Thinning Fur

[Whisky]

Hi all!

I recently got myself a little Russian hamster from work (a pet store) just before Christmas. His name is Koosh, he's an absolute doll and I'm loving him to bits. However, for a few weeks now I've noticed that the fur on top of his head seems quite thin. He looks like he has a reverse comb-over - wisps of hair lying straight back between his ears, and you can see the skin underneath. It's been worrying me. Just now I noticed another thin spot on his flank, with a bit of skin visible through it - now I'm in full anxious-mom mode. The skin on these spots seems reddish and, though it's hard to peek through all he fluff, his skin everywhere else seems to be a normal pink.

It doesn't seem like hair loss, per se - just thin hair. The rest of his body has a thick, fluffy coat. And he seems like a happy, healthy hamster in every other regard!

Right now I'm feeding Koosh a mix of Oxbow and Carefresh (with most of the corn and peas taken out), and he eats both (though he leaves some of the brown Carefresh pellets). He gets a couple dried mealworms a few times a week, and a couple sunflower seeds on the other nights, usually. Am I missing something? Could it be his diet? Any ideas or advice would be hugely appreciated!

[Whisky]

Things I forgot to add: Koosh is about 4 months old. He lives on aspen bedding (we tried Carefresh for a while, but the new stuff really smells bad). I have a picture of him sleeping in my hand where you can see the top of his head:

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[katmick]

I have never heard of Carefresh mix/pellets.I would recommend Burgess Dwarf Hamster mix..Also maybe bring your ham to vets as Demodex mites can cause fur loss often around the face or head.These mites don't normally cause trouble,but if animal is imunosuppressed they may cause fur loss.

[Thin Lizzy]

Koosh is so cute!
He might've caught his head on something in his cage, check to see if there's any rough stuck out bits.
It might be mites. I know my oldest lost hair in the same spot as Koosh and he was treated for mites.
I would take him to the vet where they'll treat him for it. Some of the mites stuff that you can buy in pet stores can be very smelly and strong .

[cypher]

Koosh is very cute, lovely colouring!
I agree with the others, the first two things that come to mind are that either he's rubbing against something in the cage which could cause the fur loss or he may have mites so it would be worth checking with the vet.
His diet sounds ok but I'd be more concerned about the molasses in the carefresh food than the peas & corn which are best left in as they provide a fair bit of fibre, protein etc & aren't too high in natural sugars in the proportions supplied in the mix. I'm not too good on remembering what's available in the US so don't really know which mix is best for russians there.
Does he have any veg? If not I would begin adding a small amount each day to up his general vitamin & mineral uptake.
A tiny drop of omega oil, maybe every couple of days is good for the coat generally so you might want to think about that too.

[racinghamster]

To be honest I wouldn`t pick out the peas and the corn from the food mix as these are not `added` sugars, they contain nutrients that you could be depriving him of. So it`s safe to say they should be fed.

I have no clue about the foods in the US, but I would add that you could mix in some Canary seed (sold in pet stores for caged birds) and also get a bag of millet spray and snip a small length off and feed this as a supplement.

The thinning fur could be anything. Poor diet, genetics, hormonal..... but I wouldn`t rush in with mite treatments unless you had cause to believe this was the cause. Small animals can have skin issues although it usually occurs in older hamsters due to their body changing as they age.

Harry Hamster (or is it Hazel Hamster over there?) is a UK sold hamster mix, although I stopped using it years ago in favour of Burgess Supahamster and the JR dwarf mix sold on Zooplus, along with Science Supreme Selective heart shaped biscuits as a supplement. Look for these online because the same company (Supreme) make Hazel Hamster food, so you may be able to buy it online?

Are you sure Koosh is a Russian dwarf? He looks like a Roborovski to me! Carefresh.....well I wouldn`t touch their bedding with a bargepole so their foods wouldn`t interest me either. x

[Whisky]

Thanks all!

Koosh is super cute, I adore him. I've been asked if he's a Robo before, but I'm quite certain he's Russian. His dorsal stripe is faint, but you can see it a bit in that pic, plus he has no eyebrows. Here he is repping his favourite team on Super Bowl day (his eyes are extra red from the flash):

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He's not itchy at all (should have mentioned that), which is why I'm wary of treating for mites. The skin doesn't seem dry or scaly at all. I've dealt with mites with my rats and both times, it presented with scratching to the point of hair loss and scabbing.

I work at a pet store, so I researched some food brands and went with the ones that sounded safe for dwarfs, that I could buy at work with my employee discount. I've thought about getting Hazel Hamster online, though. Never heard of Burgess but it looks good.

He lives in a tank, so it's possible he's been rubbing his head against something. That would make sense... Silly Koosh.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I will switch his food, and maybe that will help. Is the Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest the best option? I really like the look of Hazel. Guess it also depends on who'll ship to Canada!

[Thin Lizzy]

Don't go changing his food over straight away, It's best to add a small amount to the food he's getting already over a period of a week to 10 days, Slowly introduce him to it.
Koosh's red eyes really stare out at you in the above pic.

[Whisky]

No, I wouldn't switch him all at once! Nice and gradual, and hopefully he likes it.

His eyes get all red and glow-y in flash photos, they're much less creepy in normal light! He's just much harder to capture without flash because he's such a busy bee. Here he is:

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He's adorable and he's got the loveliest temperament - he even gives kisses. I've grown very attached to the little man!

[Thin Lizzy]

I've grown attached to him and he's not mine! He's sooo cute!