Hamster question ?

Question

A while back I had a dwarf hamster; he was the offspring of two pure hamsters (ie, his parents weren't related) He didn't quite play well with his siblings, so I gave him his own cage, and after I'd given his siblings to good homes, I'd grown soft on the guy and decided to keep him.

About a week after I got rid of my other hamsters, the one remaining hamster began developing these odd pink spots on his lower back. I was worried, so I looked it up online, but couldn't find anything similar to his case. Days went by, and the fur on his lower top half was almost completely gone, and the naked skin looked agitated and painful; he had the same diet as all my other hamsters, and had the same type of bedding (not cedar, by the way), and the parents were not experiencing anything like him, and I also cleaned their cages once a week. A few days later, he died. Does this sound familiar? If so, is there anything that could prevent it from happening to other hamsters? Could it have been stress?

Answer 1

Your first resource should always be your veterinarian.

  

There are two things that come to mind with regards to your hamster's skin problem:

  

1.  Hamster bedding bought at pet stores can be infested with mites.  It is easy to treat by completely changing the bedding and completely washing the cage with soap and water.  There are also mite powders in the hamster section that you can use on your hamster to get rid of the mites.  Hamsters are also susceptible to fleas (as well as rabbits).  Since it is the start of flea season, this could be an issue.  Fleas require the same treatment of cleaning the bedding and cage, as well as purchasing some kitten (not dog and cat) flea powder to treat your hamster.  You may want treat again in two weeks to get any hatching fleas.

  

2.  A hamster's lifespan is around 2 years.  At the later stages of a hamsters life, they can become susceptible to tumors and cancers.  Is it possible this is an issue?  If so, your veterinarian would be your best resource.

Hope the info helped.

Good Luck with your hamster.

Answer 2

how old was he when you put him in his own cage ?

Answer 3

It sounds like either an allergic reaction, or parasites. I do not think stress would cause that.

I doubt it really was parasites because if they were kept in the ame room, and you handled them one after the other without washing hands, all the others would get the same symptom.

It is very likely that is was allergies. You may have been feeding the same food, but he was the only one allergic to it. Since he kept eating it, he eventually died.

You can prevent this by never breeding either of the parents you did breed. Obviously one of them have this allergy in their genes, and by breeding them you will onyl be producing more potentially allergic hammies.

Answer 4

He probably had mites, in which your hamster itches, scratch the fur off, and get infected. Your vet could have given your hamster some medication to prevent this.