The term ‘ringworm’ is misleading because ringworm is actually caused by a fungus (Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum). If your hamster has ringworm, you will see patches of hair loss where the skin looks crusty, flaky, and red. Your vet will diagnose ringworm by looking at the affected skin with a special lamp and examining some of your hamster’s fur with a microscope.  The affected areas of skin look like rings. Ringworm is common in older hamsters. Several treatment options are available for ringworm. One option is medicated shampoo, containing either povidone iodine (antibacterial) or an antifungal medication. Consider trimming your hamster’s fur before the bath so the shampoo is most effective. Be mindful that your hamster may resist getting bathed.  Topical treatment with griseofulvin, an antifungal medication, is another treatment option. Your vet would shave the affected skin areas first, then you would apply the ointment at home as prescribed.  Isolate the affected hamster during treatment.  Treatment for ringworm usually lasts 18‒21 days.  Hamster ringworm is contagious to humans, so you should wear gloves when handling your hamster and wash your hands after handling. A hamster can get infected with ringworm from its cage bedding. Clean the cage and its contents with hot, soapy water. Throw away all the bedding and put in clean bedding when the cage is completely dry. As with handling your hamster, wear gloves when cleaning its cage. If your hamster’s cage doesn’t get much fresh air, it could become damp inside, which would promote fungal growth and increase the risk of a ringworm infection. If you do not have a wire cage, consider purchasing one. A wire cage would have great ventilation. If buying a new cage is not practical, purchase a wire cage top to improve the cage's ventilation.

Summary: Have your vet diagnose ringworm. Follow treatment instructions. Clean your hamster’s cage. Keep the cage well ventilated.


Opening a window is not always the best idea if you’re trying to purify the air in your home. The air outdoors contains a lot of pollutants. Instead, install trickle vents. These vents are screens you place over your windows with extra filters to help remove pollutants from inside while letting fresh air in. Use a disposable HEPA filter with your air conditioner. You can also purchase standing HEPA filters for a single room or use them in air purifiers. Make sure to clean or change the HEPA filter often. Air conditioners can help improve the air quality in your home by removing water from the air, which can help since a lot of pollutants are water-soluble. ACs can also remove other impurities from the air. Exhaust fans in your bathroom help remove moisture from the air. This helps protect against mold. In the kitchen, exhaust fans help remove harmful pollutants from the air. Whenever you take a shower or cook, run the exhaust fans to help remove these things from the air in your home. Using the exhaust fan when cooking can help reduce the buildup of harmful gases if you have a gas stove. If you use chemicals, or engage in hobbies like painting, you need ventilate your house. Open windows, use fans, or open doors to remove any chemicals from the air. If possible, use chemicals outdoors to reduce the amount in the air in your home. Some cleaning products can put pollutants into the air. Look for cleaning products that are fragrance-free. Also look for products that say low VOC or no VOC, which means they contain few or no volatile organic compounds. Don’t leave your car in a garage while on for long periods of time. When a car idles, it emits exhaust that can come into your house. If you are cranking a car and letting it idle for any reason, move it to the driveway instead of leaving it in your home.

Summary: Improve ventilation in your home. Use a HEPA filter. Use your air conditioner. Use exhaust fans. Open windows when using chemicals. Choose your cleaning products carefully. Remove your car from the garage when cranked.


Heat olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Cook the meat on all sides until browned, and then transfer the shanks to a separate dish. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring often, and then add the potatoes. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring it to a simmer. The meat should be tender when finished. Separate the meat from the bones, and then return the meat to the pan. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Summary: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Sprinkle the lamb shanks with salt and place them in the pot. Combine the onions, carrots, and celery in the pot. Return the lamb shanks to the pot along with the garlic and herbs. Remove the pot from heat, cover it with a lid, and bake it in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the lamb shanks from the pan. Serve warm.


The standard deviation is a measure of how spread out your data is. It gives you information on how similar each data point is within your sample, which helps you determine if the data is significant. At first glance, the equation may seem a bit complicated, but these steps will walk you through the process of the calculation. The formula is s = √∑((xi – µ)2/(N – 1)).  s is the standard deviation. ∑ indicates that you will sum all of the sample values collected. xi represents each individual value from your data. µ is the average (or mean) of your data for each group. N is the total sample number. To calculate the standard deviation, first you must take the average of the samples in the individual groups. The average is designated with the Greek letter mu or µ. To do this, simply add each sample together and then divide by the total number of samples.  For example, to find the average grade of the group that read the material before class, let’s look at some data. For simplicity, we will use a dataset of 5 points: 90, 91, 85, 83, and 94. Add all the samples together: 90 + 91 + 85 + 83 + 94 = 443. Divide the sum by the sample number, N = 5: 443/5 = 88.6. The average grade for this group is 88.6. The next part of the calculation involves the (xi – µ) portion of the equation. You will subtract each sample from the average just calculated. For our example you will end up with five subtractions.  (90 – 88.6), (91- 88.6), (85 – 88.6), (83 – 88.6), and (94 – 88.6). The calculated numbers are now 1.4, 2.4, -3.6, -5.6, and 5.4. Each of the new numbers you have just calculated will now be squared. This step will also take care of any negative signs. If you have a negative sign after this step or at the end of your calculation, you may have forgotten this step.  In our example, we are now working with 1.96, 5.76, 12.96, 31.36, and 29.16. Summing these squares together yields: 1.96 + 5.76 + 12.96 + 31.36 + 29.16 = 81.2. The formula divides by N – 1 because it is correcting for the fact that you haven’t counted an entire population; you are taking a sample of the population of all students to make an estimation.  Subtract: N – 1 = 5 – 1 = 4 Divide: 81.2/4 = 20.3 Once you have divided by the sample number minus one, take the square root of this final number. This is the last step in calculating the standard deviation. There are statistical programs that will do this calculation for you after inputting the raw data. For our example, the standard deviation of the final grades of students who read before class is: s =√20.3 = 4.51.
Summary: Define the formula for standard deviation. Average the samples in each group. Subtract each sample from the average. Square each of these numbers and add them together. Divide by the total sample number minus 1. Take the square root.