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View Full Version : fur loss/flakey skin, how to treat?


raYne25
01-02-06, 08:28 AM 01-02-06
one of my dwarf hammys, pancake, is losing a bit of fur on her back end, it seems to be a bit flakey, the skin. is there anything to do to help her? I cleaned her cage yesterday and i make sure she has fresh water every day. it doesn't bother her or anything but i just figured i'd see if there was anything to do to help prevent further fur loss?
Also, with vincent, he's lost quite a bit of fur in the past year..he's 2 and a half now, i've noticed though that his skin will crack and he'll have scabs on his sides every once in awhile..its not too bad but i don't want it to get worse in the long run.. is there anything i can to do help him? I'm thinking it could be the air and what not here..with it being dry and cold.. or would having a heat vent in the ceiling above my hammy cages contribute to the dry skin?

I was thinking of taking some new pictures of my hams and making a little web page maybe with new pics, pics of hammies i've had that have passed away..maybe a section showing close ups of my hammies fur loss so you can have a better of idea of what i'm talking about.. just pics and info and what not about my hamsters.. so check for a post on that soon, hopefully i'll have some time to get that done this week =)

on a side note, my new black bear hamster is doing great, she's much more friendlier now, i can pick her up and pet her without her freaking out. she's getting big too, I named her molly. I'll get pics of her too cause i don't have any of her yet. she's a real cutie ^-^

HunnyBunnies
01-02-06, 02:18 PM 01-02-06
FYI:
Demodectic Mange:
Demodectic mange, a common external parasite problem of hamsters, is caused by mites that reside within the hair follicles and certain glands of the skin. The mites cause dry, scaly skin and significant hair loss, especially over the back. This disease is rarely a problem by itself and is frequently associated with long- standing, debilitating diseases, such as those involving the kidneys. Hamsters exhibiting hair loss should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. The doctor will do a skin scraping and examine it under the microscope. The presence of mites in the scraping confirms the diagnosis. This disease can be treated, but the patient may have an underlying problem for which there is no practical treatment or cure.

I got this info from a Pets Health website (http://www.cah.com/dr_library/hamsterdis.html). Hopefully everyone is doing much better soon :)

animalmagic
01-02-06, 03:17 PM 01-02-06
I don't know about the fur loss (sorry) but I can't wait to see your web page :)

babygirl159
01-02-06, 07:22 PM 01-02-06
what kind of bedding do u use?