i'm not quite sure about vet trips though. i think better bring him along in his cage and give him treats to let him know he's okay.

some mites might be naked to the eyes so cannot totally rule out possibility of mites. my hamster also lost fur - almost bald near his "elbow" but after switching food, his fur grew back.

the RM 10 delikate mix is not good for him.

i'll post a few photos of my hamster and set up soon.

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Added on November 22, 2012, 10:44 ami'm not quite sure about vet trips though. i think better bring him along in his cage and give him treats to let him know he's okay.

some mites might be naked to the eyes so cannot totally rule out possibility of mites. my hamster also lost fur - almost bald near his "elbow" but after switching food, his fur grew back.

the RM 10 delikate mix is not good for him.

i'll post a few photos of my hamster and set up soon.

This post has been edited by starrynight: Nov 22 2012, 10:44 AM

Thanks starrynight. Beside mind to share what brand of hamster mix that you feeding him right now? At the moment i was feeding vitakraft menu. He been having that since he was a baby i might afraid if i suddenly change, he might not get used to it.

Actually i been checking him. There are no sign of mites (tink black speck). But his been scratching & scratching & shake his furs (Like when a dog shake his fur after bath) that kind. Then he was like scratching & only stop when he sleep.

This post has been edited by babybb: Nov 22 2012, 11:17 AM

Man, the last time I let my hammy play on the balcony, he almost jumped down. Scared the hell out of me and my friends trying to coax him down. A fried of mine had a hamster who did commit suicide from balcony.

The most I manged was to train my hamster to sit still on my shoulder as I walk around the house.


If there's no mites, I certainly hope there's no fungas....black spots. Just make sure the cage is not damp or dusty in any way.

I've taken two hamsters to vet before. Mine are syrians so they're easier to handle. I place my hammy in a shoe box (my hammy was quite active) or in a small cage (this one was in critical situation). Both did get quite stressed at first but I let them smell my hands and stroked them so they knew I was next to them.

Make sure your vet is the type that knows how to handle hamsters. Putting pressure to check them seems kinda scary as one of my hammy eyes were about to pop out from trying to get away.

A trip to the vet will probably cost around RM20 (check up only), and RM40 for med like antibiotic. I was lucky my vet was a hamster keeper before so she consulted me on the extra care.

If you're interested, the clinic I went to was in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara. The vet was Melissa.

I'm not sure bout the mites. I just google about it & some said it look like tiny black specks around their furs but as far as i know i been checking on my hammie & if not mistaken no sign of mites. Kitsune, mind telling me how a fungus look like? I just know my hammie been scratching more tha usual & there a bald patch with some furr loss. There a spot where i see abit of white flakes sticking at his furs. It's dry and flaky.

Glad that you meet a very nice vet. TTDI seem a little bit far. Mine nearest location would be genting klang. I have though of changing the cage. Currently i'm using cardboard box as their cage & its been a period of time i have not change it. I think probably its this reason. I might will buy plastic storage box like starrynight as their cage. I hope its just allergies. Anyway kitsune i got 2 robo hamster who seem to have the same problem also. Will the vet double charge me on the consultation fees if i bring 2 as well?

This post has been edited by babybb: Nov 22 2012, 05:08 PM

I'm feeding him Bonanza Hartz but I remove everything that is not good for a dwarf hammie. He get those as treats only, not staple food.

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Added on November 22, 2012, 5:21 pmoh yey .. ur buying a storage box as well? i find that works best as a hamster cage. easy to clean also. Is there a possibility that they're in a cardboard box and then they sleep on where they pee thus the scratching? Maybe give it a change and see.

This post has been edited by starrynight: Nov 22 2012, 05:21 PM

Yea been thinking of change your type of cage. As you said easy to clean. Might possible also.. all the well just change bedding & also the magazine which i used it to cover the bottom. Previous use newspaper but search abt it & its not good as newapaper inks are toxin to hammie so change to magazine which cleaner. The cardboard box been 1yr plus havent been change. Might already dusty just i dont know only.

Here's what fungas spots looks like;



and ringworm:



This is what I got from a website: http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/guineapig11.htm

Hair loss: Hair loss may be caused by skin parasites, bacterial infections, fungal disease, and allergic reactions to bedding, in particular cedar/pine chips. Hamsters are very sensitive to the aromatic oils in cedar and pine. Constant contact with these substances can result in hair loss, cracked, dry skin, secondary bacterial infections and in severe cases, death.


Also read here: http://www.hammysworld.com/index.php?p=furloss and http://www.hamsterific.com/illnessguide.cfm

For the time being, consider separating/isolating your hamsters. One might be a carrier.

Cardbox? Wow...my Syrian would have teared them. I agree that plastic storage would be best. I'm using steel cages for my hamsters and my elder Syrian is just too active with climbing that she broke her leg twice. My robo is better in it since his paws are small. I don't have many toys so that's my version of play toy for them i.e. jungle gym!

I use newspaper at the bottom too. They love tearing it apart and I cover them with wood shavings (tip: don't blow them on their faces and get rid of the sharp ones) and tissue shedding for warmth. My Syrian loves them for cold nights.

