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View Poll Results: Is this bald spot severe, moderate, mild, or nothing to worry about?
Is this bald spot mild? 0 0%
Is it severe? 0 0%
Is it moderate maybe? 2 20.00%
Is there nothing to worry about? 1 10.00%
Does she have to see a vet? 7 70.00%
Voters: 10. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-09-2015, 03:44 PM   #41
hammy2
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scargirl View Post
A what? If you mean like a needle or something like that then she has never had that. If you mean like a fungus growing near or in her cage than that is no also.
I think they May mean this...

Ringworm Infection in Hamsters

But unless examined by a vet nobody can play guessing games as to why your hamster is going bald
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Old 12-09-2015, 04:24 PM   #42
Scargirl
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

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Originally Posted by hammy2 View Post
I think they May mean this...

Ringworm Infection in Hamsters

But unless examined by a vet nobody can play guessing games as to why your hamster is going bald
Thanks, but she has no blad patches on her face. Her skin is not crusty or flaky.The bald patches' skin is not red or reddish. She isn't itching and scratching more than usual either. Just her usual grooming and occasional scratch on the ear or something like that. And she doesn't scratch that much. She used to but that has cleared up over a week ago. It was just due to the dusty bedding. Pine, I think.

I got felt better on the 7th but waited for 2 days just in case because I can't really tell if I still have the cold, or if it is just from my allergies but now I am sure it is just my allergies as I am not tired or have a stuffy nose anymore. So anyway, what I was trying to say, is that I checked her this morning and that is when I found the other bald patch. On the oppisite side. It is the part of the fur that is close to the wheel when she runs. Just in case you think this is the culprit, I have removed the cardboard. BTW, she is using a comfort wheel

I gave her a bigger hideout, as everyone suggested, and now she has made her nest in that. She is acting completely normal. I made her a cardboard hideout myself. Should I check everything in the cage tonight for sharp edges and tufts of fur she might have lost?
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Old 12-12-2015, 10:56 PM   #43
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

This may seem so simple But to rule out her rubbing her sides on the wheel could you remove it for just a couple days(The more the better as it takes at least 5 days for new fur to start growing) and see if the fur starts coming back in? MOST hamsters will run in whatever direction they enter the wheel on but often favor one side to the next.

IF the first bald side was being irritated while running she may for comfort switch sides and thus a new bald spot on the other side which was not there a few days ago. Hamsters love wheeling so much she may be accepting discomfort so she can still wheel.

Removing her wheel just long enough to see if the fur starts to grow back shouldn't harm her especially if you give her more out of cage time in the tub or a secure area where she can run about and exercise other then a wheel or a ball. Just food for thought.
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Old 12-13-2015, 02:37 PM   #44
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Thanks. So just remove her wheel for about a week, maybe?
And yeah. She does run in pretty much any direction. I watch her and she runs one direction then gets out to eat and drink a little then runs in the other direction. So maybe that IS the problem. I hope that's the only problem. I would like to check her fur again BUT I am sick again. It seems like there are a lot of bugs going around this time of year.
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Old 12-13-2015, 08:31 PM   #45
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Might not be it but if it is you will see fur coming in at around 3-5 days. Unless you have a way to let her have exercise daily that equals the amount she would have running on the wheel I would keep it out only long enough to see if the hair starts growing back.

Of course if it turns out that the wheel is the culprit you'll have to find a different kind of wheel for her.
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Old 12-13-2015, 08:56 PM   #46
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Okay. So what kind of way would you suggest? She has an exercise ball, no playpen.... What do you suggest?
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Old 12-14-2015, 05:51 AM   #47
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

I would say, from what Nancy says, there are a couple of options. You could either take the wheel out for 3 to 5 days and let her run in the exercise ball each evening. But - I seem to remember you had some issues with the ball (falling apart or something). Also I think this would stress her a bit having her wheel taken away.

The other option is change the wheel. Although this means spending money it is probably worth it and on top of that you would have a quiet wheel . I have a question though. How big is Scarlet - approximate length - and do you know what she weighs? If she is particularly large then that would help decide a) if it is the wheel and b) which wheel to replace it with. For example Charlie is quite a big Syrian and I thought some of the wheels like the Wodent wheel, might cause rubbing on the side as they are only 7cm deep and he is big. He was also a bit long for the 27cm wodent wheel so I got him the bigger 30cm Wobust wheel - which is really deep - overkill really - but there is no way he can rub his sides in that and he can run with a straight back. He loves it.

