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Old 01-13-2021, 04:54 PM   #41
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

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Originally Posted by SyrianNamedHarmony View Post
Congrats on your new hammy!!! Looking forwards to getting to know him better!! He's totally adorable!
Thanks but he's not a new hamster. Ozzy moved in May 2020 but i still don't know him that well because he keeps himself to himself.
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Old 01-15-2021, 03:10 AM   #42
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Ozzy sounds like a perfectly happy little ham, some really don’t want out of cage time or much interaction, I think I’ve had hams ranging from none to almost non stop, they’re all so different, I wouldn’t worry as long as he seems content & healthy.
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Old 05-29-2021, 06:44 AM   #43
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

I took Ozzy to the vet last month to get his scent gland checked because it was blocked and for a general check up. The vet confirmed that it was not infected and that Ozzy was fine. My regular vet wasn't available and this one was more of a horse/livestock vet i think.

This month Ozzy started to look a bit dishevelled and his skin looked dry and flaky. He didn't itch and scratch excessively and still doesn't. I brushed him and cleaned his scent gland but his skin didn't improve and got worse within the past couple of weeks. I suspected a reaction to Demodex mites which live on hamsters naturally but hamsters can react to them as they get older or have underlying health issues. My regular vet was booked for the whole week but i didn't want to wait that long so took him to another yesterday. As it turned out, this lady knows about hamsters.
Ozzy was very grumpy and looked uncomfortable. The vet told me that lymphoma is the most common underlying cause of hamsters ailments like skin conditions, hairloss and can trigger an allergic reaction to Demodex. Ozzy doesn't have bald patches but he's a very fluffy hamster so gradual hairloss would not be that obvious.
She prescribed two treatments of ivermectin drops and daily metacam in case he's in pain with a follow up appt in a week.

I feel bad now for not taking him to the vet as soon as i noticed dry skin but Ozzy is a hamster who does get stressed when out of his cage and in an unfamiliar environment which made me hesitant. Bad call but can't change that now. Just another lesson learned going forward.

He loves the metacam and eagerly licks it off the syringe. I only have to locate him in his cage but don't have to take him out which is a great help.

Last edited by Ria P; 05-29-2021 at 09:43 AM.
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Old 05-30-2021, 10:21 AM   #44
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Sorry to hear about Ozzy, but hopefully the medication will help.

Depending on the situation, I think knowing when to go to the vets comes with time and experience. It's hard to know what is going on with them sometimes.
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Old 05-31-2021, 04:22 AM   #45
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

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Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
Sorry to hear about Ozzy, but hopefully the medication will help.

Depending on the situation, I think knowing when to go to the vets comes with time and experience. It's hard to know what is going on with them sometimes.
Thanks Luna.
It's too early to say if he's responding to the meds or not. I gave him his metacam earlier and he came out of his burrow for a drink and forage around still looking a bit dishevelled but at least he didn't get any worse.
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Old 08-29-2021, 11:26 PM   #46
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Ozzy has been to the vets a couple of times since my last post and he's been on antibiotics as well. His fur grew back and his skin improved but its starting to get a bit thin again in places. He's 18 months and a dwarf hybrid so i know how prone they are to health problems. No itching and he's hamstering about as per normal. He's been on daily metacam for a while now. Here's a fairly recent photo.

In the last few days a skin coloured growth started to develop outside his right ear so i'm going to make a vet appointment to get it checked out.
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Old 08-30-2021, 11:20 AM   #47
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

That photo of Ozzy is very nice - such lovely fur. Sorry to hear about the growth. A hard time with them getting older.
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Old 09-03-2021, 10:23 AM   #48
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Saw my hamsters regular vet today who examined the growth on Ozzy's right ear.
It's not an abcess or anything that needs immediate treatment. She's happy with the condition of Ozzy's fur and skin considering what it was like when she first saw him. Because of Ozzy's age and the fact that he's a dwarf hybrid i decided a while ago against invasive tests that required aneasthesia.
He's not itching or scratching, doesn't seem to be in any discomfort and hamsters about as per normal.
I got another Loxicom prescription and will keep him on that.
He's lost a bit of weight which i was aware of and he has started to slow down.
Ozzy was very accommodating when the vet handled him to check his ear, fur and skin unlike a few months back when he screeched and kicked at her. I think that the daily Loxicom keeps him comfortable so i'm happy with the outcome.
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Old 10-03-2021, 11:20 AM   #49
Ria P
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Ozzy is about 19 months and i've had him since he was a baby.
Tonight was the very first time he came to his door to take some mealworms and sunflower seeds from my fingers.

I think his eyesight is failing because he didn't appear to see the treats and followed their smell. He also turned around a couple of times. I have already lowered everything in his HH a while ago but he may be moving into an OAP bungalow soon.

His eyesight could also be the reason he was on the front run of his cage. He has a similar run at the back which he uses when above ground.

And i thought he's going to become a sociable hamster in his old age, lol.
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Old 10-04-2021, 03:55 AM   #50
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Ozzy the Lucky Dip hamster

Aw. I sometimes wonder why they start doing that. Maybe feeling more vulnerable in old age and less scared so come and say hello. Assume you're just going to make the HH into an oap bungalow? My vet is very big on weight loss. She says to weigh them every week and if there is significant weight loss weekly it's a sign a tumour is taking all the nutrition and they're suffering. I still tend to go by how they seem in themselves.
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