Allergic to Carefresh?

[Snowbuckets]

Hi!

I adopted my first ham a couple of weeks ago now, she's settling in wonderfully, but she's developing a bald patch on her tum right by her hind leg (would attach pics but she is so wiggly!) everything else is totally fine, zooming around the place (possibly scratching a little? Not sure)

The only thing I can think of that's causing it is a change in bedding, from the Pets At Home generic shavings they had in the adoption tanks, to Carefresh natural

I'm gonna change her out to a paper bedding asap just in case, but I was wondering if anyone else had hams that developed an allergy to Carefresh? I thought it was supposed to be the safest one!!

Also - the pets at home woodshavings is unmarked, does anyone use it? Is it safe for our tiny babies?

I'm taking her to the vet of course, just to ease my own mind

(also - she wasn't up for adoption for any health reasons meaning they couldn't sell her, she was fighting with her sister real bad, I guess they got too old to be together)

[AmityvilleHams]

I'd just switch to Fitch It's dust free,and won't cause an allergic reaction(wood can,Carefresh wouldn't but the dust levels can be too high if not aired out properly before using).If there's something in the cage that could potentially cause irritation if climbed on,that might be the actual cause.

I'd still use Fitch though,it's far more cost effective than Carefresh and you don't have to air it out.There's no worry about allergic reactions as with wood(can happen over time regardless of the type of wood,and unfortunately allergies develop over time rather than happening immediately).Wood also isn't the best for burrowing,whereas Fitch is excellent for burrowing!

https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...-delivery.html

Just make sure to buy it in the 10kg bale or 20kg(20kg is best due to the cost effectiveness)otherwise you'll end up spending quite a bit of money(1kg aka one tenth the amount of the 10kg costs a third the price of the 10kg bale).

[Snowbuckets]

So there's nothing in Carefresh that could be setting her off? When I first made up her cage I got a rash on my arm from it, but I'm crazy sensitive to just about everything

I've popped her on some torn up toilet paper type stuff for now (much to her disapproval, she hates being in her travel cage whilst I'm cleaning!) and the vets appointment is Tuesday, they said it could be mites but I have no idea how she could have gotten them!

I just want my tiny child to be ok

It's impossible for her to be allergic to fitch, right? Before I pay for a big bale + store it etc

[AmityvilleHams]

If it were contaminated in some way the Carefresh could cause problems,but without any contaminants it wouldn't likely cause such a reaction.Fitch allergies would be impossible

What do you clean with?Standard "pet safe" disinfectants are often not truly safe for any species especially hamsters A good example of a high quality natural cleaner would be Pure Ayre,which luckily can be purchased through the official store and shipped internationally(with applicable shipping charges).This would only be for serious cleaning purposes though,as despite being fairly gentle plain water is all that should be used for regular cleanings(keep these to a minimum,it's very easy to overdo cleaning,full cleanings can be done anywhere from every 6 months to every year if not less for larger cages such as square meter cages).

Buy Online - PureAyre, the only natural food grade odor eliminator.

Another cleaner option would be a vinegar and water mix,falling somewhere in between plain water and a high quality natural cleaner.For any cleaner there should be no harsh or toxic ingredients(such as propylene glycol,ethylene glycol,alcohol/ethanol/isopropyl type substances/etc),nothing artificial in terms of fragrance or dye or flavor if that's somehow in there,and of course nothing harmful to hamsters.If the cleaner would be used with dogs,cats,and other carnivores avoid corn based ingredients as well

There are lots of things to keep in mind for overall good health with hamsters,especially a good diet(sadly Harry Hamster is not the best anymore,Burgess' regular hamster harvest would be a better choice at this point,as HH has hidden artificial dyes)and keeping every product used with the hamster safe.This would mean no vague biproducts(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal,biproduct meal,etc),none of the previously mentioned propylene glycol,no sulfur dioxide,no artificial dyes,no artificial flavors,no "E&C approved" preservatives/antioxidants which can be BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin which are known to cause cancer,nothing from China,no artificial sugars or processed sweeteners(such as maltodextrin,dextrose,sorbitol,fructose,etc)and nothing irradiated.Things shared with dogs and cats should never have corn/wheat/relatives of or products of corn or wheat.It can be very confusing to see all that at once,but I try and get such important information in whenever possible(sorry if you already know some of this!).

The torn up toilet paper is great for now,hopefully the poor girl feels better soon!It can be very frustrating when things go badly,both for hamsters and owners

[velma]

I use either carefresh or the pets at home wood shavings & my hams have always been fine. I'd like to try Fitch but I've yet to get round to it because of storage & I personally find it more convenient to be able to pick up my pet supplies from the store near me. I've luckily never had a ham with allergies so I have no direct experience with that but I don't remember reading about many members having allergy problems with carefresh. Reading your post though, you say your ham has developed the problem in just one area? I'd have thought that if it was an allergy that they might have been itchy all over so to have a problem in a specific area might indicate something else? Mites could be the problem as your vet suggests or could your ham have caught himself on something in his cage? A scratch from something a little sharp - a rough bit of a bendy bridge or something like that - might not have shown up hugely but may have been itchy while healing & made him scratch. Without a picture it's even harder to tell but a trip to the vet is the best thing as they can tell much better what it's likely to be & prescribe something appropriate. Hope you get on alright at your vet appointment.

