Dandruff, mites or something else?

[Paget]

Hello, im new here and I recently rescued a dwarf hamster from the adoption section at pets at home. I sexed him myself and discovered he is a male. Im yet to rename him

My issue is he has hair loss and white flakes on patches of his bck. He is overweight (PAH suggested a diet). But im unsure if its mites or dandruff. Either way i was hoping to get some answers on how to treat it? Maybe he just can’t reach it to groom due to his size.
Please find photo attached:

[cypher]

Welcome to HC & congrats on your new ham.

Hamsters don't get dandruff & mites tend to be first apparent around the face & ears, this looks as though your ham may have been rubbing against something possibly, maybe a wheel or a tube that's too small.
Dry skin patches can also be a sign of some nutrient deficiency so making sure he has a good diet is important.

Do you know how much he weighs yet? He doesn't really look overweight as far as I can tell from that photo, hams rarely overeat & if they do put on too much weight it's more likely to be from lack of exercise so a good size wheel (at least 8") that runs smoothly & easily, plenty of enrichment in the cage to keep him busy & out of cage time when he's ready should solve that problem if he is a little too heavy.
Hamsters must always have adequate food available plus a hoard which he will make somewhere so don't be tempted to put him on a diet & cut back on his mix, do avoid too many treats though.
What are you feeding him? A good dwarf specific diet like Burgess dwarf hamster harvest or Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert is important, they are prone to diabetes so avoid anything with sugar or honey & only rarely if ever feed fruit, fresh veg are a good addition, starting every few days then building up to daily.
It's also important to provide a sand bath with chinchilla sand (tiny friends farm brand is best) that's big enough & deep enough for them to roll & dig in, that helps keep their skin & fur in good condition & also provides enrichment as they love it!

[alpacassei]

It looks similar to my Stephano’s allergic reaction to wood shavings. If his condition doesnt improve, try switching him over to carefresh or fitch and see if there’s any improvements.

Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest and Harry Hamster are the best commercial mixes available, don’t restrict is diet especially since he’s in a new environment and possibly also sick, it will cause stress nd possibly worsen his overall condition. He’ll lose weight just being on better food and in a larger cage with a wheel, tyos and space to run and burrow.