I would not put anything other than solid plastic items in the dishwasher if you want to use it to wash Cheeky's enclosure furniture. I wouldn't personally but then I don't even have one that is what boyfriends are for (washing dishes
)... Wooden articles sadly can only be thrown away.
With specific reference to hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s) the symptoms of this include:
- Bilateral symmetrical hair loss on the flanks and the outside of the thighs
The skin is thin and may become dark coloured
The hamster may drink, eat and urinate more than normal
The condition is especially seen in older or male hamsters, but affects many animals species including horses, cats, dogs, rats, and guinea pigs etc... A friend from PWS called Kane (Prestwood) will be able to give you more information - email
[email protected] or
[email protected]. I have asked him to pop over and tell us about how he coped with this often suspected but not conclusively diagnosed condition. Another serious condition known to produce hair loss is neoplasia (often cutaneous lymphoma). Skin biopsy is a good diagnostic tool for the later.
Alopecia (or hair loss) can be seen in older hamsters associated with kidney failure or a problem with their hormone producing glands. Hair loss can also be connected with rubbing on an exercise wheel, although when a hamster uses a wire, not solid, exercise wheel they can develop sores inside their legs instead of around the head. Abrasions from other pieces of enclosure furniture, or a reaction to the bedding, such as with hamsters kept on shavings from treated wood, can also cause skin trauma. Hamsters can also be allergic to food, bedding, cigarette smoke, perfumes or polishes. In this case the hamster will have a white flaky skin, as well as sneezing, runny eyes and swollen feet.
Hair loss has also been recorded in hamsters being fed on a diet containing less than 16% protein. Adding one or two drops of cod liver oil to their food each day plus a crushed yeast tablet may help. Hair loss can also be due to a diet high in overheating cereals. In these cases, feeding more fruit and vegetables and replacing half of the dry ration with boiled rice or puffed rice cereal may be beneficial.
There are also infectious diseases than can cause skin problems. Ringworm is commoner when hamsters are housed in an enclosed plastic cage, due to increased condensation causing damp bedding. The skin will be dry and flaky with little hair.
Fleas can be caught from other pets in a household. Mites are easily identified by a vet following a skin scrape - I hope they did this and if not please ask for one on your next visit, if not sooner, although Cheeky has had her drops already it would be nice to know if she really does have mites or something else, and that way you can get some correct trreatment on the go as soon as possible. Time is of the essence with our little ones due to their fast metabolisms.
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