It's difficult making these decisions when they involve money. There are plenty of people use comfort wheels with no issue, but if you have a large Syrian or she just happens to run funny, it could be to do with the wheel.

If you had a vet check you could rule out mites and the vet would give an idea of what other causes it might be. This would also cost money but might save on buying another wheel if it proves unnnecessary. If it is that she needs a bigger deeper wheel, the Wobust wheel probably wouldn't fit in your cage (or if it did it would take up an awful lot of the cage!).

A vet check would tell you what is what but I know you are concerned about the cost.

There's another thread I found with a similar issue, so I've linked it. Fur loss can be mites, or bedding allergy, or hormones, or old age. If she had mites she'd probably be scratching a lot. You've already changed her bedding (not sure what you are using now, sorry, but they can be allergic to any type of wood bedding, or hemp but paper bedding or Carefresh is hypoallergenic I think). If she had an allergy she'd probably be scratching too and possibly have other symptoms.

That leaves old age, hormones, over grooming scent glands, rubbing on the wheel or some illness. If she seems well and is eating and drinking ok, maybe just observe her for now and not worry too much. Do you know how old she is?

I wouldn't want to say try another wheel without knowing more, personally. Unless you have the cash and want a better wheel! But if you want to ask someone to get you one for Christmas I'd say either the 27cm Wodent Wheel or the California Storm wheel would be good. Both good wheels and quiet. Depending on how big she is - the california wheel has a running track of 10.5cm diameter, the Wodent is 11cm but not so deep. Height might be an issue in the cage. As long as your cage has an internal height of more than 32cm the 27cm wodent wheel would fit. The California Storm wheel has adjustable height but the lowest setting is 11.5 inches, which is just under 30cm.

Here's the link to them

The Carolina Storm Wheel - * * * * * * * * Carolina Storm Hedgehogs

Here's the other link

Bald patch
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Old 12-14-2015, 01:21 PM   #48
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Post Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Thanks. Let me give you some info about her and the places that carry hamster stuff (that I know of)

The only place that I know of that carries hamster stuff has very few selections. I haven't looked that much but it seems like they only have comfort wheels and silent spinners. They are right there, so that means I can spin them to test them out. I think that is all they have.

There is a new pet shop in town that I haven't been to. At least not yet It is like a pet shop like I got her in. I even think that it is just that pet shop that we got Scarlet from. I don't want to go in there yet because I am afraid that, if I do, there will be some cute hammies that I will have to adopt and my mother and father won't let me have more than one ham

Her previous substrate was pine/cedar. I changed it because everyone said it was bad because it was dusty. The bedding she currently has is aspen. I was thinking, since some people said that they can have allergies to any wood shavings, that once there is not much aspen left, I will start mixing in newspaper, either run through a shredder or tore by hand, so she will get used to it then when I run out it will go completely to newspaper.

I don't know how much she weighs. But she fills up a 9 year olds hand. I will have to get the measurement, when I get better of course, of how long she is. I can't get anything bigger than 10 inches. Her cage is only 12 inches high! So 10 inch is the biggest I can go. 11 would be way too big for her cage. If I do that, I will have to get her a smaller hideout or be very creative to find a way to make all that stuff fit in!

I am thinking of making a 2nd story out of popsicle sticks and a hot glue gun so I could put her house under it. I kind of like that idea.
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Old 12-14-2015, 06:54 PM   #49
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

She might be ok with an 8" Wodent wheel if she's not a particularly big hamster. The best way to get an idea of her size is to weigh her really. If you get chance you could take some weighing scales near to her cage and pop her on them.

I think you can only get wodent wheels online, but it might be a nice christmas present
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Old 12-14-2015, 09:12 PM   #50
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Default Re: IMPORTANT!!! Bald spot on Hammy's leg!!!!!

Yeah. That's good because she has about 8 1/2 inch wheel right now. Is it okay to just take her wheel out like Nancy says? I really don't want to spend the money on a new wheel when I don't even know if that is the problem. I can't ask for a hamster wheel because my mom and dad have no idea how big of a wheel to get or what kind of wheel to get. Besides, if I asked my mom or dad for something for my hamster for Christmas, they'd think I'm crazy. And no, I can't just tell them what to get because I haven't seen all the wheels they have myself. They could have wodent wheels or the wooden wheels and I don't know. My parents don't like me to spend much time in pet shops. I'm pretty much the only one in the household that knows at least something about hamster care. And since her ball falls apart, then I just put a couple pieces of scotch tape. Lol No wonder it was so cheap! Only like 7 or 8 dollars for an 8 inch ball!
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