Hybrid skin problem...

LolaMcMuffin · 09-20-2013, 05:28 PM

My hybrid, Luna (6 months old), seems to have developed a skin problem, her fur isn't as fluffy as usual, and her skin looks quite pink, with white flaky, scabby bits, any ideas as to what this could be?
I changed her wood shavings last week, a friend got me some scented stuff that was on offer- pets at home I think, could it just be irritated? I'm getting some plain stuff tomorrow, and changing it over just in case. I haven't seen her scratching, but she's not been out as much as usual, and it doesn't look like she's using her sandbath much, I've not had to keep topping it up as much!!!

**kyrilliondaemon** · 09-20-2013, 05:51 PM

Theres a chance it could be irritation, definetly worth changing the substrate and seeing what happens

racinghamster · 09-21-2013, 12:26 AM

Hi. I would suggest two things. Take the sand bath away because hamsters skin can dry out too much if sand is offered 24/7. Use only the Pets At Home wood shavings that are NON scented. I really don`t understand why they feel the need to add a scent to wood shavings when they already have an aroma. Avoid anything un-natural to a hamster because once a skin condition is triggered, it can be difficult to reverse.

Wood shavings have a way of keeping their fur nice and clean anyway so sand really isn`t necessary, even though lots of people use chinchilla sand, hamster`s don`t have the same dense fur that a chinchilla has. My previous roborovski`s skin went really flaked and cracking with dandruff life flakes and I put it down to the chinchilla sand I had in his cage all the time. My latest robo has never had sand only Pets At Home wood shavings and his skin and fur are in lovely condition.

Hope this helps. x

LolaMcMuffin · 09-21-2013, 02:27 AM

Thank you, I'm going to try this today, and see how it goes, I'll try taking the sand out too,.

racinghamster · 09-21-2013, 03:37 AM

I would keep the sand out for good and see how things go. If her skin settles down again, only offer a sand bath a few times a week. If she keeps scratching or her skin seems the same or worsens, I would see a vet to determine the likely cause, although she may end up having mite treatment if the vet suspects this is required. But keep things simple for now and if she gets any artificial treats like dog biscuits or anything dairy, cut these out as well. Just feed fresh, raw vegetables like garden peas, broccoli and a wee piece of apple as a treat. x