Dwarf Hamster Babies

Cotton&Candy · 02-06-2013, 12:08 PM

I am new to the hamster world and need some much needed advice. About 2 months ago I wanted 2 pet hamsters. I was told at the time I got them they was 2 females. Well a month later there is babies!! Ugh. They are 4 weeks old now and 3 of the 7 have hair loss. One of the babies is really bad. It's top of head has all the fur gone. A couple of them have some hair loss under their chin, around ears. I have not seen any fighting. Could it possibly be mites? ringworm? I called the vet and they said $150 plus to examine them plus meds. They wanted to do scrapes and the works. I don't have that to spend right now. I am hoping someone can give me some advice here. I would appreciate it so much. I don't like seeing these babies suffer like this.

I will get a pic and post asap!

HorseyMandz · 02-06-2013, 12:32 PM

You MUST go to the vets if you want these babies to survive. There is little more to say

shiny · 02-06-2013, 12:35 PM

Hi, sorry you are having a tough time with these babies

.

Have you separated mum & dad? Are you sure you have 1 male 1 female or did one arrive pregnant & you have 2 females? There are details of how to check the sex of your hammies in a sticky in the breeding section.

Have you sexed the babies too? You don't want to end up with any more pregnancies especially in very young females.

Can you post pics of the hair loss? What are you feeding them all on? Is there any redness or soreness where the hair loss is?

If you can let us know these things we may be able to help a bit but if you think they're really poorly then there's no substitute for a vet visit.

Best wishes, shiny

csockman · 02-06-2013, 12:36 PM

Is there a rodent rescue organization in your area that can help?

Are you in the UK and if so, can the RSPCA help (www.rspca.org.uk)?

Have you contacted the pet store to see if they will help foot the bill or let their vet help
you? I would not give them back to the pet store because who knows what they will do with the babies.

It could be ringworm, it could be mites, but the only person that can help you reach that conclusion is a veterinarian with exotics experience.

Cotton&Candy · 02-06-2013, 01:37 PM

I do know that I can take them to the vet! But I was trying to get some other advice from you all b/c I do not have the funds to do that right now.

Mom & Dad are separated. Since I have never had to sex babies I am not quite sure how to do that. I will check out the sticky. I know that needs to be done.

I am in United States. I am sure the pet store will not help with any bill. My last resort will be to take them to the pet shop. I agree as, its hard to tell what they would do with them.

I have a pic... How do I post it??

Cotton&Candy · 02-06-2013, 01:41 PM

Mom and Dad look fine. Only 3-4 babies have the hair loss. I did call the Dr. He said it's possible some are trying to be more dominant and picking on the others.

csockman · 02-06-2013, 02:12 PM

Regarding what Shiny said, your mum could already be pregnant if in fact the other "original" is a male. That is how quickly they can breed after having pups. I honestly would not be surprised if the mother is pregnant again.

Only an exotics experienced vet will be able to help you with treating the fur loss if it is fungal or parasite based. A vet can also properly sex your hams. Since you can't afford a vet, I would suggest that you take all but one of them back to the pet store. At least then they might have a chance of seeing a vet or be adopted out to other owners.

I know this sounds cruel, but if you can't take them to a vet then I feel that you will soon have an issue that is much more than you can handle.

LoveMyHams · 02-06-2013, 02:17 PM

The only way to diagnose the problem is to bring them to the vet. Where are you? Maybe another US member can recommend a vet that may be cheaper. Part of being a responsible pet owner is taking them in when they are sick, regardless of the cost.

shiny · 02-06-2013, 02:18 PM

Don't worry Cotton&Candy, people are just worried about your baby hamsters & I'm sure don't mean to sound cross.

Do you have any cages you can separate them out into? Did you find the sticky on sexing babies? Here's the link if not Dwarf Hamster Male or Female? Can't decide? Pictures to help

I am wondering whether the fur loss could also be a problem with not having sufficient nutrients going in to the babies? I'm sure I read something about this a few days ago somewhere on here. What are you feeding the babies on?

csockman · 02-06-2013, 02:32 PM

Oh by no means do I want Cotton&Candy to think I am upset with her (or him). This is by no means your fault C&C. You strictly are the victim of uneducated pet store employees (some blame can be placed on you for not self-educating, but the bottom line is that you should be able to rely on the knowledge of employees in a pet store). I personally view the small mammal business as a racket as it applies to most pet stores, but that is just my opinion.

With that being said, I try to enter "robot" mode when presented with situations where finances are the limiting factor. This precludes someone from seeing a vet in the majority of cases. Ultimately my care factor is centered on the well-being of the hamsters and not us humans. I am of the opinion that the hams need to be sexed, separated and seen by a vet to ascertain the root cause of their fur loss. If the ham caretaker cannot provide this, then they may have a chance to get this care from the pet store and/or another owner.