Itchy dwarf... too itchy?

[Noodelle]

Hello,

This is Duke, my first ever hamster. He’s a Russian dwarf.

I may be just being a paranoid new mum, but he does seem to be scratching quite a bit. I know hamsters do spend a lot of time grooming themselves, but I thought I’d ask your opinions on whether he may need mite treatment.
He doesn’t always scratch like this, but he seems to get a bit fixated on it when he does. I can’t see any scaly, dry or flaky skin.

https://youtu.be/83RFwkmUJLw

What do we think?

Thanks in advance xxx

(Btw This isn't his cage, it’s his cardboard maze cos the lighting was good!)

[cypher]

It does look like he's grooming & scratching quite a lot but they do sometimes groom quite intensely like that.
What substrate, sand & food are you using? Just wondering if it could be an allergy or deficiency problem.
It is possible he could have mites although that isn't as common as you may think & it is important to get confirmation from a vet before treating, don't just treat without seeing a vet as the treatment is toxic if not used carefully & only when really needed.

[Noodelle]

Originally Posted by cypher

It does look like he's grooming & scratching quite a lot but they do sometimes groom quite intensely like that.
What substrate, sand & food are you using? Just wondering if it could be an allergy or deficiency problem.
It is possible he could have mites although that isn't as common as you may think & it is important to get confirmation from a vet before treating, don't just treat without seeing a vet as the treatment is toxic if not used carefully & only when really needed.

I use carefresh bedding and a dig section with a mixture of carefresh and coconut chips and fibres, chinchilla sand and then some toilet paper that he doesn’t use now (he burrows in his dig section and nests in there at night) then I feed him Harry hamster mix making sure to get the seeds at the bottom and some mealworms, a small amount of varied fresh fruit or veg daily... ooh okay that’s good to know!

[Noodelle]

^full stop after fibres haha! The sand isn’t mixed into his dig section

[cypher]

Carefresh isn't the best substrate & can cause problems with some hams so it may be worth trying something else to see if that helps, Kaytee clean & cosy is a really good soft, virtually dust free substrate that would probably be a lot better for him.
It might be an idea to remove the coconut fibre/chips for now too & see if that helps.
It's nice to give lots of variety but he can dig & burrow in the substate without really needing anything else.
Harry Hamster isn't ideal for a dwarf hamster, if he eats all of it he should be getting all the nutrients he needs but he may do better on a dwarf specific diet, unfortunately there aren't any in the UK but Rodipet do a good mix & delivery isn't too expensive. You could buy a few bags & keep them in the freezer to save delivery if you want to give that a go.

[Ria P]

Both my dwarfs groom and scratch like your Duke. They have Kaytee c&c bedding and eat Rodipet Hybrid mix plus mealworms, linseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and fresh food with cucumber being their favourite. They have a variety of millet sprays and herbs and grasses to nibble plus a Whimzee of course.
They have a lovely thick coat and both are lively hamsters. Their grooming and scratching i've always seen as normal and a hamstery thing to do.

If they would ever scratch themselves sore i would worry and get them checked out of course.

[Noodelle]

Originally Posted by cypher

Carefresh isn't the best substrate & can cause problems with some hams so it may be worth trying something else to see if that helps, Kaytee clean & cosy is a really good soft, virtually dust free substrate that would probably be a lot better for him.
It might be an idea to remove the coconut fibre/chips for now too & see if that helps.
It's nice to give lots of variety but he can dig & burrow in the substate without really needing anything else.
Harry Hamster isn't ideal for a dwarf hamster, if he eats all of it he should be getting all the nutrients he needs but he may do better on a dwarf specific diet, unfortunately there aren't any in the UK but Rodipet do a good mix & delivery isn't too expensive. You could buy a few bags & keep them in the freezer to save delivery if you want to give that a go.

A little update; Duke does seem to have stopped itching quite as much, I’m thinking maybe it was a nervous thing while he was settling in! I hope so anyway! Ah it’s a shame to hear that about carefresh, I did so much research and so many people rate it so highly! I’ll give Katyee clean&cozy a try. Yeah I did think about removing the coconut substrate but I’m reluctant as he just loves it so much, he sleeps in it every night and to be fair the itching started before I even put it in his cage. I’m hoping if it was that causing him to itch that he would naturally steer clear of it? Yeah I think you’re right about Harry hamster, he’s so picky with it, he only eats the seeds and some of the green flakes then the dried mealworms and some fresh fruit I give him daily, I think I will have to try something else. Yeah I’ll have a look at Rodipet. Thanks so much for all your advice! I really really appreciate it x

[Noodelle]

Originally Posted by Ria P

Both my dwarfs groom and scratch like your Duke. They have Kaytee c&c bedding and eat Rodipet Hybrid mix plus mealworms, linseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and fresh food with cucumber being their favourite. They have a variety of millet sprays and herbs and grasses to nibble plus a Whimzee of course.
They have a lovely thick coat and both are lively hamsters. Their grooming and scratching i've always seen as normal and a hamstery thing to do.

If they would ever scratch themselves sore i would worry and get them checked out of course.

That’s really reassuring, thank you! Yeah my little boy LOVES sunflower seeds and cucumber too! His fave fruit so far though is red apple 🍎 yeah I’m constantly trying to check his skin for any soreness or redness, I haven’t seen any, and as I said in my reply to Cypher he does seem to have calmed down a bit with the itching now, it may have just been a bit of a nervous thing as he settled in! Thank you x