Biting / mites

Question
Hi Jewel,
My dwarf hamster, Hairy Potter, seemed to be grooming himself a lot on his arm, but when i checked it, it was red and inflamed, and he can't seem to stop biting it.  Do you think he has mites?  His paw got like that once and I bathed it in lukewarm thyme water, and it went away, but this time it looks worse.  I have a vet appointment, but it's not until wednesday (all the vets are on vacation till after the 4th).  Should I try the thyme bath again, and are there any other home remedies that you know of?
Thanks,
Chloe

Answer
hi chloe,

it sounds like hairy potter has mites and must get treatment as soon as possible.
mites are a common problem in hamsters. they are so tiny you wouldn't be able to see them. they burrow into the skin and irritate the hamster so much, he begins to pull out his own fur.
tiny scabby areas or redness on the skin are common symptoms of an infestation. they indicate areas where your hamster has been scratching or biting. however in the early days these may not be apparent.
home DIY solutions are available from petshops, however in most cases they only serve to prevent the problem rather than provide a cure.
the earlier you catch a case of mites the better as their eggs may stay unaffected on hammy's skin so when you think the infestation has been removed, the eggs hatch and the mites start to multiply again.
the best way to deal with a mite infestation is to catch it early and take hammy to the vet. s/he will put a few mite killing and repellent drops on the back of his neck. this will kill any mites exisiting and repell others from attacking.
with regards to the thyme bath, i think its great that you are trying to help him. it will certainly help to soothe the area. i used a thyme bath on my hammy and it aided recovery alongside the treatment he was having.
thyme helps to irradicate mites as they don't like the smell. however i wouldn't suggest this as an alternative to the vets treatment, as a thyme bath will not get rid of the infestation completely.
certainly up until wednesday i think its a really good idea to give him a bath. try not to use anything else though as some shampoos even the hamster-friendly ones and gentle baby shampoos can cause dryness which again will be a problem to your hammy.
another method i tried was rubbing a small amount of lavender or rosemary oil (diluted essential oil) on the affected area. again the smell repels mites for a while. its not a cure all but it seemed to help my hammy.

mites is the likely cause so get him to the vets on wednesday.

hope this helps and hope he feels better soon.
thanks for your question, jewel

PS> great name by the way!