Thinning fur?

AprilPearl · 04-23-2017, 01:28 PM

Hi, me again with yet another question (sorry!).

I've noticed that the fur on Mushu's face (on his cheeks just under his eyes and around his nose) is quite sparse, so that you can see the skin underneath.

Looking at pictures from when I first got him home, I THINK he has always been like this.

He is only 12 weeks old, so it is not hair loss due to old age.

He is a satin, so his hair is naturally quite fine. I was wondering if this is perhaps common for satins?

He is not showing any other symptoms of illness or stress and I feed him flax seeds for his fur.

Do you think this looks normal for a satin?

Drago · 04-23-2017, 04:22 PM

I wouldn't really worry yourself over it. Hamster's coats change throughout their lives (and even throughout the year). As long as he's healthy and it's not sudden/extensive fur loss, then there's really no need to stress over it

chesca_27 · 04-23-2017, 04:25 PM

Not too sure on the fur thinning, but he is a very handsome little ham!

Flaxseed should help with the fur though, but it make take a few weeks to actually see results. I've heard too much protein can cause fur loss/thinning. For a growing ham, 19% protein is perfect, but 18% is better for older hamsters, over 6 months. I have heard of evening primrose oil being used to help with fur, but I'm not 100% sure on quantities.

AprilPearl · 04-23-2017, 10:07 PM

Thank you both. As I said, I am 99.9% sure his face has always looked this way, so I don't think he has actually lost any fur since coming home. I took his photo shortly after he came home, and you can see the the skin showing through on his face. It is slightly less evident due to lighting, angle and quality of the camera, though.

I heard that too little protein could cause hair loss. I guess I need to be really careful not to feed him either too much or too little.

Will look into getting the primrose oil.

AprilPearl · 04-23-2017, 10:44 PM

Just checking, would this primrose oil be safe?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00...s=primrose+oil

Quantity wise, I am guessing one drop per day?

And it won’t hurt him if his face fur is just naturally thin, as I suspect it is?

Drago · 04-24-2017, 03:44 AM

That one would be safe

Protein is certainly a tricky thing, too little and too much causes fur loss so you've got to find the happy medium! How old is Mushu again?

AprilPearl · 04-24-2017, 04:05 AM

Drago, Mushu is 12 weeks old. I have been doing some research online and it sounds as though many long haired satin coats have sparse fur on the face. And I am now sure Mushu's face has always been this way since I got him, so I do not think it is a fur loss problem. More likely that's simply the way he is. However, a bit of primrose oil can't hurt just to be on the safe side!

snow pony · 04-24-2017, 04:07 AM

My hamster lost nearly all the fur on his belly, and I started washing the fur with a damp cloth once a day (as I know bathing hamsters is dangerous), and his fur has all grown back. I don't know what caused it, but it may just be something like that and it will come back.

AprilPearl · 04-24-2017, 04:29 AM

Thanks Snow Pony. Thing is, since Mushu's fur has always been like this, I don't think it can strictly speaking grow "back" seeing as it was never thicker in the first place. But perhaps something similar will happen, who knows.

cypher · 04-24-2017, 04:51 AM

I would imagine that's just the way he is naturally April so I wouldn't recommend supplementing his diet with things he doesn't need tbh.
EPO & flax are fine for skin/coat problems but if there isn't a problem then I wouldn't try to fix it

He should be getting all he needs in his diet & it's easy to have too much of a good thing.