sick hamsters and duprasi with bugs

[aqh88]

For those who don't know my 2 dwarf hamsters, Kita and Kay, live with a duprasi, Kiri. Kiri's sister died and Kiri got depressed. She wouldn't eat for a week and I couldn't find any other duprasis. Out of desperation I showed her one of my sister's dwarf hamsters through a mesh divider and for the first time since Kora died Kiri was active and ate some food. So I got her 2 baby female dwarf hamsters and they've lived together for nearly 3 years now. For anyone wondering this is Kiri http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/duprasi/.

Recently the 2 dwarf hamsters were getting skinny. Probably partially due to their age so after some research I decided to mix in harry hamster food to my home made hamster/duprasi food mix of mostly bird seed. I also feed them a few crickets or mealworms every month because duprasi are insectivores and the hamsters love mealworms as well. They aren't very efficient cricket killers though like duprasi are. Other than the mealworms and crickets I found it hard to increase their daily protein and fat intake which is why I added the commercial mix.
They've gained weight back but then 2 days ago Kita started acting stiff and lethargic. Kay was a bit sick as well but has pretty much recovered. Kita lost all the hair on her backend and I made an appointment tomorrow for the vet. I'm wondering though if the others are overgrooming her since they are quite concerned. Kita will also just sit in the corner making soft squeaks and she's shaky when she walks. Any ideas?
The 2nd problem is that I picked up Kiri who has a fairly thick fluffy coat and saw little black lice shaped bugs. Anyone know about treating hamsters for parasites? If you could find info on treating duprasis I'd really appreciate it. There's not a whole lot of info out there and I know our usual vet is clueless. I'm taking them to the guinea pig vet I found to see if she knows anything. I think Kora might have been saved if we had known right away what antibiotics were safe for duprasis.

[Hansel]

Kiri is really cute...where do they come from? I have never heard or seen a duprasi! I really hope that you can get your girls better!

[aqh88]

http://www.gerbils.co.uk/gerbils/duprasi.htm this page is about the best and I was emailing back and forth with a few of these people but emails have changed in 3years. The only thing with that site is to ignore most of what the first person says. Me and several others have proven much of that wrong and duprasi are not as agressive as most people think. Kiri and Kora's story about how they acted during Kora's illness along with the introducing of Kiri and the dwarf hamsters spread quite a bit and was even printed in a magazine because my experiences with these guys differ considerably from what other have found.
Yea they can be pushy, protective, and they aren't against giving you a sharp nip should they think your doing something wrong but they are intelligent and fair. Once out of their cage with nothing to protect they never bite but touching Kora's wheel before removing her would cost you some blood. To settle arguments amongst each other they bite each other's tails. Most duprasis will have a few tail scars but they rarely attack any other area. Kiri has taught the hamsters to bite tails and somehow she manages to find those tiny little bumps they call a tail. They also recognize their owners and if you handle them enough they will stop feeling the need to protect their burrow, cagemate, and toys. Kiri never bites me but if anyone else tries to touch her hamsters without permission she'll be sure to draw blood. Fluffballs with attitude.