Mites?

[Morphius]

Hi. Me and my partner have two chinese hamsters. We returned tonight to find that both of them have what looks like wet patches on the back of their necks and the skin underneath looks red and agitated. Not sure if it could be mites or if they have just had a little fight? There isnt any blood it just looks red. They both seem fine in themselves. If anyone could help out it would be brill. Thanks, Laura.

[souffle]

Mites are not really that common where as fighting Chinese are very common. They could well have had a tussle however it is hard to tell. If both have the marks in the same spot I would say fighting. You need to watch them really closely. When Chinese fight it can be very sudden and very, very vicious. One can easily seriously hurt or even kill the other. Have you seen them tussling, heard them screaming or anything? If you do think it is mites I would take them to the vet for a check over and appropriate treatment. Otherwise closely monitor and get a close look at the necks for any puncture wounds or bites underneath.

[Spuds Mum]

I agree that it sounds more like the results of a scuffle than mites, with the wetness etc. But if in doubt a quick visit to the vets is probably the best idea.

[Morphius]

We left it a day and by the time we got them out they were fully healed, plus we caught them fighting yesterday so we think it must've been a fight. Cheers for the responses tho guys