Is my male syrian hamster ill?
Hair loss and dry skin are common signs of skin parasites like mites. Often an animal will have had mites for awhile but not shown any symptoms until their immune system is weakened (stress, old age, illness). The condition is diagnosed with a skin scraping, and topical treatment is indicated to get rid of the mites. The second link below has a homemade treatment you can try if you can’t afford a vet visit. If you treat him for mites and it doesn’t solve the problem, the next possibility to consider is chronic illness. Especially in older hamsters (yours is middle-aged), hair loss can indicate kidney failure. Usually the hamster will drink and urinate excessively too, but you might not notice this unless you are carefully observing him looking for the behavior. Kidney failure can result in the skin condition deteriorating as well as hair loss. Unfortunately there’s not a good treatment for this condition and it is progressive; when he starts to feel sick you it will be obvious and you
