Hair Loss around (Dwarf Albino Haster)Nose, Eyes & Mouth

Question
Hi, I have a couple dwarf albino hamsters (I have 10 other ones as well) and have noticed that my 2 white one's look really sick. Both look like they have gauges on their face and are missing the hair around their eyes and nose area. My big one looks like her nose is going to fall off (she looks horrible! She looks really tired, puffy eyes, etc. I had cedar bedding in the cage (just changed with alpine & bed fluff (cotton). She does not seem to have lost here appetite and she is drinkig water as well. She also just had babies (1.5 weeks old) and I'm worried she might pass something on to the babies...Any help as to what might be wrong would be GREATLY appreciated as I can't find anything on line!! P.S. She does not look like she has wet butt?? Should I be alarmed at this point??? PLEASE HELP!!

Answer
Hi Tiffany,

Do you have a wire bar cage? Or a cage where they can stick their noses through and chew on the bars? If so this sounds as though it is the cause. It is highly common for rodents to chew bars, and rub all the fur of their noses and around that area. This can lead to saw and irritated skin. There is not a lot you can do to stop them doing this other than giving them a cage that they are not able to chew on, such as a nearly fully enclosed one. It sounds as though they have injured themselves, so i would advise either taking them to the vet so she can give you some antiseptic ointment, or you can normally buy something in the pet shop, such as tea tree based cream which can help. (Pets at Home do this).
If you can change the cage then this will be the best solution in the long run as it will stop them being able to chew the bars!

I hope this helps, but if you do not have a wire cage and this is not the problem then i would recommend visiting the vets to see what the problem is, as the last thing you want is for the wounds to become infected!

Charlie