And, I'm not sure if they vet will charge you double....good luck!

Showing off my hamster

Kitaro who just got better from fungal infection on her bottom. No housing for now to keep her from damp spots.

Thanks for sharing Kitsune. I dont think it's fungus as my hammie doesnt look that serious. He just have the bald patch that's all. Hopefully it's not mites & it's just an allergies. I'll try to change his diet & cage for 1 week if the scratching still have then i might bring them to vet. Cute fella you have there but glad that your hammie are recovering. He seem so lazy & relaxing.. LOL

Oh yeah I'm actually really really careful about that. We sat pretty far back actually haha. Yeah I've heard of hamsters falling off balconies and kids explained it as a tomato falling off the balcony. :s

RM20 for check up and RM40 for antibiotic??? I went to the Pet clinic at Old Klang Road (mostly for dogs but they do accept other small animals too), check up and antibiotics costs a total of RM15. Went there a couple times.

Hi Kitsune,

Probably just a note. I think newspaper is not good for a hamster to be digging around in because of the ink unless it's soy ink but I don't think here we have any soy ink based newspaper.

To quote other sources from another forum :

"Newspaper doesn't make good bedding. Newspapers contain ink, and I even doubt that I can make it through a day when I read the newspaper with a bit of ink on my hands. Basically, ink is not really good to the hamsters The fumes of ink and the liquid itself could be digested by the hamster."

"Yes, newspapers aren't good to use as bedding because the inks (most anyway) are toxic...immediately remove the newspaper & replace it with shredded toilet paper."

"Do you mean newspapers? Despite what the posters above have said I've been told many times on various other forums that newspaper ink (well in the UK atleast) it perfectly safe because it is printed with soy ink. "

There's still some debate about this though.

I use this, more easier and most importantly, not much of bad smell if you don't have the time to clean

My hamsters are hyper active, they like to sweep the bedding away and out from the cage! I've got no choice but to minimize the amount.

This post has been edited by D4D3r1C: Nov 23 2012, 10:07 AM

Oh mine lives in a 9 inches tall storage box so rarely kicked out. On one hand he enjoys burrowing time though so I also like to give him

Removed the papers in both cages. My elder hammy was quite confused for awhile. Probably thinking "where the hell did my blanket went?". I've decided to give her back her house but without the roof to make sure there's no damp spots in her cage. She's indeed fond of tissues but she tends to be greedy and stuff it in her pouch. Like a travel blanket or something.

Where can I get the Home-friends thing? I just finished my wood-shavings. Phew...finally. I made a mistake in getting scented one because it was cheap.

*Sigh* Okay guys a little updates here. Finally today i have brought my hamtari go see a vet. The vet diagnose it was demodex mites (if i'm not mistaken). He still ask me to see it myself thru the microscope there was a thingy with hands & legs. The vet told me it's quite a stubborn mites. Gosh.. but hamtari was a strong little fella. He was so quiet in all the process. He didn't struggles or running around. Just quietly when the vet are taking his fur & skin sample for test. I'm so proud of him!!! The doctor have give me a drug which i think was an antibiotic to be fed every 3days (1 week twice) oral with syringe.

Did anyone be kind to advice me how could i fed the medicine to my hammie with syringe? He was an active fella who cant sit still even for a second.. I might afraid he doesnt wanna drink it

Pray hard for my hammie speedy recover =)

This post has been edited by babybb: Nov 25 2012, 12:02 AM

That's good news now that we know what causes the skin condition.

I had to feed my hammy antibiotic everyday using a syringe too. Again, my hammy is a Syrian so she was large enough for me to hold comfortably.

What I did was simply to cup her in my palm facing me, hold back her paws using my thumb and pinky, and push the point at the side of her mouth (front got her two teeth, ma). I had to be very careful as the whole syringe contained med for one whole week, so I marked it with marker. I did it in one go and she was nice enough to swallow it like water.

YT video to help you out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cF52AFtVVg (My style, gentler)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLrSuMc2q8 (for active ones)

Good luck!

This post has been edited by Kitsune_Yuiyean: Nov 25 2012, 01:42 AM

I bought it from Midvalley Pets shop, not sure they still sell them though.

Damp spots? It's dangerous for hammies? My hammy lives in a porcelain hippo, not sure if you've seen it before. Quite popular in stores here.
The Home-friends as far as I know is sold only at Pets Lovers Centre (sunway, Ikano, Bangsar etc)

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Added on November 25, 2012, 11:55 amDamp spots? It's dangerous for hammies? My hammy lives in a porcelain hippo, not sure if you've seen it before. Quite popular in stores here.

The Home-friends as far as I know is sold only at Pets Lovers Centre (sunway, Ikano, Bangsar etc)

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Added on November 25, 2012, 11:57 amAs for my past experience, the meds I got was sweet, so my hammie voluntarily drinks it haha.
Wish your hammie a fast recovery

This post has been edited by jeremysoon93: Nov 25 2012, 11:57 AM

Hi guys,

Need urgent help asap. Anyone knows any hamster vet in Malacca ?