itchy hamster

Question
"I have a 6month old Syrain Female. Recently she broke her 2 top teeth and
was put on a diet of bread, cucumber, milk, apples etc as she was unable to
chew on harder substances such as her own food.
I Use Aspen Bedding for my hamster, and recently jus bought carefesh for
her. I have noticed that she has started to itch herself a lot, behind the ears,
face everything. She will do it in her sleep as well. I cleaned her out yesterday
and used onl the carefresh (it is the colored one) but she still seems to be
itching a lot. She was taken to the vet 2 weeks ago for her teeth and she was
fine. But since the last 1.5 weeks she has started itching a lot and sleeping
more. I checked her over for fleas but don't spot any. Do you know what the
problem can be? Is a hamster itching normal? how much do they normally itch
and groom?"


Answer
The only thing I can think of is the switch in beddings. The colored carefresh my have dye in it that is irritating your hamster's skin, causing it to itch. You can look at the hamsters skin by blowing gently in the fur or parting the fur with your finger. If the skin looks flaky or red at all, this is a sign that the irritation is real, and not just your hamster grooming itself. Some hamsters groom so hard it looks like they are itching. They lick their paws and quickly move it through their fur, which looks a lot like itching. If you notice any irritation, try fully cleaning the entire tank, giving it a good scrubbing and a rinse, and try a different bedding.