Diabetes?

[MismatchedMongrel]

I have recently gotten a couple of ww/campbell's hybrids (unfortunately their history says they came from petco which makes me wonder about their backgrounds).
And I was wondering how common is diabetes in hybrids? Is it less likely because of the stronger genes (two species :D!) or is it just as common? And how much worrying do I have to do with them? I have another WW hybrid that I got from petco a few years ago (I was new to hams u.u..) and she shows no signs..
And I already cut out peas, and corn and major sugary stuff.

[racinghamster]

Hiya. I don`t have any russian dwarfs right now, but your doing the right thing by removing corn/maize/peas or anything potentially higher in glucose or natural sugars. You can easily replace those with other things from supermarkets/healthfood stores and pet stores. Budgie millet/canary seed mix/finch mix, Dry buckwheat (this can also be soaked overnight to soften it), dry porridge oats, hemp seed, dry mealworms.

Treats and snacks are best provided in the form of raw vegetables (not cooked as this removes the vitamins):

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Mange tout or green bean
Cucumber
Water Cress
Tomato (with seeds removed) NO LEAVES as these are toxic.
Mung beans (soaked for 48 hours until they sprout in cold water) Just add fresh water daily to keep them fresh. Just feed one sprouted bean as a juicy treat!

All the above veggies can be fed a few times a week in very small pieces (about 5mm each) in a little medley. :) They provide good health minerals and vitamins and fibre.

Diabetes presents itself mainly by the hamster being very thirsty and urinating a lot. Which means they need their pee corners cleaned out more often. Campbells russians can also lose weight/condition when they are diabetic. I usually presume most russiand dwarfs are not pure breed unless they come from a breeder who knows they come from a line of purebreds. Pet store hamsters (russians) should probably be presumed as hybrids.