my hamster seems to be drinking more and weeing a hell of a lot more! can anyone tell me why she is doing this, she has started doing it the past 2 weeks.
Answers:
Just from your question, I'm pretty sure that you have a Russian dwarf hamster, either a Campbells, a Winter White or a hybrid.
In the Russian dwarf species, diabetes has become a kind of genetic epidemic. It has been observed that 30% of the hamsters being sold by one national pet store already have diabetes before going to their new homes, thus early onset diabetes. There's no way to tell how many that didn't test positive go on to develop late onset diabetes but it is assumed that another large percentage do. This is most likely what you have observed with your little friend.
There is a Yahoo! Group dedicated solely to diabetic hamsters- it's named Honey Hams. In the files section of that group there are instructions on how you can test your hamster for diabetes with testing strips that you can purchase from any pharmacy. It also tells you what dietary changes you can make if your hamster tests positive.
Here's the link for Honey Hams:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/honey...
Taken from the Quick Guidelines in the Honey Hams file section, the symptoms of diabetes are:
1. Increased thirst, drinking excessively
2. Peeing excessively, strong smelly urine with either a sweetish smell or a acetone (nail polish remover) smell.
3. Sudden weight loss or weight gain
4. Tiredness (sleeping more than usual) or excessive exercise or a combination of both at the extremes
5. Irritability (only in some), unusual biting when the ham did not bite before
6. Increased hunger
I'm sorry if this turns out to be the case with your little friend but the hamsters owners have made great strides over the last few years in caring for hamsters with diabetes. You and your hamster will benefit from the knowledge and experience being shared on Honey Hams and, with your help, your hamster can still live a long life.
-Janice
http://www.holmdenhillhaven.com...
Is it hotter than usual, could she be pregnant?? If you are worried take her to a vet.
if this was a description of a person, i would say that it could be diabetes... but i'm not sure if hamsters can suffer from this ? best taking it to see a vet.
the only other thing i can think of is possible kidney problems...
Its just the heat but she could have an infection take her to the vet or ask them on the phone when you ring up they may give you some free advise first.
maybe stomic infection?
Mabbe she just begun being dehydrated or mabbe she is trying to wash her stomach.
It could be several things...
Like other have said, it can be from the heat. If there has been a change in temperature in the past 2 weeks, then she could be trying to cool herself down.
It can be caused by a change in diet as well, if you have changed her food and the new food is dryer, saltier, ect. She can increse her water intake due to that.
A lot of the times, drinking more is a sign of infection also. IT could be a stomache infection, a lower intestine infection, ect.
If the weather hasn't changed much (it would have to be pretty noticeable/drastic to bother her that much) and you haven't changed her diet, then it's time to take her to a small animal vet for a check-up. Tell them whats doing on, look at her feces, see if you can notice anything different there and also see if you can look at her urine (you can put her on paper towels for a few hours or so untill you can get a good look) and see if you notice any colors or unusual smells, the color should be clear to a slight hint of yellow (not yellow like ours or larger animals). If you can bring that information to the vet, it will help out a lot with seeing what's going on with her.
I hope this helps...GOOD LUCK!!
My hamster did this.
Please get her/him to a vet ASAP.
She/he could have a problem where they can't keep the fluids in there body so the vet will rehydrate her/him and you'll need to add electrolytes to the water.
Or it could be a problem with the liver or kidneys.
Or it could be a urine infection.
A problem that can be cured could quickly become one that can't in a hamster, so PLEASE go to the vets ASAP.
please taske your little hammy to the vet, this sounds serious. Very similar to what happened to my hammy years ago and the sooner seen the better chance of recovery
Have you changed her food recently, quite often that can cause a change in drinking habits. Maybe take her to the vet and get some basic tests run on her. Good luck
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