hamster

Question
What's wrong with my hamster? I'm not sure what type of hamster he is but he is about 1 year old. His neck is completely bare of fur like its been scratched out and his eyes are watery and barely able to open. He seems very fragile and weak but he is still able to move around a little bit.

Answer
Hi Sharon

Thanks for your email. I'm sorry to hear about your hamster. He does sound very ill.

The bald neck and scratching could be due to mites. However the fact that he seems fragile and weak concerns me.

If he is a Syrian then treating mites  is relatively easy with a drug called ivermectin which is applied on the back of the neck. However if your hamster is a dwarf then it is much is harder to treat mites as the dosage is difficult to calculate.

I would suggest getting a vet to examine him as mites shouldn't make the hamster frail. All hamsters have mites but they get overrun with them if their immune system is compromised so it sounds as though there is something else going on and without seeing him it is impossible to know what is wrong.

I hope you get on ok.

Regards
Sheila