Why is my hamster losing fur near her tail and sleeping a lot?

Your hamster may be suffering from ectoparasites such as mites or fleas and/or an allergy to the bites. I suggest you take him to a veterinarian for a hands-on exam and diagnosis. The vet can prescribe or treat your hamster with a proper medicine to kill the parasites. There are mite treatments for hamsters available in the pet shops, but I am not sure whether they are effective. You will definitely need to clean and disinfect your hamster's cage, bedding and toys and food and water containers to hopefully prevent the mites from reinfecting your hamster after treatment.

Hair loss in hamsters can be due to many things including: * Rubbing on metal cage feeders or excessive burrowing; usually the hair loss is around the face * Cage overcrowding, wounds from fighting, hair chewing by cage mates * Vitamin, mineral, or protein deficiency (general hair loss and not usually just a patch here and there) * Ticks, mites, and other ectoparasites * T-cell lymphoma * Thyroid gland hormone imbalance and inflammation of kidneys (rare) I would be a bit worried about her having T-cell lymphoma or a thyroid issue due to her age and the fact that she is not itching, sleeping more and drinking more. I suggest you talk to your vet about these possibilities. If your vet is not used to treating hamsters you may want to find one that is.

I am very sorry winter is not feeling well. I would recommend taking her to a vet due to the weight loss and hair changes. Typically hamsters do not carry disease like infect people but I would recommend discussing that with the vet at her visit. I would be concerned about possible dental disease, skin infection, skin parasites or even internal disease. Winter really needs a good exam to determine the cause and provide proper treatment. hope that helps

That could be commonly caused by a mites infestation or a bacterial infection. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hi there, I'm sorry your little hamster is having trouble. Hair loss can be from a number of things- skin parasites like skin mites are very common in these guys. Also, there can be hair loss from endocrine diseases , overgrooming from stress or other things. Your vet can test your friend for parasites and then prescribe a safe medicine that you can use. Over the counter meds, such as dog and cat flea products, would be too strong and could hurt your pet. if it is not parasites, they can check to see what else might be going on.

for right now, keeping Eliot fed & providing adequate moisture is the key. Soaking his pellets, offering fruit & vegetable baby foods, even using Oxbows Critical Care for bunnies is appropriate. If he is still symptomatic on Monday, have your veterinarian evaluate him in case he needs deworming or an antibiotic. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, & sorry for the disconnect. The dog hit return on my keyboard.

Yes you should as this could be due to a skin infection, possibly caused by a mite infestation. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!