This could be mites but in older hamsters it can be due to hormonal diseases. In the latter the fur loss is normally symmetrical on both sides and not usually itchy. Often only treating for mites can definitively make the diagnosis.

Hi, I have a female hamster of which I have had for a year and 2 months, when I got her she wasn't fully grown but I think she was about 10 months. Anyway recently we have noticed some bald patches on her back and on top of her left back leg. When we touch it she doesn't seem to mind, and is still running about like normal, her behaviour hasn't changed in the slightest. She is eating and drinking well, and doesn't seem to be scratching at all. Also she has been getting little wet patches under her neck every-now-and-again. We give her woodshavings, fluffy bedding, J cloth shreddings and shredded paper. Also she is a only hamster and hasn't been pregnant, she was involved with other hamsters at the pet shop when we got her but she seemed to be O.K with being on her own. She is very tame, never bit any of us, and that behaviour hasn't changed at all. I am very worried about my hamster, I love her very much, could you please tell me what it could be, like mites? Bedding? Old age? Rubbing against the bars? And how to stop the fur disappearing even more please.

Yasmin

I would refer you to the answers above in that it could be mites, bedding allergy or hormonal. Look at the posts I have put above to see about the symptoms etc.

I just received a hamster that needed a new home. I don't know a lot about him. He is very small and black.I am assuming a dwarf of some kind. He drank half of his water bottle in two days. He is also urinating a lot. He is eating well. He has been scratching a lot too. No fur loss. I bought a reptile mite spray that the local pet store recommended. It offered no relieve from the itching. I am going to assume that this might be two different conditions. Possibly kidney or bladder infection and/or mites? My other hamster is a teddy bear and is almost two. She drinks only a bottle of water per week. Sometimes less. So, that is my only comparison. How long should I wait to see what his normal amount of water consumption is before taking to vet? How long will mite medicine take to kill the mites and relieve itching?

Hi,
I have had my hamster for about 3 months now and recently I have looked at her belly and noticed 10 small bald patches, 5 on the left of her body and 5 on on the right side the bald patches go from her front legs to her back legs,they are very in line with each other and the bottom 4 seem a bit red. She's is acting like she usually does, she's active at night and has plenty of food and what, I looked on line and thought it could be mites but how can I check for this.
Thank you.

Hi Chloelnn, hamsters are quite susceptible to mites so this could well be the case here. Your vet is the best person to diagnose them & provide you with appropriate treatment as it is a prescription only medicine that would be required. It's also worth ensuring you have appropriate bedding too and if it is mites, you'll need to replace all of it anyway and do a thorough clean and disinfection of her little home. I hope that helps! Zara The Vet (www.zarathevet.com)

Hi Joy, as per the other post this may well also be a mite problem and your vet is the best person to diagnose and provide you with the appropriate medication. Depending on the form of medication prescribed (i.e. injection or oral) this will have an impact on how long it takes to act. Generally a course of treatment is required over several weeks. It does sound like he is also drinking quite an amount, but without knowing his history he may well have been a little dehydrated when you obtained him & again your own vet will be able to check this for you. Finally, dermatitis is quite common in hamsters and not always attributable to mites. Other reasons range from hormonal problems to allergies to cat fleas (although quite rare in hamsters) to fungal infections. The other thing to always rule out is that the hair loss is not a normal patch of bald, greasy skin around a scent gland. I hope that helps! Zara The Vet (www.zarathevet.com)

Hi i have a female hamster called marble she is quite old and we noticed that on the end of her back she has got no hair we were told to put mite spray on it so we did but she has been loosing more and more she doesn't itch or anything do you know why she is doing this thanks!!

PLEASE ANSWER: I got my hamster just Befor christmas, the bad thing about it is I actually donT know how old he is as the pet store also had no idea which is pretty strange. Anyway he (Alfie) has been losing hair. At first I though I was just being stupid as I noticed his hair on his back was thinning. Then just a few days ago I looked much closely When I got him out to play in his ball and I relised he had a complet bald patch. He is eating and drinking well and doesn't look ill but I'm still worried about the bald patch...please help

Hi my hamster is loosing all her fur and is really wrinkly she also has a big cut on her head what should i do ?

My dawrf female hamster is 9 mnths old since i got her from petco nd a few months after i got her i noticed a little bald spots but recently ive noticed shes bald underneath and on her bottom is that normal or should i have her looked at?

Hi

No its never normal for a hamster to become bald. There has to be some level of skin disease present even if she seems well. There are no home remedies that you can use but do make sure her food is plentiful amd of good quality and her cage is kept clean which would all help her general condition. A vet can diagnose the problem, and depending on the cause, provide some treatment. There are a variety of causes ranging from mites to a fungal infection but sometimes internal and hormonal problems. Older hamsters are more likely to develop the non-infectious causes and be much harder to treat.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

Hi,
My daughter hamster is 18 months old, and is a russian dwarf hamster, for the last week she has started to lose her fur,it is now become open sores on her back, her belly is completely bald, her back is very sore and red, im wondering if this is due to her age or does she have skin mites , we have changed her bedding to tissue which has made some differenc ebut her hair loss is still occuring getting more and more each day, she looks all wrinkly and well old , is this just due to her age or is their something else going on?

Thank you

Hi

No I dont think at 18 months she is old and the symptoms sound serious unfortunately. There's several possible causes, mites is just one of them. You have to decide if you can manage to get her diagnosed and treated by a vet as there's no home remedies I can suggest.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

Hi, my daughters hamster is a little over 2 years old an is getting bald on both of his hips, he looks in perfectly good shape except for his baldness, I know it's not the bedding because we have been using the same bedding ever since we got him. Do you think it's because of old age?

Hi Kirsten

Often its older hamsters that get skin conditions but its not just due to them being old, just that they are more prone to problems. Its almost never due to the bedding in my experience. It's good that he's behaving normally but if you can get a vet check it wouldn't hurt in case you are not spotting the level of the problem. Certainly do that if the condition gets worse or he gets ill.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

hello,
I have a male Syrian hamster, he is 2 years old now, he lost a little fur around the top of his legs and behind his ears originally, over the last month or so ,he has completely lost all his fur- all underneath/ belly ( from under is head all the way to the end of his tail) and has little to almost no fur on top, he is literally almost completely bald, is this because he is quite old now or something else? and is there anything I can do about it or do I just let him continue as he is?

He is a little slower that usual and hasn't been drinking much at all.

Any help would be fantastic!

Many thanks,

Jess

Hi Jessica

There's nothing specific that you can do and it is possible that its an age related problem. Your vet is the only person who might be able to help and can certainly check him over to say if there's more to worry about here.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

my dwarf hampster is about 3-5 months old. we noticed that her tummy is wet and it looks like there is a line that is bald. it is right in the middle. I don't see her itching.

today, she won't move from the spot she usually does her business.

she did eat and drink today.

she is not as playful when I hold her. when I put her on the floor she is active.

any thoughts?

thank you so much.

Hi, I am wondering what to do with my hamster name Oreo. He has red skin around his neck and thinning of fur. My hamster don't scratch much. I don't know what to do but I really want to cure it. Please help.

Patty

My hamster has lost some of his fur around his body and on his chest. Also on his bear chest, we can see a small red spot and don't know what it is! please help ASAP!

My hamster has a small ruffled bald spot on his face between his eyes. I have had him exactly 4 weeks and 1 day. I don't know why.