According to the vet, the exposed skin looks healthy, no flakes to indicate dryness or possible mites. I initially suspected ringworm or mites because during a mites breakout last year & all of the hamsters, except her, were affected. So I thought that maybe it’s her turn to contract mites.

The vet thinks that it’s a psychological issue, mainly that she’s so bored that she overgrooms herself. She can’t groom anymore than the lower back of her body because that’s as far as she can reach.

I don’t understand how she can be bored because she has a lot of things in her cage: a wooden hidey house, a relatively large wheel for her size, plastic & cardboard tubes, ledges to climb on. I’ve since added more stuff in her cage & given her some chewable sticks that I have for the chinchillas & a 42-puzzle playground (that she NEVER goes into even though I hide treats in it!) to the point that there’s little walking space in her bin cage. The vet also suggested that I give her foods that are rich in good oils to encourage fur growth and more toys to keep her entertained. She doesn’t like the plastic ball because it scares her so I’ve only put her in the plastic ball a couple of times when I first got her.

Well, fast forward to today (about 4 weeks later), Pinky has certainly stopped overgrooming herself:

Lesson learned? Pack your hamster’s cage with tons of toys!

I bought a bunch of treats from the Tiny Island. I bought this lavender dust bath for the hammies, but they didn’t know what to do with it!! Instead, they just peed in it 0_o
They love the new treats though! I also bought this new wooden box where I put treats in it and the hammies have to figure out how to open it & get to the treats. So far, only Brain figured out how to open the box. The Robos only bit the wooden box and the Syrians are completely clueless. The (hired) petsitter didn’t know that my hammies like to hoard food. So, she kept refilling their food bowls thinking that they’re running out of food! But when I was cleaning their cages, I found food hidden inside the beddings .. that’s why Brain, Dee Dee, the Robos, and the Syrians all gained weight.

Sad news for Tubby though .. I think I’ve spoiled him with 30 minutes+ daily of out-of-the-cage playtime. When I was gone, he was down to 15 minutes for every 2 days. Even though I filled his cage with apple sticks & perches, lava ledge, lots of hay, & other chew things, he must have been bored out of his mind. He chewed off some of the fur on his tail, leaving a bald patch

I’ve been playing with him a lot since I got home and I’m not going to leave Tubby for that long again ..

ps: Winnie is fine and dandy though. Maybe because he’s used to not being let out at all from his days at the breeder.