winter white losing hair on hind quarters

Question
hello, my hamster is missing some hair on her hind quarters, the area  around the hair loss appears dry and rough, no evident open sores, she is eating and drinking, started about 3 weeks ago and is seems to be getting worse (more and more hair is missing), Is there a cream or salve that can help her, I can pet her on the area, seems to bother her some,  thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Christine

How old is your hamster?

You could apply aloe vera to the area (either from a plant, or if you buy a gel make sure it is safe if ingested - some varieties are designed for pets).  If the area looks sore at any stage you can apply teatree cream - this can be bought in pet shops specifically for animals - this is a natural antiseptic.  Alternatively you could just bathe the area in a little salt water to prevent infection.

It is hard to know why she has suddenly started doing this.  Fur loss can be age related, but it can also be hormonal.  In cases of hormones sometimes evening primrose oil helps if this is added to the food - you can buy it either in a dropper (most cost effective way) or in capsules that you can pierce but once you have pierced them they really should only be kept for a  day or two.  A drop of this can be added to some fresh vegetables each night.

Hamsters can get mites especially as they get older, but this is quite difficult to treat in the dwarf hamsters as the dosage used to treat Syrians is tiny anyway, and it is impossible to guess a safe dosage for a dwarf who is considerably smaller.

If you think there could be something in her bedding that is irritating her, then for a few days just put in paper towels and see if this makes a difference.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila