Russian dwarf hamster fur loss on chest, underarms & tail

**Coconut Latte** · 10-24-2015, 05:31 AM

I have a 9 mo old really cute black russian dwarf hamster. She was treated 4 mange summer 2015 & the constant scratching & just her looking uncomfortable is gone now. But she still is missing fur & it grew back a little under the arms but not chest & tail. I can't tell if that area is sore to her...sometimes when I rub up against her while feeding or moving things in her cage she quickly jerks away from me where as she normally will sit in my hands w/o biting most of the time. She seems like a happy hamster overall...the other day she fell about 4 inches from my hands onto her back in her bedding. Instead of trying 2 roll upright she just kind of layer there on her back I went 2 help her get back on her feet. She wasn't hurt from the fall but I'm wondering if she might have an internal tumor that might be the reason 4 the fur loss? The vet never confirmed that mites were even the problem...he didn't know 4 sure but she got 3 oral injections of ivomec, an anti-inflammatory, & an anti-biotic as she developed an infection while being treated 4 mange.
She still scratches under her neck but even haven't noticed that these past couple weeks so there is improvement. I don't let her run around in an exercise ball just in case she does have something contagious but my other 4 hamsters were not affected by mites. I'm trying 2 give her attention & interaction with treats, etc. Does anyone know if this could be a big health problem? Got her from Pet Smart & from my earlier videos I know she has struggled with whatever is going on with her since she I brought her home.

cypher · 10-25-2015, 05:44 AM

Hair loss can be the result of quite a few things, probably the only way you'll get a proper diagnosis is to get a good small animal vet to check her over. It's really hard & not very helpful to guess but it does sound as though there is something going on with her that could do with checking out.
I don't use exercise balls for dwarf hams, they can be quite easily injured or stressed while in them so I definitely wouldn't use it for her & you may want to think about other ways of giving your other hams some exercise, do you have a play pen for them?

**Coconut Latte** · 10-25-2015, 05:56 AM

Yes she has a large bin with tubes in it. I use it to tame her & feed her treats. I'm feeding her dried peas & sunflower/pumpkin seeds mostly. Are these treats ok to use? I try to avoid sugary treats with her but I know these treats are fattening. She is a little plump but not fat. She's picky with treats..maybe you could give me other ideas on healthy treats for Xena. I also feed her Pet-co pellets & meal worms daily. Thank you for your help! Attached is a pic of her..

cypher · 10-25-2015, 06:47 AM

I'd go easy on all of those treats, fine in moderation but not too much or too often, do you give her any fresh veg? A small piece of fresh veg daily is good as a treat & important as a supplement to the diet too.
You could also try just a few flaked oats as a healthy option, small bits off a millet spray are another popular treat with most dwarf hams.
You're right to avoid sugary treats, most treats sold for hams are full of junk really so you're doing the right things using natural foods.
The other thing is to make them work for their treats & their food, hide things around the cage for her to forage for, lots of fun & good exercise!
Once they are used to your hands you don't really need treats for taming if you feel you need to give her something you can just offer a little of her normal mix in your hand.
She looks really sweet sat in her bowl there

**Coconut Latte** · 10-25-2015, 07:58 AM

Yea..that makes sense..just her normal seed mix food instead of the peas & sunflower/ pumpkin seeds regularily. Never thought of just playing with them instead of feeding them...lol. With my robo hamster I try 2 combine Oxbow green cheerio food with a hamster seed mix. She mainly sticks 2 the seeds & barely touches the Oxbow food even when I put just a tiny amount of seeds in her dish. She'll come out in the morning when she hears me moving around & all the lights on looking 4 food from me..cause I have spoiled her by getting up first thing 2 play with Coconut & feed her basically papaya treats & sunflower seeds. Sometimes I feed her the regular food mix but she likes the junk food better. Now that I see that she prefers some kind of seed mix better I bought a healthy hamster seed mix food instead of trying 2 get her used 2 the Oxbow. When she came running out all hungry this morning with untouched Oxbow rings in her dish. I knew I had 2 do something much healthier 4 her. What do you guys think about this new course of action with the robo hamster, Coconut? P.S. the other hammies r sleeping around 6:00am when I play w/ Coconut so she gets my attention first thing unless I sleep in like today & that's why she came out looking 4 food...smart little thing!

cypher · 10-25-2015, 11:14 PM

Most hams tend to prefer seed mix to pellets although some do seem to like them & if your ham is really hungry she will eat them.
Oxbow is quite good but if you want them to eat them you may have to go for some tough love & not refill the bowl until they've been eaten.
I know good seed mixes for dwarfs can sometimes be hard to find in the US, what are you using?

**Coconut Latte** · 10-26-2015, 07:16 AM

One seed mix I've been using is,brown tropical carnival gornet food...Only 12.5%protein though..found a vita-mix seed mix, actually a couple of brands but I put them in freezer bags 2 store in the freezer & threw the bags away ..I'd recognize them in the store but they had slightly higher protein 15%...the only picky hamster is my beloved sweet robo & i'm spoiling her...she gets one meal worm each night 4 added protein. I started feeding her this new seed mix food in the morning vs. the fattening seeds & she's just as happy with that. Still give her papaya treats though cause she's so cute lol...the other hammies were picky with their food at first too but I did use tough love & got them on the Oxbow or Pet-co pellets before they got their seeds...maybe I should do the same with the robo? I feel mean making her eat the Oxbow when she doesn't like it. Your right in this country all the seed mixes aren't that good unfortunately.

cypher · 10-26-2015, 07:34 AM

I can't remember what's in those mixes but just try to avoid anything with dried fruit or added sugars with the hybrids & Chinese, other than that don't remove anything from the mix & continue to top up the protein with the mealworms, you could give a little plain cooked chicken about once a week too.

**Coconut Latte** · 10-26-2015, 08:15 AM

That's gd 2 know about the dried fruit cause I hv an unopened rather large treat bag full of dried fruit & pumpkin seeds. I won't use those treats then...is it OK 2 give sugary yogurt drops on occasion or should I just avoid all sugary food altogether 4 the russians? The Chinese won't take any treats at all so that's not a problem. I don't really feed Zara & Xena sugary treats either cause I don't want them getting diabetes but Chloe, my oldest hamster whose one year b-day w/ me was yesterday got lots of sugary treats the 1st few months cause I didn't know any better. But is once in awhile ok or not worth it...the sugary treats? I'd be ok with disposing of all my sugary treats except the papaya treats 4 the robo ..the russians don't like the papaya treats 4 some reason?

**Coconut Latte** · 10-26-2015, 08:19 AM

Also, chicken...gd idea! Have some cold chicken left overs in fridge right now..I give them eggs sometimes 2. Should be interesting about the chicken?