Why is my hamster having fur loss?

Question
Why is my hamster having fur loss? It is old, almost 2 years, but there are something like black colour on his skin, keeps on scratching itself. the fur loss is at its back, the back around the front left leg.

Answer
Hi Vicky

When hamsters reach about 2 they can show signs of old age and one of these signs is fur loss.  All hamsters have mites to a certain extent but if they are ill or when they get old and their immune system is stressed this can become a problem.  It could be that he has mites hence the increase in scratching and fur loss.  Is he particularly bothered by his fur loss?  How is is personality generally?  Is he still coming out and running around or is he staying in his nest more?

Is there anything that has changed in his cage, such as bedding etc. that might have caused some sort of irritation?  If this is mites it is quite difficult to treat in dwarf hamsters unfortunately because of their tiny size.  Treating mites in Syrians is relatively easy but as you only need one drop of the drug in question, for a dwarf it is considerably less, hence the reason why not many people want to risk treating a dwarf hamster.  If the area of skin is a little sore you could apply some aloe vera (either naturally from the plant, or make sure it is safe for animals) or teatree cream which is sold in pet shops (make sure it is safe for hamsters).  Teatree is a natural antiseptic.  In terms of treating the mites, I am afraid you would need to seek veterinary advice on this as the only mite medication I am aware of that you can buy for hamsters (made by Beaphar) is not safe for dwarf hamsters and therefore a vet might need to calculate a safe dosage for you.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila