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Old 10-02-2016, 07:21 PM   #1
climber008
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Default Hamster Hair Loss

Hi everyone!

I am slightly concerned about my little Kornelia, as I have noticed that she has been losing some to a lot of her hair near her scent gland/hind-quarters. While I know it is typical for hamsters to have a "bald patch" in the scent gland area, Kornelia's hair loss was never this dramatic before.

It seems like lately she has been losing even more hair than normal,despite my every effort to keep the room under 78 degrees. I have even found tiny tufts of fur scattered about her cage. And, the hair only seems to being largely missing from her right side.

Even though Kornelia is getting on in age (She was born January 27, 2015.), I didn't think hair loss from age would factor in so quickly. How old is considered old for a hamster? Specifically one that has given birth to a few litters of pups?

Is there anything I can do to prevent/reverse this hair loss? I have been giving her a well balanced diet of many different seeds, mixes, pellets (lab blocks), as well as the occasional fresh veggie or other hamster-safe human food.

I am just really concerned for my little baby, and I would really appreciate any advice and help! It also worries me because she is scratching in that area. I don't see any signs of any mites or anything like that, so I have ruled that possibility out as I don't won't to put her through stressful procedures.
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Old 10-02-2016, 08:43 PM   #2
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

It could be under the skin mites. I would make an appointment with the vet, he/she will be able to examine her in detail.
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Old 10-02-2016, 09:18 PM   #3
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

Hair loss can have quite a few different causes, it may possibly be mites but you wouldn't see them so you can't be sure just by looking, signs of mites most often first appear around the eyes & ears but not always, in a female it's possible it could even be hormonal, or she may just be lacking a little bit of something in her diet.
To be sure it might be best to get your vet to have a look at her.
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Old 10-03-2016, 06:56 AM   #4
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

I'd readily take Kornelia to my vet, but I am a little concerned, as I have had some bad experiences with the vets in my area before. I did have a positive experience when I took Leo (a hamster I had only for a little bit) to a different vet, but I am still weary due to some of the things she suggested. Like feeding hamster oranges? There are only two vets that will see hamsters within two hours of where I live.

I don't know how she could have gotten mites, though! It worries me that it could be a possibility. She has been having this condition for a little over 3 months (during the summer and fall period.) The hair seems to be growing back, and then it will disappear slightly, almost as if she is shedding? I have noticed that she'll lose more hair when it's hot, and this recent hair loss happened while I was gone on a trip.

and @cypher What types of things lacking in her diet would possibly cause hair loss?
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Old 10-03-2016, 07:03 AM   #5
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

What food is she on?Sometimes you can get a bit crazy with seed mixes and then end up having nutritional imbalances.You could keep it to just Higgins and Mazuri,but add things like evening primrose oil(others will be able to explain more than I can about this!)and flax seed.
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Old 10-03-2016, 07:21 AM   #6
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

I can understand your reluctance to see the vet when you've had that kind of experience!

It can be hard to pin down nutritional deficiency sometimes, it may not be that your feeding the wrong diet just that their needs can vary with age, stress or other changes, I usually prefer to rule out other things like mites or other conditions first but even if you can't do that it wouldn't hurt to give some evening primrose oil & extra flax seeds, both can be very beneficial for skin or hair problems.
You don't need much, just a drop of oil on food & a pinch of flax seeds added to food each day for a while, certainly worth a try.
A good basic mix with added vitamins is important too as essential fats aren't the only deficiency that can cause this kind of problem.
They have mites all the time so they don't need to come from anywhere it's just that their immune system can get a bit overwhelmed at times, often due to stress, then the mites become a problem so it is a possibility you can't rule out.
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Old 10-03-2016, 08:47 AM   #7
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

I feed Kornelia a mixture of:

Oxbow Essentials

Kaytee Forti Diet (although this is given sparingly due to higher sugar levels)

Vitakraft Vitasmart Food

I think that it is this food, although it may be a different ecotrition blend for hamsters... I give peas and corn sparingly.

This Publix brand food, although I give the fruits in it sparingly.

I also give her a lab block that someone recommended to me, although I can't remember the name or find a link to it. I believe it may be for rats, but I got it because it was lower in sugar and had similar ingredients to other hamster lab blocks that were extremely high in sugar.

In addition to these foods, I also offer her mealworms, fresh hamster-safe veggies, occasional egg, oats and quinoa for treats, sparsely given nuts, baby banana puffs for treats, etc...
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Old 10-03-2016, 08:52 AM   #8
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

Where can I get evening primrose oil? And what kind of flax seeds should I get (organic, or what?)

I live in a smaller town in the south of the United States, so getting stuff like that can be harder. However, I definitely want my Kornelia to have the best I can offer her! So does Amazon sell this evening primrose oil? And are there different types of evening primrose oil that is safe/unsafe for hamsters?


Thanks guys so much!

Edit:

I noticed that there were a lot of evening primrose oils for sale on Amazon. I just didn't know if one or any of them were safe for Kornelia to use, as some reviews proclaimed that the oil had additives in them, making it unsafe (or unaffective) for human use or consumption! Can anyone recommend a safe evening primrose oil that they use for their hams?
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Last edited by climber008; 10-03-2016 at 08:59 AM. Reason: needed to add more information
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Old 10-03-2016, 09:04 AM   #9
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

All the EPO I've seen here in the UK is just pure EPO, nothing added or anything so I'm not sure what that was all about, I use one meant for dogs simply because it comes in a dropper bottle & is easy to use without wasting most of what's in a capsule as you don't need it all. This one is something similar. Other options might be cheaper though, I didn't have time to look at many.
Other people just use the capsules meant for human consumption, pierce a small hole in & squeeze a drop out.
Organic flax seed would be nice but it doesn't have to be, any plain whole flax seed (sold for animals or humans) is fine, just be sure to get whole seeds not ground.
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Old 10-03-2016, 09:10 AM   #10
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Default Re: Hamster Hair Loss

Go to Petco and get Mazuri lab blocks if those aren't the ones you're using.For the food,get either Higgins Sunburst or Higgins Vita Garden.Either will do,but amounts of food will vary slightly for the end result to have the right nutrition.

The foods you are feeding now are definitely not appropriate.Having a good diet is very important,plus it will save you money over the long term If you have to order the foods then do so,but you do need to get an appropriate diet going as soon as possible.
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hair, loss, area, hamster, age, scent, losing, kornelia, concerned, lab, pellets, seeds, mixes, birth, veggie, fresh, occasional, blocks, diet, litters, prevent/reverse, giving, balanced, slightly, pups

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