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Old 11-18-2022, 11:11 AM   #1
sandiualex
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Join Date: Nov 2022
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Default Is my hamster seriously unwell?

Hi all, my little Bee (male syrian) who was one in October is acting very normally, eating & drinking, is interested in snacks, is active in his home and is happy to touched and is still enjoying his play however 10 days ago I noticed a scab on his head (didn't think too much as it was small and looked old - just strange I didn’t see it before) then 2 days ago I noticed that his skin on his lower left side is pink and he has lots some hair there (not sure if it looks more pink as now there is no hair and I can compare to the rest of his body). I was worried so texted my sister who is a vet (abroad) but of course she couldn’t say too much (understandably) as she couldn’t touch him or perform any investigations - she said a variety of things, parasites (internal and external), issues with adrenal glands and potentially lymphoma - now this has scared me a lot as I love him so dearly, she personally doesn't think its allergies, nothing in his environment or food has changed. Today I took him to the vet, they didnt say much and just took a sample of hair and some skin cells by putting tape on him - they said we would hear back tomorrow, I’m worried as he seems to have lost even more hair since Wednesday so now also the pink patch appears bigger - he did also mention internal tumours can also cause hair loss so I am very worried. He questioned weight loss many times but to me Bee doesn’t seem to have lost any and was 170g on the scales today. To make things worse the vet was holding Bee at his chest highest when Bee jumped onto the vet’s table (metal) and in trying to run away fell off the vet’s table onto the hard floor from around/just above waist hight. I’m so nervous that he has injured himself or is feeling unwell / battling an illness I don’t know about - my only reassurance is that when we got home he went diving into his snacks and had some water to drink. My sister has reassure me that if he is acting normal after the falling he should be okay and has advised me medication for internal parasites which will do him no harm even if he hasn’t got any. I trust her professional opinion highly but also would like some advice from hamster owners. Has anyone got any advice as to what may be causing him to loose hair? Is he likely to be hurt due to the fall? Any advice of re assurance or suggestions into any of the above points or generally what to look out for would be greatly appreciates. Thank you!
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Old 11-19-2022, 09:15 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Is my hamster seriously unwell?

Hi. Don't give him anything for internal parasites or anything yet - wait to see what the vet says. The skin scraping will be to test for mites - if there are mites the vet will prescribe something. Keep an eye on him after the fall - it sounds like he's ok. Maybe take a box to put him in another time as this happens too often - hamsters falling off vet tables - not your fault.
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Old 11-19-2022, 03:20 PM   #3
sandiualex
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Default Re: Is my hamster seriously unwell?

Hello, thank you for your reply. On Friday the vet took a hair sample and a skin sample but only with cellotape - we heard back today, there was nothing on these samples, however the vet also recommended to give the same medication as my sister did for the internal parasites which he also said should apparently not cause any harm even if he doesn’t have any, so I went today and picked this up. He said give it 7-10 days, if there is so change then he will do skin scrapping? He also said we have the option to send his hair sample off to check for ringworm which we will do but he did warn it can take up to four weeks to come back and said ringworm is only common in young hamsters however nonetheless I said yes as would like to have this ruled out. Bee seems to be doing fine after the fall, and is continuous to behave like his normal self. Slightly lost what to do at the moment apart from give him this medication and waiting?! Thank you for your reply!
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Old 11-19-2022, 03:23 PM   #4
sandiualex
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Default Re: Is my hamster seriously unwell?

Also thank you for the tip about the box, he already had a rather large carrier but next time will definitely take a plastic box as well and ask the vet not to lift him out of it, it was heartbreaking to see him fall and it’s such a shame precaution’s aren’t taken.
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Old 11-20-2022, 12:37 PM   #5
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Is my hamster seriously unwell?

I wouldn't ever give any sort of antiparasitic without a proper diagnosis. Some people will say it won't harm the hamster, but it certainly can. It's extremely harsh on them and really should be reserved for properly confirmed cases rather than being used just in case. The antiparasitic products not prescribed by vets can be even more risky too - no proper dosage being calculated by weight and such.
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Old 11-20-2022, 12:58 PM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Is my hamster seriously unwell?

I would see another vet for another opinion. Try and find an exotic vet in your area. I can't see how the vet can diagnose internal parasites without a poo sample. The scabbing and hair loss could be a number of different things from mites to Cushings syndrome so I think another vet opinion is in order. I personally wouldn't give anything unless prescribed by the vets. If the vet gave their approval to this product then ask about that too when you get a second opinion.

If you google exotic vets in your region you should find one - they know a lot more about hamsters. You may have to travel a bit further but I doubt it would be far (the Uk is not a big country!). I have to travel about an hour to see the exotic vet.

Hope your hammy is ok after the fall. I would be very upset about that. It does happen which is why I take a box!

Last edited by Pebbles82; 11-20-2022 at 05:32 PM.
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