My hamster has a neck scab, red eyes, and is scratching. What's wrong?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is a little difficult to see in the photo, but there is what appears to be a small area of scabbing and hairloss, both of which are patchy on the hip. This can be caused by a skin infection, certain cancers, fungal infections, or skin mites which are very common in hamsters. These mites live within the hair follicles rather than cage surfaces, so cleaning the cage will not get rid of any of the possible causes. Mochi should be seen by a vet who can perform some quick tests on this area of skin to determine the underlying cause and start her on the appropriate treatment. In the meantime, to keep her more comfortable, you can gently trim her nails to keep her from traumatizing herself as she scratches. I hope this helps!

It could possibly be mange (mites in the hair follicles), ringworm (a fungal infection), or a bacterial skin infection. As ringworm is contagious to people and can spread rapidly, I recommend bringing your hamster to a vet for an examination and diagnostics based on the appearance of the lesions. In the meantime I would recommend handling your hamster with gloves and bathing with an antibacterial/antifungal shampoo such as Malaseb shampoo if you have access to this without a prescription where you live.

This is likely to be due either to a mite infestation or possibly an allergy. Intense itch can cause severe distress in hamsters. 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!

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about Pepper being so itchy! There are two main things I think about when I see itchy hamsters- skin mites and ringworm. It would be helpful to know if this started happening after contact with a new hamster, as it is often a contagious problem. I would recommend taking her in to see a vet that is experienced with hamsters. They can perform a skin scraping to check for mites and take a sample of hair to check for ringworm. Mites are treated with an anti-parasitic medication, while ringworm is treated with an anti-fungal medication. Once the cause is treated, her skin will be much more comfortable and she will stop scratching so much. As a note, ringworm can spread from animals to humans, but is generally easily treated in people. If you have any skin rashes, check with your MD! I hope you find this helpful! Best of luck to you and Pepper! :)

Hello! Salem may very well have mites, or possibly another type of skin infection, such as bacteria or ringworm. I would recommend taking him into a vet to find out what the cause of the scabs are, because the treatment is different for every cause. They will likely recommend a skin scraping and taking a sample of his hair to investigate what the source of the problem is. I hope this helps!

Poor Molly, she certainly looks like she is having a problem with her skin. The most common cause of dry, scaley skin and itching is mites. I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian who can assess her for underlying skin disease and recommend a treatment accordingly.

Thanks for reaching out about Biddy. Is Biddy new? Could it have been a fight with another animal? Hair loss, swollen and scabbed sounds like a wound. This could be parasitic, bacterial, fungal, endocrine and more. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Do not apply anything topical such as Neosporin as some of these medications can be ingested and cause problems. Good luck.