[Pebbles82]

Hello. If mites have been eliminated then the commonest cause is an allergy yes. Hansters can actually be allergic to any type of wood bedding (and some to Carefresh). So you have done the right thing changing the substrate to paper. Some paper beddings are better than others but it depends what you can get hold of. Toilet paper is fine yes - plain white ideally. However it could take time for the skin reaction to subside after the allergen is removed. Dabbing anything on a hamster doesn’t go down well usually! I think that sounds more for relief than cure so I wouldn’t worry about using that personally. Also as he has long hair he will get wet and they can catch a chill if they get wet. You could try aloe Vera gel which is good for inflamed skin and safe if licked off. It’s sticky but doesn’t make them wet as such.

A food allergy would be unusual but not impossible. To test that you would probably need to gradually change the hamster mix over to a pellet feed like science selective- has everything in needed. That would eliminate corn and grains etc or other ingredients. But most hamster mixes contain soya (including science selective) so if it’s that there would be no improvement. It will be a process of elimination. If it doesn’t improve after a few weeks of science selective, then suspect soya and there are soya free muesli mixes available (from Rodipet). I think it’s unlikely to be soya though.

Yes there are other conditions that can cause skin redness. And then it would probably be a case of wait and see. It doesn’t sound like Cushings - that is usually in an older hamster and they have patterns of fur loss, scabs and a pot belly usually. It is very difficult (nigh impossible) for vets to get a blood sample from a hamster to test hence wait and see.

If he is happy enough and seems healthy otherwise I wouldn’t worry too much unless he develops any other symptims. It started with scratching (which they do quite a lot under normal circumstances anyway when grooming). So allergy does seem suspect. It could just take time for the reddened skin to subside. You could also give probiotics which could help with any allergy as it helps balance the gut. Dr S is one used by Cypher on here - from rat rations. That can help balance out any digestive issues.

Unless the skin starts to show any lumps developing I wouldn’t be too concerned about other skin diseases.

The bald patch on the back is very common from rubbing so if not the wheel, is there anything else that can cause rubbing? Low house entrance? Low gap under a wood bridge etc?

All the changes and disinfecting can also cause stress so things take longer to settle down. So personally I would stick with pure paper substrate, gradually change over to science selective over a couple of weeks and give it a bit of time. It could actually be a bacterial infection of the skin and the next step then would be to try antibiotics I think. But I would try a probiotic as well as a diet change. I’ve used benebac ftom Amazon - just a pinch added to food (dosage on the pack per weight but for a Robo the dose worked out as a “pinch”!

But maybe a bit of time to see if it settles down as well. If still red in a month after diet change and probiotics then maybe suspect bacterial infection of the skin.