Why is my winter white hamster losing fur, walking oddly, and weight?

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

It sounds like your hamster could have a potentially life threatening condition called wet tail. This condition can be brought on by stress (which it sounds like yours may have had some of recently) and it can be quite dangerous. If not treated by a veterinarian asap, it can be fatal. Please seek treatment as soon as you can. In the meantime, clean the cage very well and minimize stress as much as possible; do not hold the hamster or have any new or abnormal conditions to his environment.

Thanks for reaching out about Peppermint and including photos (although they are a little out of focus). Hair loss and chewing at the skin could be an indication of a lesion (mites, bacterial, other) and being irritating and over-groomed. Most hamsters are nocturnal, so active at night. If having a skin problem could be more secretive. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic treatment plan. Good luck.

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.

The most common causes for this in hamsters is either mites or ringworm, you will need to take him to the vet in order to get it checked and treated, it's more likely to be mites, the treatment is quite simple but ringworm needs to be ruled out first.

I am sorry that sesame isn't himself right now. My biggest concern is that something is causing the crust in the hair on his rear end. He potentially could have a wound, skin infection, parasites or even diarrhea. The hair is likely falling out secondary to this dried debris and him potentially chewing. I would strongly recommend you contact your veterinarian for an exam so they can figure out what is causing the fur to stick together in the first place and possible medications if needed. I hope this sweet boy starts to feel better really soon!

Typically hair loss in hamsters comes with age. Older hamsters can lose their hair due to a lack of protein (less than 16%) or iron in their diet. Other hamster illnesses can cause hair loss including sarcoptic mange, demodex mites, ringworm or disease such as kidney or Cushing’s disease. When you can get him to a vet for an exam I suggest you do so. In the meantime I suggest that you make sure he has a high quality diet and cut back on cereals if you are giving him any. You can give him one drop of cod liver oil daily. You can also use this spot-on product in case the problem is mites. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beaphar-Anti-Parasite-Hamsters-Gerbils-Rabbits/dp/B073H1GXSR/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=hamster+food+oxbow&qid=1587944081&sr=8-8