[Pebbles82]

I have heard that some hamsters can be allergic to Carefresh - I'm not sure how or why - it is wood pulp. It can be quite dusty - it could have mould spores if a bit damp or not been stored in dry conditions (as could any bedding). I think the main difference between Carefresh (wood pulp) and paper bedding like Fitch is that wood pulp goes through a lot more chemical processes to become wood pulp. Fitch is non allergenic basically. It is recycled food grade paper. I suppose it's possible your hamster could be sensitive to some slight chemical residue.

I would change the bedding anyway then you have ruled that out. Hammies love Fitch anyway as it's soft and they can add it to their nest as well as burrow in it. It is also dust free.

Did your vet do a skin scraping when they thought it might be mites? That is the way to diagnose for sure. It is possible it could be mites. How she would get them is more a case of - hamsters naturally have tiny mites living on them. The only problem is if there is a proliferation leading to an infestation. That can be caused by a low immune system - or extreme stress. And stress can cause a low immune system. If she had been in fights with her sister that would have been stressful, as would a change of environment and separation from her sister. But most hamsters adjust to a new home fine without getting mites.

It could also be wheel rub if it's just one side. What kind of wheel does she have?

I think I would want a definite diagnosis of mites before using anything on them as the treatment is quite strong. Some vets just assume it's mites and prescribe treatment. If your vet hasn't done a skin scraping I would consider looking around for a vet that is experienced with hamsters - usually exotic vets are, and get another opinion.

[Snowbuckets]

Thank you for all your help guys!

It is on one side, her wheel is the Pets at home brand Silent Spinner (and she uses it a LOT, they diddnt have one in her cage at the store)
The disinfectant I use is the Pets at home clean n safe, and yes the Vet assistant said about doing a skin scraping

When I cleaned her out last might the carefresh was soooo dusty, I was sneezing constantly

Guess I'll be ordering some fitch then! Thanks everyone

[AmityvilleHams]

Personally, I'd definitely stop using that disinfectant, I think it's certainly not helping the situation and could be harmful(it's quite far from natural at the very least with a vague ingredients list at best,nowhere near the desired quality of cleaner). In my opinion, Disinfectants are,in almost all cases,far too powerful and just not necessary especially the unnatural type(different natural cleaners however are known to work on serious diseases and such without the harmful effects of typical harsh cleaners!).

On the note of wheels,Silent Spinner style wheels are best avoided(including the off brand ones).The sizes on the P@H ones are too small for Syrians regardless!The design itself is known in other pet communities(such as with hedgehogs)to be a serious safety risk,as it comes apart and can have gaps allowing toe injuries and such.

Silent Runner wheels are the best on the market so far,in safety and quality.They last much longer than most wheels and unlike some wheels they won't stop being silent!No other wheel at this point has had all the safety features and the quality that the Silent Spinner has,so while it is an investment item it is one of the things I wouldn't advise trying to go cheap on.

Silent Runner 12 Inch

Currently they're out of stock but waiting is worth it.

[velma]

Amity, I think Snowbuckets' ham is a dwarfie. So the 6" spinner should be fine. I use the p@h one myself for my Chinesey. I don't like the plastic stand so swapped that for a metal one as I have tanks and therefore nowhere to attach it to. I've not had any problems with it.

[Pebbles82]

Yes sounds like changing the bedding would be the way to go and rule that out. I agree about avoiding the disinfectant. You don't actually need to disinfect the cage unless there has been illness or disease. I just use a warm damp cloth on the cage base. Too much cleaning can really cause them stress, plus it's possible to be allergic to the pet disinfectant (they can also smell very strong to hamsters who have a much stronger sense of smell than us, which can also cause them stress.

On the rare occasion I've needed to use a pet disinfectant I've used the Johnson's one. If your hammy does turn out to have mites you would need to use a disinfectant, so just rinse really well afterwards to remove most of the scent.

I am not a dwarf hamster expert and understand their toilet habits are a bit different from Syrians, but even so, if you have a good thick layer of substrate (5 or 6 inches) and a sand bath and/or potty litter tray with sand, the cage should stay clean mostly, so you can just spot clean mostly and only need to do a big clean every 6 to 8 weeks or even longer. Even then, I only change half the substrate, mixing the new in with the old dry half, so it still smells a bit familiar. And don't clean everything at the same time. So substrate one week, wheel another week, toys - as and when (I find toys often don't need cleaning often at all).

I'm sure she will love some Fitch. When do you get the results of the skin scraping?