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Old 09-16-2017, 01:52 PM   #1
Aimeehammy
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Default Is my hamster ill? please help

Hello, i cant get to the vets until tomorrow but i was just doing my monthly health check ( which i will now be doing weekly as i realise this is too long to go before the next check) and noticed my syrian hamster is sort of losing her around her back on the sides, but the fur that is there feels clumped together as if it got sticky and stuck together , does this make sense? ive tried taking photos but she will not stay still long enough.. has anyone had an experience with this or know what it could be? ive checked for mites and what not and she has no black dots (shes a white syrian so easy for me to see) shes around one and a half years so i know this could be of old age but ive never seen fur sticking together? shes eating and drinking as normal and still runs about her cage and wheel.. anyone have any idea? Thankyou

Edit: i have seen her everyday apart from last few days as ive been in college and have never seen her fur like this before im not sure if ive only just noticed due to the health check or whether its happened during the few days
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Old 09-16-2017, 08:10 PM   #2
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

Pics would help so I can't really say without seeing. But, the main thing is you've got her an appointment at the vet and he/she will be able to give her a good examination and give his/her advice and what to do.
I hope you're little one is OK, please let us know how it goes at the vet.
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Old 09-17-2017, 12:48 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

It is hard to tell without photos, do you mean the area around the scent glands? That can sometimes get very wet & greasy looking so it could possibly be something like that but if there is actual fur loss then best get her checked out by your vet & see what they say.
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Old 09-17-2017, 02:44 AM   #4
Aimeehammy
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
It is hard to tell without photos, do you mean the area around the scent glands? That can sometimes get very wet & greasy looking so it could possibly be something like that but if there is actual fur loss then best get her checked out by your vet & see what they say.
yes its around the scent glands but its more stuck together and clumped than greasy id say

& Vets have said as its not an emergancy i will have to wait for an appointment later this week.
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Old 09-17-2017, 02:56 AM   #5
dreamtree1234
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

As the others have said, unfortunately it is difficult to say what is the cause without pics. I do understand that our squirmy hams don't always make it easy to do so, though. I'm sorry you weren't able to make an appointment with the vet sooner; I hope that it will go well next week and you will be able to know for sure what is causing the stickiness and fur loss on your darling ham. I sure hope she is alright and will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated on how she is doing if you get the opportunity.
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Old 09-17-2017, 08:14 AM   #6
GhostsInSnow
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

I definitely agree that it's hard to know without pics. Over-scenting can sometimes lead to the fur getting a bit yuk, equally if there's a slight infection there it could cause the sticky greasy fur too. Fur loss can literally be a ton of different things from allergies, to mites (which I know you've ruled out), to age, to just rubbing around toys a bit vigorously.
In response to what you said on your other thread about this making you feel like a bad owner, please don't feel that way.
Sometimes things can be caught early, however, it's impossible to keep your hammy 100% healthy 100% of the time. Genetics plays a huge role in their health too plus, they're prey animals and have an annoying habit of hiding very well that they're under the weather.
noticed and made a vet appointment (which I hope has gone well by the way?) which makes you a brilliant owner. Sadly, too many people (thankfully rarely people on this forum) decide to not bother with vets because "it's just a hamster". I hate that phrase and I hate it when people think like that. You're doing the absolute best for your little one so definitely don't feel bad, you're doing great xx
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Old 09-23-2017, 12:37 PM   #7
Aimeehammy
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Default Re: Is my hamster ill? please help

Thankyou all! Just a quick update i have been to the vets and they told me to check her tunnels and what not to see is she had been using them for her loo so i checked her cage and found a small tunnel she had burried that i had forgotten about as she had hidden it and yep she was using it for her toilet therefore was making her fur sticky ����
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