Roboroskvi skin condition

Question
Hi there
We have three roboroskvi hamsters two are in really good health good weight and good coats.  But one is much smaller than the other two, he cannot seem to gain weight, but he main problem is that he has lost a lot of fur from his rear end and his back he is covered in black bloody scabs that if you try and remove the scabs (by bathing) they ooze blood and pus. He does have some fur left behind his neck but it is thinning and you can see the skin underneath is very imflammed and red as well.  He does seem to eat and drink (if anything they all seen to drink to much) and he plays in his wheel so although he looks very unwell he still seems to be enjoying life.  Do you have any ideas what is affecting his skin and what we can do to treat him we are having a tough time financially at the moment and taking him to the vets is difficult but we do not want him to suffer

Answer
Hi Lisa

First of all - are they picking on him?  From what you've said it sounds as though he's being bullied and the missing fur and scabs are from bites.  Have you heard any scuffles/squealing coming from the cage?  Are there any signs of bites on the other two hamsters?

Is his fur wet - when hamsters/gerbils have been bitten their wounds ooze plasma. Sometimes dwarf hamsters pick on each other - they don't kill outright, but their constant picking on another hamster (often the weakest) results in that hamster dying from injuries/dehydration etc.  Therefore this is potentially is a very serious situation.

Ideally you should get him to a vet, and if this condition gets any worse I would strongly advise you do this.  However, for the next day or two you could try the following:

Examine all three to see if there are any signs of bite marks on any of them.

Keep a really close watch on them together - to see if they are picking on him.  If so, you will need to put him in his own cage.  You don't want to be too hasty with this as once he's been separated you won't be able to put them back together - but it sounds as though he is at risk.  I don't know where you are writing from, but you might be able to pick up a second hand cage either from the vets (sometimes people hand them in when they have their hamsters put to sleep), or a charity shop.  If you can't get a cage immediately, perhaps there is some way of temporarily blocking off part of the cage so that you can isolate the injured hamster - it might be a good idea to try this anyway while he recovers before making a definite decision about splitting them.  This way, they will still be able to smell him and if his wounds are not due to bullying, you may well be able to get him back with the other two hamsters. Just make sure that there's no way they can get to him and that all three hamsters have access to water.

You also need to get some nourishment into this hamster and make sure he's not deyhdrated.  I know that you have said that he is drinking a lot, but if he is losing fluids through blood/plasma, then he is still probably dehydrating.  If you buy a box of human oral rehydration powders from the chemist.  Mix up a packet as per the instructions on the box - then with a dropper bottle/pipette, give the hamster some of this to drink.  I suggest little and often - just a few drops or so at a time.  This will help replace any essential salts.  If he is dehydrated  this will have a quick effect on him.  (I had three gerbils living together once and I noticed one looked ill and was wet.  When I examined him he was covered in red bite marks and was going into shock.  I can't believe I'd never noticed it before - sometimes there is no explanation as to why they suddenly turn on each other.  I rushed them all the vet and he was given pain relief and antibiotics.  I separated him from the others, and didn't hold out much hope of him surviving. He didn't seem to be making any progress so the following evening I gave him oral rehydration and a few hours later he had perked up a lot and was eating.  He went onto make a full recovery.)

The injured area must be kept clean - you can use Aloe Vera on the wounds - but make sure that it is safe if ingested - some of the gels on sale are for external use only - therefore you must be careful that is is safe if he licks himself.  Or you can boil some water and add a small amount of salt - make sure the water is cool before applying.

You could also try him on some human baby food - I find the powdered variety is the best as it keeps (creamy porridge oats is a favourite!). Mix a small quantity (teaspoonful) with water and let him drink/eat this.  It is full of nutrients and may help build up his strength.

If the condition worsens, he will need to get to a vet as wounds could infect and he may need antibiotics.   

I hope this helps you.  Good luck with this. Please let me know how you get on.

Regards