Watching your lovely hamster unusually licking its body or scratching its sides and backs can send fear into your mind. The first question that may pop up in your mind could be, can hamsters get ticks? Yes, hamsters can get ticks. They can get ticks from other pets and unkempt habitat.
But that’s not supposed to leave you without hope. There is surely a lifeline. There are some steps you can take to save your little hamster from ticks.
I have packed them up in this post. But briefly, the best and two major ways your hamsters can avoid to get ticks is always to keep the cage clean and don’t bring it close to other un-kept home pets. Can we unwrap the rest? If so, read on.
Can Hamsters Get Ticks?
Like other pets in the rodents family, hamsters can get ticks. They can get ticks if they are exposed to other pets that have ticks on them.
They are also likely to get infested with ticks and other fleas right in their cages. Ticks lying around the unclean environment can find their way to your hamster’s habitat and get him to play their host.
The ticks will quickly hide firmly under the hamster’s skin and onto his hair follicles’ roots. From there, they will begin to suck the blood of your hamster.
This is why it is essential always to keep your hamster’s cage clean all the time. Change his bedding every week and remove every leftover food and droppings every day.
Your regular cleaning of his cage will make it impossible for fleas to develop on any dirt lying around and attack your hamster.
Watch this video:
How Do Hamsters Get Fleas?
As I have already remarked, hamsters can get fleas if they are around other pets. They can also get fleas from humans. You may have other pets like dogs or cats, or your neighbor may do. It’s likely that if any of these other pets are infested with fleas, they may hang on your body.
Then when you come to your hamster, you become the unusual carrier that infects him with fleas. You fleas jump from one victim to another.
If your hamster is the active one, always running around the house, he may come into contact with the eggs of fleas meant for other pets. It is also possible for fleas to infest the bedding of hamsters and start laying eggs there.
One mistake any hamster owner will make is only removing the hamsters’ droppings on their bedding without changing the bedding every one week. If you do that, you may unconsciously give fleas the chance to brood on your hamster.
How Can I Know If My Hamster Has Fleas?
Whenever you begin to see your hamster scratching the surface of his skin continually, then you can suspect he might be playing host to some ticks. Another situation that can make you suspect that your hamster has been infested with ticks is when you begin to see the hairs from its fur begin to fall off now and then.
There is a practical way you can check if your hamster is infested with ticks. Run a fine comb through his skin, and you will see any tick lying under his skin. If you do this very carefully and slowly, you will be able to spot the ticks in the hair follicles of the hamster, their very tiny size notwithstanding.
How Do I Remove A Tick From My Hamster?
Finding a tick on your pet hamster is enough to make you very anxious. But you don’t have to unless there is nothing that can be done about it. But the good news is that there is. There are easy ways you can remove a tick from your hamster.
Follow these steps by KidsHealth:
- Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to the skin.
- Pull firmly and steadily until the tick lets go of the skin. Please do not twist the tick or rock it from side to side. Parts of the tick might stay in the skin but eventually will come out on their own.
- Wash your hands and the site of the bite with soap and water.
- Swab the bite site with alcohol.
Read Also: How Often To Change Hamsters Water
Conclusion
If your hamster is unusually scratching his skin or any other part of his body, he might be having ticks under his skin. But you don’t need to be too anxious about it, because it’s not about your pet. Every other pet, especially in the rodents family, gets infested with fleas.
However, you have a role to play. Keep your hamster away from other pets. Also, keep his cage clean every day. And make sure you change his bedding every week. The good news is that ticks are visible to the naked eyes and so are easy to remove.
