hamster hair loss

Question
ok, my hamster is lossing his hair and I can't figure out why. my first guess was old age but then i saw a little patch of black like fur where he had apparently scratched himself. we've had him since birth and for about 2 1/2 to 3 years. i don't know can you help?

Answer
Hi Amanda

2 1/2 to 3 years is a good age for a hamster.  They do tend to lose some of their fur when they are old. whereabouts is this fur loss?  Is it on his hips?  if so, is it on both sides?  Syrians (I'm assuming he is a Syrian) have scent glands on their hips and sometimes these go a bit bald and there is a black spot under them - this is normal.  

Hamsters can lose their fur either through hormonal changes, or if they are scratching it is often because of mites.  This is easily treated with a drug called ivermectin.  You can buy this in pet shops in the form of an anti parasite medication (made by Beaphar) but it must the type for hamsters, and must contain Ivermectin.  It is applied externally to the back of the neck and the dose is repeated a couple of weeks later (the instruction leaflet will have all details).  However, if his skin is very sore, or if there are other problems in that he isn't eating/drinking normally etc. and generally showing signs of ill health then it you should not treat him with this drug.

Apart from this how is he?  Is he behaving normally?  Hamsters usually start to slow down around this age and not come out as much but he should still be interested in food.  Any dramatic increase in water consumption however is usually an indication of an underlying health condition - kidney failure, or a tumor.  When these are present the hamster often looks quite dull too.  If you are at all concerned then it is always worth getting someone to have a look as it is difficult to know for sure what is happening without actually seeing the hamster.

I hope this helps you.

regards
Sheila