My Robo has got Alopecia

LunaTheHamster1 · 05-02-2021, 08:44 AM

Comet went to the vets on Friday as I noticed fur loss on his back end.

Comet Alopecia - YouTube

You can see the two circles on his lower back end in the video.
Looking back on videos you can sort of see it on some videos I have from the 17th April, but it is barely noticeable,
It is only now that I know that I can see the start of it.

They said it was alopecia and it can sometimes just happen as mites live on them normally, but something can have gone out of whack.

There has been no scratching or itchy, still eating, running around, no weight loss etc.
So he is on medicine.

Anyway as a precaution I am changing and cleaning everything in his cage.

So I am temporarily setting him up in a zoozone as I am not well enough to deep clean his normal cage in one go. This way I can take my time and see how he goes in the zoozone.

I thought I would set it up with Fitch first and some plastic items so easy to keep cleaning if I have to.

I used some coloured carefresh bedding with him for the first time, and I used the same bedding with Twinkle my syrian and he is fine, I am wondering if he has an allergic reaction to it. I know in the past my syrian Star had an allergic reaction (both her eyes closed up - prob with the dust) to white carefresh whilst my other syrian Luna was fine.
I have to say though I didn't find this coloured carefresh dusty like that white was.

He already has flax seeds, but is it evening primrose that is meant to help too? If so, what do I need to be looking for when buying it, how do I give him it and how often/what dose.

Is there anything else I need to be doing?

I actually came on here to ask a specific question and now that I wrote all this, I forgot what else I was going to ask

Typical.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Comet Alopecia - YouTube

LunaTheHamster1 · 05-02-2021, 09:00 AM

I remembered my question - Do I still give him a sandbath, or remove it for a bit?

Ria P · 05-03-2021, 12:49 AM

Sorry to hear this Luna but at least it doesn't bother him.

What kind of medication is Comet on?

Personally, i would leave the sandbath in. As long as the skin is not inflamed from scratching, i can't see what harm it could do.

Betsy had a bald patch which i thought was caused by rubbing against something. The skin looked fine and there was no excessive scratching so i didn't take her to the vet. The fur grew back by itself.

LunaTheHamster1 · 05-03-2021, 05:47 AM

I left the sandbath in in the end, new sand that I cooked just to be on the safe sand. There is not an open wound and it's not inflamed.

I don't see that there was anything set up for him to rub against.

He is on Xeno 50 Mini which I believe is a different name for Ivermectin. I am aware of the discussions that people have re this being toxic, however Comet is still alive so I don't know what to make of all of that, although I was very stressed that he was going to die on me after the treatment, but didn't know what else to do.

I plan on leaving him in the zoozone for a while, easier to keep an eye on him, if it clears up, i will put him back in his deep cleaned Marakesh cage.

Glad Bestsy's fur grew back.

Ria P · 05-03-2021, 06:11 AM

I think that in a way anything that kills could be classed as toxic whether it's treatment for mites on a hamster or lice on a child's head.

I'm going to have a look in my clever hamster book when i get home to see what it says about alopecia.

LunaTheHamster1 · 05-03-2021, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

I think that in a way anything that kills could be classed as toxic whether it's treatment for mites on a hamster or lice on a child's head.

I'm going to have a look in my clever hamster book when i get home to see what it says about alopecia.

You have a point there Ria,

What is your clever hamster book? Do let me know what it says.

Serendipity7000 · 05-03-2021, 01:30 PM

So is comet a Robo? If so I would leave the sand bath in - robos love their sand baths. It may be nothing you can do - some hamsters do lose their fur. But how old is he? The mites theory doesn’t sound quite right somehow. If he’s young it could just be a spring moult

. I had that with Newt who went bald and patchy. It all grew back though, helped by linseeds. I think linseeds are the main thing for coats.

LunaTheHamster1 · 05-03-2021, 02:17 PM

Thanks Serendipity, Yes Comet is a robo, he is 9 months, he already has flax/linseeds but I am making sure he gets them every day at the moment.

It did cross my mind if it was moulting, but I didn't think it would look like that. Plus I googled it and I wasn't really sure hamsters did that. I know with my syrian Twinkle his fur has grown long and then gone short again, but the change is always even and not anything like this.

Serendipity7000 · 05-03-2021, 05:58 PM

Sorry your post title says Robo! I didn't know about moults either, but Souffle mentioned it. I was very alarmed when Newt had such big bald patches either side - it was during warmer weather in his first year when a few months old. But it grew back normally and he had no health issues. When I look at the photo now, it looks like a moult - very mangy! If comet is well in himself I would just give it time and keep giving the linseeds

I am not sure mite treatment would be appropriate unless there is a definite diagnosis from a skin scraping. Alopecia as a term just means "hair loss".

P8071229 (2).jpg

Ria P · 05-03-2021, 11:54 PM

I totally agree with Serendipity. The bald patch on Newt looks very much like the one Betsy had in relation to bodysizeand it grew back as well.

The book is the Hamsterlopaedia which is an old one so the sections on care are awful but anatomy and physiology etc are informative.
Nothing in there about hair loss we don't know already though.