Last week my hamster started itching her sides and belly constantly. She developed red, scaly, irrated skin. I took her to the vet on Friday and she has an allergy to something unknown. He gave her a tiny allergy shot and I have to check back in a week. I changed her carefresh bedding to the colored one since it's suppose to be softer, am just giving her the regular hamster mix and her fav carrots. She's got a three story wire/plastic cage and her favorite is the 2nd flr in a plastic house. I took out the carefresh bedding I had in there and just left the toilet paper. Today is Sunday and I noticed she's still itching. Does anyone know what it could be?
2007-03-25 20:20:42 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
did u see a small animal vet or just a regular vet? often regular vets just guess at problems. did he do a scrape for mites? is anyone smoking in the house? any perfumes or sprays been near him? how long have u had him? u mentioned it started recently so have u done anything differently? cleaned his cage with something new, changed food, moved his cage to a new room? best to clean his cage with vinegar, hot water, and baking soda only. carefresh is the best bedding so that's not the problem---pine/cedar would be the bad kind. make sure the toilet paper u give her is dye/scent free like scott brand.
i know that's a lot of questions but all have to be looked into. good luck!
2007-03-26 12:22:41 · answer #1 · answered by galaxygurl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume the vet ruled out mites, a common cause of itching and hair loss?
If it is an allergy, the only thing you can do is rule things out one by one. Animals can develop allergies to absolutely anything - you changed the bedding, so that's a good start. If you use a disinfectant to clean the cage, it could well be that - try changing it, preferably to a special 'pet-safe' one, available in PetSmart - they're phenol free. Keep in mind any sprays you use in the room may also be a cause.
After eliminating these causes, you may have to start considering the food - maybe stop giving carrot for a couple of weeks, see if it makes a difference. Finally, you may have to start removing certain bits of the food one by one to see if it makes a difference, say all the sunflower seeds to begin with. It can be a pretty big job trying to pin down the source of an allergy, but this is the full plan if you really want to get to the root of it!
Chalice
2007-03-25 21:03:42 · answer #2 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably just something around her cage. Try dusting and cleaning the areas around her. Remove any plants that could be too close to her cage. But, chances are, it's just dust. After you do these things, and if she doesn't get any better at all, try a different line of bedding completely. BUT, stay away from wood shaving.
2007-03-25 20:37:42 · answer #3 · answered by Stephanie V 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you can go to the pet store and ask them for something other that pine to put in the cage so the hamster is bothered.
Also try amother kind of food.
2007-04-02 09:03:04 · answer #4 · answered by PrincessNene 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask you vet about something called vermin ; skin fungus. Hamsters can get this from dirty maintenance conditions, bad grooming or an infection from other pets.
2007-04-02 15:29:23 · answer #5 · answered by Polar Molar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've seen that before, and it was the bedding - some hamsters are allergic to pine. I would recarpet with turf and see if she gets better.
2007-03-25 20:50:20 · answer #6 · answered by Helen Scott 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