Jas, the hamster formally known as Jasper

Jas seems to have given herself a bald patch on her scent gland, is this normal? It isn't swollen or raised and she is fine to let us stroke it. It doesn't appear to be bothering her at all. Her hair seems quite fine on her back generally.
 
Is it actually bald or just greasy? If there's some fur loss it sounds like she might have been rubbing against something. Good you can't feel any lumps.
 
It’s not that unusual for the hair to get a bit thin around the scent gland if they’ve been doing a lot of marking, maybe depends what they’ve been rubbing against but it doesn’t sound as though there’s anything to worry about at the moment, I would just keep an eye on it & see how it goes.
 
Thanks, I would say it's really short, almost bald, but her hair is quite thin in the back, so it wouldn't take much. I will try to have a closer look.
She has always done this one side only, but I think as her coat is changing it looks more obvious.
I will keep an eye on it, is there anything else I should look out for.
She isn't scratching and everything else seems okay.
 
Apart from any obvious changes to the skin or any more hair loss, redness or signs of possible infection which I think is unlikely I don’t think you need to look out for much else.
If it’s from scent marking then it will probably always be a bit of an issue, I’m guessing she already has flax seeds which are great for skin & fur condition & health but you could also give her a drop of evening primrose oil daily which is also really beneficial & works well alongside flax.
 
I think they can tend to use one side to scent mark things so maybe it is her rubbing up against something regularly.
 
elusive said:
Apart from any obvious changes to the skin or any more hair loss, redness or signs of possible infection which I think is unlikely I don’t think you need to look out for much else.
If it’s from scent marking then it will probably always be a bit of an issue, I’m guessing she already has flax seeds which are great for skin & fur condition & health but you could also give her a drop of evening primrose oil daily which is also really beneficial & works well alongside flax.
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Thank you for this, just read your other article on it. Really helpful. Are you able to share where you get the evening primrose oil from? Have you found oats the easiest way to get it to your hamsters?
Jas does flax and she loves it, so I know she is getting that.
 
This is the one I use, having the dropper bottle makes it easier but it might be cheaper elsewhere maybe.


I used to mix it with oats but now I usually just put it on veg but they seem to like it so sometimes I just drop onto a small dish & they lick it up, you could put it on any food or treat really though.
 
elusive said:
This is the one I use, having the dropper bottle makes it easier but it might be cheaper elsewhere maybe.


I used to mix it with oats but now I usually just put it on veg but they seem to like it so sometimes I just drop onto a small dish & they lick it up, you could put it on any food or treat really though.
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Thank you 😊
 
I have a bit of a strange question, I have tried to do some research.
Can hamsters grow a new coat? I mentioned before that Hank looked a little bald around her scent gland, but as I was keeping a close eye on it, it looks as though around her bottom third is getting thinner. The colour is changing and the only way I can describe the feel, is like new baby fur. She has no problems when we stroke her there, isn't scratching, it doesn't look sore or inflamed and she seems fine in every other aspect, eating, drinking normally.
Any ideas?
 
As long as the roots of the hairs aren't damaged, their fur will grow back. Syrians have cycles of growth and short pauses. Their coats are the stop and go traffic of rodents
 
Yes and they can actually have bit of a moult sometimes. That tends to be in hot weather in summer. It's also possible she rubbed the fur off and it's just growing back again. It can change colour sometimes as well. I had a black and white Syrian similar looking to Jas and the back half of his black fur turned more brown as he got older.
 
Thanks for your comments. Her fur is definitely a different colour, she was almost black, then dark brown, now I would say light brown with a hint of grey, but only at the bottom section, the top is still quite dark. Her white is still white.
The feel of the bottom fur is fluffier, which is why I asked the question, seems like new fur.
I will keep an eye on it. Thanks
 
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We are keeping a close eye on Jas, so this morning when she came out (she has started doing this), I offered her, her taxi, which she took. She didn't want the playpen, but I wanted to see her, so I offered her my lap instead, she thought that was much better. Lovely little interaction this morning
 
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