Gerald is going bald :P

[SnuggleHam]

I was cleaning out all the bin cages today (quite a work out!) Anyway when I picked him up I noticed his fur is looking really thin right behind his head on his back. Hamsters don’t have much of a neck, but if they did that’s where it would be lol.



He’s really fluffily but there is a definite bald spot there. I checked it out, looks to be a normal fleshy color doesn’t seem dry or moist. I’m not all that worried at this point, but does anyone have an idea what may be going on here? Do hamsters loose fur in the summer? Are the longhaired breeds even known to molt or shed?



Can they loose it in old age? Ill get a picture when I can

[babyboos]

Bald spots can appear when they are run down and the mites which live happily and naturally on their bodies overwork. Other reasons can be hormonal or even something like the spoke on the wheel rubbing against their neck when they run. What type of wheel does Gerald have? How much clearance does he have from the centre spoke, if it even has one Have you changed bedding packets recently or opened a new bag of food etc. These can have mites in them and should be preferably frozen for 48 hours to kill them off after purchase. Do you have a magnifying glass? You may see black tiny dots if it is mites though different species are harder to see than others. Is the skin flaky or dry? Make sure to give some nutritional yeast and if the skin is dry maybe some cod liver oil drizzled on his food too would help. You know bottom line any health concerns should be referred to a prefessional and I know you will use your best judgement. Keep us informed on how he is doing please. Good luck Gerald - bald men are more virile they say though

Remember this post I made a short time ago?



"Vitamin B / Nutritional yeast



Hamsters eat their own droppings (called coprophagia), and this is thought to be important as a source of vitamins B and K. Sunflower seeds are also rich in B vitamins. B vitamins are good for hairloss and act on the nervous system and therefore also very good for reducing stress. Stress is the primary cause for many hamster diseases which is why it is also good to use a pro-biotic on a regular basis. Stress tends to lead to a disturbance in the hamster's digestive system, and the pro-biotic helps to encourage the growth of replacement good gut flora/bacteria. If you do wish to supplement your little one's diet with yeast a pinch a week of good nutritional yeast is sufficient. It can be found in health food stores and is better than baker's yeast as it is less bitter and therefore more palatable to our babies. Tablets designed for pets such as cats and dogs can be used, however make sure they are plain and don't contain any garlic as this has been found to be harsh on hamster's kidneys. A half a tablet a week should be fed if you decide to use this source of B vitamins."

[SnuggleHam]

Thanks for all that Babyboos, you’re the best! The skin doesn’t appear flaky or dry or anything like that, But since you asked about the wheel I think I know what’s going on here. I had a silent spinner in there for him for quite a while. He had a comfort wheel but the damn thing is to loud at night and it bugs us when we are sleeping, so one night I got up and changed the wheel so he could run and we could sleep. The SS is pretty small though and I think the fur loss was most likely from the spoke of the SS. I clean the cages out once a week and I haven’t opened any new foods or anything. Since changing the cage I have given him back his comfort wheel because he broke the SS lol



Ill keep an eye on it and see if it gets worse

[babyboos]

If you can try to give him some nutritional yeast sprinkled on his food to help his coat come back nice and healthy.

[Coco1]

Hi candace, this happend to Nibbles somewhat also, although not due to his wheel (plenty of room there). He started get thin behind his ears just like yours but skin was healthy looking. Mites are definately poss, esp as I had got rid of a bag of alfalfa hay a few months prior as that suddenly had mites in it! His fur became a little greasier but now everything seems to have normalized and his fur doesn't look so thin. I think hormonal changes can play a big part and adjusting to warmer summer weather also.

Like Babyboos said, yeast could help.

[SnuggleHam]

since iv changed the wheel he seems to be looking for fluffily back there again, I think it was the wheel spoke, the SS I had in there for him was way to small.

[Coco1]

cool!

The wodent wheel I got Nibbles is pretty quite, not QUITE as silent as the spinners but way quieter than the comfort wheel in my opinion.