Teddy Bear Hamster excessive drinking

Question
We have a teddy bear hamster who is 1.5 years old.  In the last few months he has really started drinking A LOT of water, certainly more than in the past.  We do live in Arizona and it's very dry but I don't think that'd be the reason he's drinking so much.  I did a little research and read that excessive drinking could be diabetes or a kidney problem.  I hate to sound cheap but I'm having trouble justifying a $35 vet visit for a hamster who is getting older.  Is there anything we can do ourselves to determine if it's diabetes?  And if he does have diabetes, what can be done about it?  Is it deadly?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello Cheryl,
you are right that it could be diabetes or a kidney problem such as kidney failure. I really don't know if there is anything that a vet could do really. You would have to change the hamster's diet by limiting the amount of treats he gets. Diabetes can cause the same problems in hamsters as it does in humans. Considering your hamster is kinda old I don't know of anything you can really do. You could call a vet and ask them if there is anything you can do at home. A good idea to do is to try and buy Mazuri hamster diet and see if your hamster takes to the pellet food. It's complete and balanced and so your hamster can't pick through the food. Avoid corn and sweets. Give some frozen veggies like carrots, peas, string beans or fresh is even better. I hope this helps.