Daisy is losing fur! Cushings? - Page 2

WinnieTheHam · 12-12-2015, 06:13 AM

As you probably know, Syrians are territorial. They mark their territory and spread their scent across to the cage which makes them know it's their home. Your cage is a good size, so it doesn't need cleaning once every two weeks in my opinion. I clean my cages out once a month and there's no need to use disinfectant or soap every time you clean it unless theres urine stains or faeces stuck to the cage. You only need to change half of the substrate also, not all of it. This is to retain their scent. If you clean out all the substrate and wipe down the whole cage you will be taking away all of their scent, which makes them scent mark much more and they will be rubbing up against things and this can cause hair loss.

Also, pet shop hamsters aren't of good quality like those from breeders. They could start losing hair due to age more early than those with good health and genetics from breeders.

Winston got diagnosed with Cushings when he was 8 months old. Though I don't believe their diagnosis because if he did have it then, he would most likely not be with me right now. Cushings usually deteriorates within 4 months (from what I've read on here of peoples experienced) Winston is 1 year 6 months old now and there's been minimal deterioration.

She could also be allergic to something in her food or her substrate which can cause hair loss. Though if you've been using the same substrate and food since you got her I highly doubt it.

What I've also found is, if you have a dusty substrate and have a long haired hamster, the dust can get trapped in the hairs and cause irritation which causes them to scratch and doing this a lot would cause the hairs to fall out.

I'm in the same situation as you, Winston has the same sort of hairs you're mentioning and his fur is thinning out, not completely balding. I need to take him to the vets to see what might be actually going on. It'd be best to go to an exotics vet because they usually know more about hamsters.

I don't think it will be a life threatening thing, so don't worry too much. I hope all goes well at the vets.

Hetty · 12-12-2015, 06:44 AM

Hi Winne, Daisy is a rescue hamster (like all my fluffs), from the vet I mentioned. He helps run the rescue centre here in Waterford. So I actually don't know where she comes from, nor her family. I have gotten rid of all the wood.
When I clean, I never disinfected the cage ( unless a hamster was ill, but then I'd buy a new one), I'd only scrub it with hot water and elbow grease if there was some stains or such.
Her food, bedding and substrate has been changed to different types this week: due to desperation and lack of access to the normal pet supply shop I go to.
On a note: her cubby house has just gone in since Monday.
Plus she has dragged her bed over to her corner by the wheel and has squidged herself behind there. I have notice her squeezing herself behind her wheel.....maybe with her aging skin and fragile fur she could be rubbing.
But anyway: to the VETS!

WinnieTheHam · 12-12-2015, 07:30 AM

I'm quite sure she's originally from a pet shop. If someone had a hamster from a reputable breeder and needed to get rid of the hamster the breeder would take the hamster back and definitely wouldn't let the hamster go to a rescue.

Best of luck at the vets

Hetty · 12-12-2015, 06:02 PM

Okay, here's a picture of Daisy this evening. The vet was good, but not so good? If you get my drift? He said she could be rubbing of something or something has made her irritated: hence the ''barbered'' look to her fur. Took a quick look at her skin, said was not mites, but didn't take a scrapping?
But said she was happy and healthy other-wise. So?
I have got her old food, bedding and substrate today. Took out all the wood and took out her cabin. Filled her habitat with soft things and moved her wheel out more so she can move more freely behind it to her nibble stash ( rather then squishing). Fingers crossed her fur heals!!
Here's a piture of her balding side. You cant see the extent down her leg (it looks like a chunky chicken leg) and the little umbrella of fur about her upper ankle.

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PS: Her fur gets greasy when we handle her. She is in heat this evening, so was particularly loving and wanted ATTENTION!!! So she got it and is subsequently a greasy creature after my rubbing and petting

WinnieTheHam · 12-13-2015, 03:48 AM

That's odd, I find these days you have to ask for things otherwise vets won't do it (same with doctors!)

The place where she is balding would be a hard area to scratch, so she's definitely rubbing against things. The grease is from her scent glands, sometimes that can happen when they feel they need to scent a lot. For example, I looked after a friends hamster for a couple of days and my female felt uneasy about the smell so she started to mark her territory a lot which ended up in greasy fur near the hips.

I'd definitely leave her cage the way it is unless you really need to change it. Also, I'd clean out very little of her cage. When I clean my cages I usually just clean the wee area and scoop up the poops. I never get rid of all the substrate. It'd be best if you didn't wipe down the cage either. This will hopefully stop her from scent marking so much.

How long have you had her for?

Hetty · 12-13-2015, 05:39 AM

Hi Winne, yeah it was frustrating: it was deluge raining, and she was upset about being popped in her travel cage at such an ungodly hamster hour. The vet was not my usual (Tadhg). A youngish vet lad. I did ask for a skin scrapping! But he was adamant it wasn't mites: said her skin was lovely, pink and soft, no irritation.
I've had her for a year and 5 months, she was apparently 5/6 weeks old when I adopted her (the mom was not in the box that had been plonked on the vets front desk). She was kept with her siblings in the vets til she was 8 weeks old. Then home to me.
I've had two other hamsters, both long haired ( Lola and Basil) and a plethora of guinea pigs.
I've never seen this fur balding with the other fluffs. Basil live to about 3 years (2.9 to be exact), and he was fine and healthy until the last week of life when been old caught up with him. Lola lived to 1.5 years but unfortunately passed away due to cancerous growth in her belly. Both lived in Barneys and has this kiln dried wood.
But I have seen the one the piggies get something similar: it turned out he was rubbing off the hutch exit door, the other boars would crowd out the door en-masse in the mornings and push him up against it. Got a bald patch.