Dwarf Hampster

Question
My dwarf hampster is suddenly "wetting" a lot in his cage.  I have had him for almost 2 months.  Could you tell me why he is suddenly going to the bathroom so much? - wetting his bedding a lot. . . . prior to this the bedding would stay quite dry for a long time. .

Thanks very much,
Karen

Answer
Hi Karen

Is your hamster drinking a lot too? Does his urine smell sweet?  If so, then the most obvious reason for this happening is that perhaps he is diabetic.  This is very common in dwarf hamsters, especially Campbells.  In case it is this the first thing you should do is remove any sweets from his cage - this includes any sugary foods in his dry mix.  Have a look through it and make sure there is no dried fruit or any treats that are stuck on with honey.  The dry mix should be plain, and this should be supplemented with a mix of seeds - linseed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed and sesame seed.  This mixture provides essential fatty acids and can help balance sugar levels.  Give your hamster a teaspoon of this daily.  Also don't give any fresh fruit.

If you go to your chemist or vet you might be able to get hold of a 'diastix'.  You only want one of these and a chart so your vet might be the best person to see regarding this.  You then put your hamster in a clean plastic container and wait for him to pee.  Then you test his pee with this diastix.  The diastix records glucose levels and if it changes colour and indicates glucose then there is a pretty good chance he is diabetic.  In hamsters it is hard to confirm 100% because they would need a blood test and it is impossible to get this, but if the diastix indicates high glucose levels this is a pretty good guide.

I have had several dwarf hamsters with diabetes and most have survived and gone onto live normal lives.  The key is to keep cleaning him out so that his bedding isn't damp, and also make sure he has plenty of water to drink.  By changing his diet and giving him the seed mix this should help him regulate his sugar levels and if this is diabetes you should notice an improvement.

If it isn't this that is wrong - are there any other symptoms?  Apart from this how is he behaving?

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila