Baby ham drinking

Question
Hi Sheila
Well, Peanut is a boy!...I had moved him into his own bin at 4 weeks and I'm glad I did. He seems like a happy little ham, he weighs 36 grams at 5 1/2 weeks. I do notice that he seems to be drinking quite a bit of water. Like close to 10 ml a day. Do baby's drink more initially? I wouldn't think so but I thought I'd ask. I know they all drink different amounts and it is hard to tell who was drinking what when he was in with mom, but it seems like a lot. Hope he doesnt have diabetes. His mom and who I think is his dad don't drink too much water. Thanks for your time. :)

Answer
Hi

I'm glad you've separated Peanut from mum.  

Generally you shouldn't really notice a baby drinking water - they have a few drops a day but the water level shouldn't go down a lot.  Is he definitely drinking or is there any chance the bottle has a leak?  If you've seen him drinking then it is worth assuming for the time being that he is diabetic and taking all the precautions - remove any sugary foods from his diet including dried fruit and treats.  Making up a mix of linseed, sunflower seed, sesame seed and pumpkin seed and giving a teaspoon of this daily in addition to his usual hamster mix.  As this contains essential fatty acids it should help him regulate his sugar levels.  It would be worth trying to get hold of a 'diastix' either from the chemist or from your vet - put him in a clean plastic dish and wait for him to pee, then test his urine.  If there is any sign that the glucose level is high you can assume that he is diabetic.  If it is normal, then there must be another explanation as to why he is drinking more. Make sure that he has some 'wet' foods - i.e. fresh vegetables and  not just his dry mix.  If he is having treats, make sure they don't contain any salts that could be making him thirsty. This might be absolutely nothing to worry about and this might sort itself out in the next week or two.

Hope this helps.
Regards
Sheila