syrian hamster diabetes

Question
QUESTION: I believe my son's hamster has diabetes.  I read some of your past answers and it seems it has all of the systems with the exception of drinking a lot of water.  It has gained weight very fast and only in the back half of its body, it does not run on its wheel anymore and is not very active at night anymore.  When we put it in its ball, it just sits there. The weight gain started about 10 days ago.  We are going to cut out all sweets (apples & carrots and yogurt bites)and only feed it the pellets from pet store.  You has mentioned feeding a combination of sunflower,  sesame, pumpkin and linen seeds. Do I get this at the pet store? Does it sound like she has diabetes from your experience and if so, are we doing the right thing?  If she does not have diabetes and we restrict her diet is it harmful to her? I read that the sunflower seeds can add weight and she is already way to heavy.

Thank you for any advice you can give us.  We have only had her (Oreo) about 8 months and got her from the pet store when she was 3 months and my son is very attached to her.

Any thing we can do to help her is greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Hi Jeni

The key symptom with diabetes is the water intake and therefore as she isn't doing this, then she may not have diabetes.  The way to check would be to ask your vet for a 'diastix'.  You then put her in a carry case/plastic box (with no bedding) and leave her there until she goes to the toilet.  Then test her urine with the diastix.  This diastix measures the amount of glucose.  If the reading is above normal then there is a pretty good chance she has diabetes.  It is impossible to know for sure as this would need to be done with a blood test.

If she is diabetic, then the most important thing is to make sure she doesn't have any sugar - this includes any dried fruit in her hamster mix.  Also remember that hamster treats often contain honey so it is important to check the packets.  Try to find a mix that doesn't contain any dried fruit and give this freely.  Also, fresh vegetables are good, but avoid fruit.  With regard to the sunflower/seed mix - this is really designed for dwarf hamsters, but can be given in moderation to Syrians.  It can be fattening so care must be taken but mixed in with her normal food should be OK.

The fact that she has gained weight in itself isn't that unusual because a lot of females can be quite large around the hip area.  However, as she is sitting still, this is more of a concern as even large/over weight hamsters are pretty active.

Is there any sign of a discharge coming from her?  Does she smell at all?  Female hamsters can get ovarian cysts and these can make them swell up a lot and go a strange shape.  It could be something like this and a vet would need to advise you what the best course of action is.  Sometimes they recommend surgery.  If it is some sort of infection the hamster usually is very still, not wanting to be handled and it can be a painful condition.  The fact that she is sitting still not wanting to move makes me wonder if it is something along these lines, in which case a vet would need to confirm this and prescribe antibiotics/pain relief or recommend some other treatment.  As this has come on suddenly I would strongly advise getting a vet to look at her as soon as possible.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you soo much.  I took your advice and went to the vet.  It is likely tumors but unusual for such a young hamster and the  tumors are on both sides, not just one side.  Waiting to hear about the options, if there are any.  One good thing is she is not in pain yet the vet said but is uncomfortable from the 2 large masses growing above her hind legs.  Thank you for taking the time to answer us and sharing your knowledge.  It is GREATLY appreciated.

Answer
Hi Jeni

I'm really glad you took her to a vet to get this checked out.  I'm sorry to hear the diagnosis.  This is extremely unusual - tumors tend to be central or one sided.  The speed at which they can grow is different from one hamster to another and hopefully these are slow growing and won't cause immediate problems.  If they are superficial, then they might be able to remove them, otherwise it might be a case of using pain relief and monitoring them to ensure she has quality of life.  If they grow rapidly and cannot be removed, then sadly there isn't much that can be done and unfortunately euthanasia is the kindest option. Hopefully this won't be the case with your hamster.

Thank you for your kind feedback - it is often difficult being able to know exactly what is happening with a hamster just by an email and without seeing them.  However, often it is easy to determine when it is important to get a vet to check them out.

I do hope you get on OK.
Regards