Hamster's fur is changing?

**ShadowNinjaHamster** · 04-12-2022, 11:38 AM

Hey!
My hamster has black fur on him in the places it wasn't before (for example next to his eye the fur is black now).
Is this normal?

I can post pictures later if it's needed. I couldn't find a good quality picture now as I still haven't figured out how to take pictures of my hamster.

Ria P · 04-12-2022, 03:55 PM

Dwarf hamster can change colour but usually go from dark to light. One of mine changed from almost black to light grey.

**ShadowNinjaHamster** · 04-12-2022, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Dwarf hamster can change colour but usually go from dark to light. One of mine changed from almost black to light grey.

So there's nothing to worry about?

Ria P · 04-12-2022, 11:40 PM

If it's only the fur and not the skin, looks otherwise healthy, i wouldn't worry about a change of colour.

**ShadowNinjaHamster** · 04-13-2022, 07:53 AM

When you look at him, you can see on the black spot above his eye.

He also starts shaking and biting me when I take him out of his cage. He does let me pet him when he's in the cage.
Something has gone terribly wrong again. He started biting me again, yesterday he was just shaking when he was on my hands.

Could it be because I had 12h nightshifts for 7 days and literally had no time for him? And yes, he bites me and won't let go of me. Should I go to vet again?

Ria P · 04-13-2022, 08:21 AM

Is that the black spot above the right eye you are talking about?

Did you check if it is a growth underneath the fur and parting the fur to show a darker undercoat?

I don't think he'd bite because you've been working nightshifts but i wonder why he shakes.

How long have you had him now?

sushi_78 · 04-13-2022, 08:29 AM

This can happen when some of the fur is rubbed off. Hamster fur isn't always the same colour from the root to the tip - sometimes it's different shades, lighter or darker across the hair shaft. So if the tips of the fur are rubbed off through friction (perhaps he's been rubbing his head against something while gnawing), the fur appears to change colour. I wouldn't worry about it if the skin looks normal and it will probably return to its normal colour in time.

I think when they bite and hold on, but don't draw blood, it's often because they want to tell you something. Maybe they want attention, or food, or they want to go back to their cage. It can be difficult to decipher what they're trying to say sometimes! Hopefully it will settle down again.

**ShadowNinjaHamster** · 04-13-2022, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Is that the black spot above the right eye you are talking about?

Did you check if it is a growth underneath the fur and parting the fur to show a darker undercoat?

I don't think he'd bite because you've been working nightshifts but i wonder why he shakes.

How long have you had him now?

I've had him since August 2020. I don't know how old he is and no, I did not touch him there, because I thought he might feel uncomfortable.

When I took him out of the playground he didn't bite me. He escaped his cage twice today (He can fit through the bars). I don't know what cage I bought him and if it's. even for hamsters, but it's large. The other cage I have is quite small, but he wouldn't be able to escape from there.

I removed a lot of bedding from the corners of the cage, so he wouldn't be able to escape. He didn't bite me in evening and he wasn't shaking anymore, He was crazy active before he went to sleep again. He ran on the wheel, got out ran around the cage, rolled around in sand, then got on to the wheel again and started running fast and then ran back to the sand bath and rolled around in it and then he was just running around the cage fast and after that he started building a new nest.

Can I touch him near his eyes? I've never done that before. Well, I guess change in fur colour is still better than a bald spot, right?

**ShadowNinjaHamster** · 04-13-2022, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi_78

This can happen when some of the fur is rubbed off. Hamster fur isn't always the same colour from the root to the tip - sometimes it's different shades, lighter or darker across the hair shaft. So if the tips of the fur are rubbed off through friction (perhaps he's been rubbing his head against something while gnawing), the fur appears to change colour. I wouldn't worry about it if the skin looks normal and it will probably return to its normal colour in time.

I think when they bite and hold on, but don't draw blood, it's often because they want to tell you something. Maybe they want attention, or food, or they want to go back to their cage. It can be difficult to decipher what they're trying to say sometimes! Hopefully it will settle down again.

I haven't checked his skin in a long time. I should do that again soon when he's awake.
Do hamsters know when they draw blood? It'd make sense that he wanted to go back to his cage, because he started biting me when I took him out and started transporting him to his playground.
I hope he's ok. The biggest problem is that I don't know his age and I have no idea how to figure out how old he is. For awhile I didn't even know what hamster I have.

sushi_78 · 04-13-2022, 01:47 PM

Hamsters usually do have a sense of how hard they are biting and they have the ability to bite more "softly" when they don't intend to do real damage. A truly aggressive hamster will bite down hard and draw blood.

If you got him in August 2020 he would be coming up for 2 years old at least. My dwarf Bramble is 2 years old and she shakes a bit when I hold her. It's not fear, she loves being held, just some wobbliness from old age I think. On the whole she's still really active and lively though.