Old hammy skin problem

kaylah6 · 03-14-2017, 01:35 PM

Hi all
I've had my bollo a little over 2 years now so he is in his golden years. I took him to the vets about a month ago as I noticed he was drinking a lot more than usual, thinking it was kidney problems. We found out he has a tumour on his tummy, so now I'm making his time left comfortable and happy. He doesn't seem in any pain, is walking fine and still runs around in his ball (after his 14 hour sleep of course!) anyways I know in old age hamsters lose the serum in their skin and he has been getting a bit thin on hair for quite sometime so I can see it looks dry. I've noticed in the past week just behind his ear is a lot of dry skin, almost like a patch of psoriasis as it's quite thick and raised. I tried to take a picture but it's too blurred. It's not yellow so I'm ruling out mites. Any ideas?

Drago · 03-14-2017, 02:23 PM

A picture, even if it's blurry would really be helpful! Do you have a sandbath in your cage? Hamsters, quite like humans, can get dry skin for a variety of different reasons. However if you mention that it is like psoriasis, I wouldn't think dry skin to be the most likely cause. To me, it sounds like it's possible it could be an ammonia burn. These are often raised, red, swollen, crusty yellow patches on hamsters which are caused by irritation to the skin from ammonia. Overall pictures would really help us to determine more! Hope all is well with him

cypher · 03-14-2017, 10:25 PM

Thinning hair & drier skin is common in older hamsters & Bollo is a good age now, not sure without a photo if there is something more than that going on behind his ears but the best thing to help improve skin & coat condition overall is some extra flax seeds (linseed) a drop of evening primrose oil on food (some like it enough to lick it off a spoon) & brewers yeast, either crushed tablets or flakes (sold a human food supplement).

kaylah6 · 03-14-2017, 11:40 PM

Thanks for your replies 😊 I've attatched a pic, not a good one though. I'm
Not sure about the ammonia burn I googled pics of them and it doesn't look as bad as that, though it could be a minor version. I've noticed he itches it quite a lot too. Well I've noticed over little scaratches and scabs which have cleared up over the months where I've presumed because of his dry skin he's just caught it itching or washing but they gone as quickly as they've came. No he doesn't have a sand bath either. I'll try the evening primrose too

cypher · 03-15-2017, 01:07 AM

I can't see anything in the photo really, I would think ammonia burns which they can get from sleeping in a wet nest would be unlikely just behind the ears as it's usually where they lie.
I would try the flax with the epo preferably with the brewers yeast too as although epo can work wonders on it's own it is better to be sure he gets all the extra nutrients he may need now & flax is important too.

Pebbles82 · 03-15-2017, 02:19 AM

It is just part of the ageing process I think. Cypher's advice is good. I bought flax seeds and evening primrose oil when our hammy got elderly too. I believe some people have found Aloe Vera gel is helpful to put on sore itchy skin as well. It doesn't sting, is soothing and is ok if licked off

Holland and Barrett sell an organic one.

If he is showing any signs of pain or discomfort though, it might be better to take him to the vets and see if he can have some Metacam (anti-inflammatory type pain relief) as it's hard to tell when they are in pain sometimes. This could help keep him comfortable in his golden years. And it's best to maybe start with it before he declines any further and a vet trip is a bit too stressful.

kaylah6 · 03-25-2017, 05:09 PM

Thanks for all your replies. I've started giving him flaxseeds and need to get some aloe. I've further worries now though. When I've got him out tonight he feels really cold and is constantly clicking? He's active and isn't bunched over I'm just worried it may be respitory? Or whether he's just reaching the end? Any suggestions? I won't be able to take him to a vet until Monday now and even then I'm not sure what they'll really be able to do for him since he's past the two year mark. I don't want to further stress him out but he's at that point where one thing happens and everything starts to deteriorate 😞

Drago · 03-25-2017, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaylah6

Thanks for all your replies. I've started giving him flaxseeds and need to get some aloe. I've further worries now though. When I've got him out tonight he feels really cold and is constantly clicking? He's active and isn't bunched over I'm just worried it may be respitory? Or whether he's just reaching the end? Any suggestions? I won't be able to take him to a vet until Monday now and even then I'm not sure what they'll really be able to do for him since he's past the two year mark. I don't want to further stress him out but he's at that point where one thing happens and everything starts to deteriorate 😞

I'm sorry to hear he's not feeling well

I would monitor him closely, keep his bedding dry and make sure it's not too dusty. A vet trip would really be the best thing for him. Two years is pretty old, but it doesn't mean that he can't recover! Hope he feels better soon

cypher · 03-25-2017, 09:58 PM

Sorry to hear this, it does sound as though he may be reaching the end now but he could still rally round, keep him warm & make sure he has everything within easy reach & see how he goes till Monday, you really can't do much more than that right now.

kaylah6 · 03-26-2017, 10:44 PM

I don't know whether to take him today or not

no change since Saturday night. He's still running around in his ball but he's still so cold and making that clicking/sniffing noises. I worried this will be too stressful for him and that the vet will just say make sure he's comfortable for his last days or week. I don't have a great deal of money this month either :/