hamster skin problems

Question
QUESTION: My hamster Melvin, is about 1.5 yrs old. He has lost a lot of fur on his sides and stomach. There are a few sores. The weirdest part is that on the side of his neck, there are these purple-ish line thing and i have no clue what they are. his appetite is normal and so are his exercise habits. do you have ant clue on what this could be?

ANSWER: Hi Morgan,

    Hamsters will tend to get some sores once in awhile (they are usually like a cyst, they break open and scab over and then go away). The fur loss could be from old age, wrong type of bedding like cedar or pine, or mites. If he is scratching a lot he should be looked over for mites (tiny red dots moving around on your hamster). If these are present, then a vet should be consulted. If there are no mites and you are not using cedar or pine bedding, then the hair loss is probably from old age.
    As for the purple-ish line, this sounds like it could be some of the hamsters veins.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thank you for writing!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your time and answer. If the cause is old age, how long does he have to live?

Answer
Hello again Morgan,

    A hamsters life span is generally 2-3 years. Just because he is loosing hair does not mean is is going to die, it just means he is getting older. Most of the time the hair will grow back.
    If you have anymore questions, please write again.

Thanks again for writing!