better wood beddings, but I would really try to get him on a hypoallergenic bedding because he could well have an allergy. Can you get any paper based bedding in India? Kaytee Clean and Cozy is a popular one. Also have a look at Rat Rations online if you can't find anything. They used to ship just about anywhere in the world. Although if the postage is too expensive that's not really an option.

They sell paper bedding. You'd probably need to put it in the cart and go part way through checkout to find out the delivery cost to India.

 
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