Fur loss and itching

[AngelAmes]

My previous thread about my robo loosing his fur:
Mites or allergies - shredded paper bedding?

so we went back to the vets today. Buzz's fur still wont grow back fully and now he has big red sore patches on both his cheeks (about where he pushes them to get stuff out of pouches). Me, the vet and my boyfriend really don't know what is going on.
He is reluctant to keep treats (sunflower seeds) in his pouch for any amount of time and he wont even accept the meal worms I have given him. He has also lost a little bit of weight (not much) but his brother is obviously taking the treats that he has droped.
I have been given hamster shampoo to try next (which will be a massive challenge with my wriggly bums) but I don't know what is wrong with him.

Summary: he has already had mite treatment - with no improvement and now shampoo has been given to me. Still has little hair regrowth on chest and front limbs and now sore cheeks.

Can any one suggest anything? or had anything similar?
I just want him to get better.

[GemmasMom]

Poor Buzz!!! I can't think of anything but do you have any pictures? Maybe that will help someone who's seen something similar. Does he still have hair on his belly?

[racinghamster]

Hi AngelAmes. I appologise as I havn`t read your other thread, but wanted to add a few suggestions. Do you use shavings, Carefresh or megazorb as bedding? If the answer is yes, I would switch to using Aubiose or Sicofloor organic hemp from Zooplus. Hemp (as both these are) don`t tend to cause allergies and should solve the problem IF it is caused by allergy. Sometimes fur loss can be due to diet, allergic reaction to substrate or mites.

Mites would cause a LOT of irritation and the hamster would be observed scratching at every turn. Hair loss and scabbing/cuts would be visible around the face/neck/shoulder areas.

Allergies to bedding or food usually cause fur loss on the tummy and legs, reddening of the skin and rawness.

If Buzz was treated by your vet with Ivermectin (rather than an over the counter mite treatment) and you saw no improvement, I would suspect allergy to substrate or something in his diet. Dog biscuits can be a culprit.

Is his brother fine and not showing these same symptoms? If he isn`t, then it could be something Buzz has that his brother doesn`t. But that`s not to say for certain both won`t come into contact with whatever the cause is.

I`ve had shampoo prescribed from my vet for a mouse I had in the past who had suspected ringworm (a fungal infection) and to be honest, it did nothing. With a roborovski, I would imagine too stressful. It`s not something I would want to do as far as a treatment goes. The shampoo usually needs to stay on the skin for five minutes before being rinsed off, so I can`t imagine a robo sitting still long enough for this to be done unless Buzz is tame and unphased by handling.

If your reluctant to use this shampoo or worried that it might stress Buzz, I would speak to your vet again and look for something else. Or ask for a skin scraping to be done. This would be the only way to find out if he has a deeper parasite or some kind of dermatitis going on.

[racinghamster]

Just read your other post AngelAmes and Carefresh and Shavings are your problem. If you get yourself a sack of Sicofloor organic hemp bedding from Zooplus, this should help. These other beddings can sometimes cause these reactions in `some` hamsters, especially robos for some unexplained reason. That would be what I would do.

[AngelAmes]

Thank you so much for your help Racinghamster!
I just looked on zooplus would the hugro hemp bedding be ok too?
I was very reluctant to use the shampoo due to the stress (for both Buzz and me) and i didn't want the boys to fall out due to the fact that their smells would change.
I thought carefresh was supposed to be hyper allergenic anyways because it is made of paper?
also is there anything I can change the bedding to in the meantime while the order takes to arrive?
I feel so relieved now, thank you so much again for your reply I was getting all worked up that he was getting worse and i was working meself up about using the shampoo aswell.
His brother (Gus) has lost a tiny bit of hair and he is also quite itchy but nowhere as near as bad as Buzz.

[racinghamster]

yes, the hugro hemp would be fine. I use Aubiose and the Zooplus Sicofloor organic hemp. Most hemp is much the same it just comes under different company names really. Hemcore I believe is prayed with a pesticide of some kind so I wouldn`t bother with that one.

Zooplus usually deliver within a few days. My Sicofloor hemp arrived in two days. The Hugro hemp is a good buy at that price and you can always double up next time or try the Sicofloor one. If you read the customer revues on it, you will find that people who switched to it are very happy customers.

In the meantime, I would get a roll of plain white toilet paper and go mad ripping it up! They will sleep on it too and it`s safe. A nice deep layer for both boys to play in until your hemp arrives. Open the hemp and put enough into a storage bin or open container and give it a good shake through with your hands outside. Hemp only gives off a little packing dust but nothing remotely like the dust other so called `safe` beddings do. You can use it right away.

Edited to add: I wouldn`t give Carefresh to a wild rabbit never mind a hamster! Yes, it`s paper based, but don`t believe what you read on packets. The stuff is fibrous and full of dust when it`s broken up. Hemp is a natural product that is chopped from the stalks of the hemp plant and is not treated as it is not prone to pests.

[Arraminta]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is true but I Led to believe that carefresh's main bulk is old egg boxes!!! I have stopped using the brown one as I think it was causing my hammies to itch a bit. Racinghamster this may be a really dim question but is the hemp bedding really good for Syrains too?
AngelAmes I hope your little guys are better soon.

[AngelAmes]

all ordered now thank you so much
I already use toilet paper for their nest so I can go crazy with that Hope this helps my little man Buzz.
I will update when it arrives and when the boys get it. Hope it comes soon

[Pompompoms]

Different hams will suit different bedding, and it can be tricky and trial and error to finally get the right one. Whizzbit has been on everything but can only have care fresh, and can't tolerate anything else. Dasher can't tolerate wood shavings, but is fine on everything else, all the other pompoms are fine on anything. It took a while to get it sorted, and it can be frustrating if your ham isn't happy on substrates that are supposedly better for allergic hams, but you'll get there in the end

[racinghamster]

Yes, Arraminta, hemp is fine for all hamsters. As far as `paper based` beddings go, I used to use a product called Bedxcel (large bales for horses) when I kept mice because mice are more prone to things like respiratory problems, so they can`t (or shouldn`t) be kept on shavings. Carefresh was one of the beddings that made a few of my female mice ill and very itchy. I`ve had a run in with carefresh twice and on both occassions, I ended up will breathing problems and itchy animals.

Hemp is natural (i,e. isn`t processed into anything like paper pulp) so it is chopped straight from the plant stalks. It`s grown for all sorts of reasons and uses and the stalks are a by-product. Aubiose and Sicofloor are the two I currently use for both my short haired syrian and my roborovski. No issues whatsoever. Great for digging in and good absorbancy.

As pompoms said, it`s trial and error with most beddings, but it doesn`t help that pet shops in general only stock wood shavings and Carefresh with no alternatives, which is why seeking out hemp beddings online or from farm/stable supply outlets is worth the effort.

AngelAmes: Buss should see the benefit of these changes but because he`s had hair loss and itching episodes, it might take a few weeks for things to settle again. I would also stick to feeding him just his main dry diet with added additions like dry porridge oats, dry buckwheat (Tesco and healthfood shops sell both) and a little tiny piece of fresh apple. Just incase there is something he`s being fed that has triggered this also.