Itchy hamster

chulasweetchica · 12-01-2013, 10:06 AM

My girl WW Dorothy seems to be so itchy, her ears seemed really red probley from itching and I don't know why any advice? I cleaned out her cage and she sat there forever itching

Oh and thank goodness she wasn't pregnant either! Now I'm concerned with the itch.

ANGELBABIES · 12-01-2013, 10:38 AM

Did you change her bedding/substrate to something different, if so - she could be allergic to the new stuff.

racinghamster · 12-01-2013, 10:45 AM

Hi. If she wasn`t itching before, it could be down to a number of things and eliminating the probables:

1. Has her bedding or substrate changed from her usual ones and if so, which ones?
2. Has her diet been changed or been added to?
3. Does she use a sand bath, how often, or was she recently introduced to sand?

These would be the things to look at if a sudden skin itch flares up. If you can answer YES to any of these, then you probably have your answer. Change back to what you were using/doing before.

chulasweetchica · 12-01-2013, 11:01 AM

Hello, everything is the same as always so couldn't be those. Do they get ear mites or fleas maybe winter change just not sure. Is there a home remedy for itch and too soothe?

racinghamster · 12-02-2013, 05:06 AM

Health deterioration can sometimes cause a natural flare up of mites but they can also be brought in on contaminated materials like hay or substrates. Mites are microscopic (unlike lice which can be seen and cause the hair shafts to go sticky as they lay their eggs on the fur). Over the counter spot-on`s can be useless unless you can get hold of Xeno50 mini from Amazon. This contains Ivermectin (a nerve agent) which vets use and is probably the best choice and comes with a dosing sheet. But I wouldn`t treat for mites unless the hamster showed signs of hair loss around the face/shoulders where they are more likely to scratch and cause redness or small cuts/scabs. You wouldn`t want any infection to start as a result of this.

It`s not easy to say what causes itching that suddenly starts when the hamster wasn`t doing it before, but if nothing has changed as far as diet and housing goes, I would monitor symptoms for a few days and just see if it`s a reaction to environmental/climate changes or perhaps, look into consulting a vet to determine if treating for mites might be worth doing. But bare in mind these agents can cause hypersensitivity in small animals if dosed wrongly, so be cautious.