COOP Bran flakes for diabetic dwarfies

[Pouchy]

Just read that Fenugreek is used for breast enlargement. If the male dwarfies eat the seeds will they develop hamboobs! and want to have their gender reassigned...

[Pouchy]

Have bought some fenugreek seeds but the dwarfies aren't very interested. Its the strong smell that has put them off. Back to the drawing board. After testing the urine yesterday it is still around the ++ to +++ range.
Got very worried a couple of days ago as one of them was very listless and all hunched up and barely moving. Picked him up and put him close to the water bottle and he drank and was his usual bouncy self in a couple of a hours. He has had no problems since.
Assume this is one of the effect of diabetes. Strange really as water is always available and the bottle wasn't empty.
These hamsters are about 6-7 months old so could anybody tell me what I have to look forward to if the sugar levels do not drop any further

[Christine Yule]

I wouldn't expect the Dwarves to eat the seeds. The only treatment that I know of is with FENUGREEK TEA. That is tea made from ground up fenugreek seeds. I buy the ground up seed powder in capsule form and make tea from them. I find it makes the most potent tea. But you can just use the seeds you have and crush some up.

I measure one cup or 250ml of purified water in a small pot and then open two capsules(you can use about a small spoonful of crushed seeds) and sprinkle the powder in the water and stir.
Then I add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and 1/4 tsp. of sea salt.
Then I turn on the heat and bring the water just to a boil. Watch it carefully as it boils up and makes a big mess if you are not watching it constantly.
Take it off the heat and let it cool down. I strain this through a seive or cloth. I mix the strained tea with one cup or 250 ml of purified water. (Makes 2 cups total.) Give them all they can drink in a non-metal bowl but change it everyday as the tea goes rancid at room temperature. Store the tea in a glass jar in the fridge. (I would recommend you add the salt and baking soda until their sugar levels are zero. You could omit it after you see they are urinating normal amounts of pee.)

I give you my recipe because it sounds like you hammies NEED it desperately. If one had a sleepy spell like you described, I would guess that hamster was on the verge of going into a coma when you found her/him. That hamster needed fluid and salt. Its sugar levels must still be way too high and if I were you I would assume that the sugar levels of the others are also critically high. Since your hamsters have turned Diabetic so young, their health is in danger and the sugar MUST come down ASAP in order for them to survive.


Give them only the tea to drink. No fresh water. You should notice their sugar levels start to drop within a week. Give them nothing but fenugreek tea to drink for the rest of their lives. As soon as you stop, they will start peeing loads again.

From my experience, I would say that if you cannot get a hamster's sugar levels down to zero it will not live long. It might range from a few days to a couple of months. There are many factors. When I could not get a hamster's sugar levels to zero, it died. BUT, all the hamsters that did get their sugar levels testing negative, lived long lives. I beleive all lived at least to 18 months. That's why I say, it is crucial for you to try the tea. All I know is that it has worked for me.

Let me know how the tea making goes.

[Pouchy]

The hams are now on the fenugreek tea diet! However it should be made known to all that once started the room where they live begins to smell like an Indian Curry House: the hams smell of fenugreek, the cage smells of fenugreek, their urine smells of fenugreek - need I go on. It's not unpleasant but can be overpowering if one is not used to it. The tea was made up as you suggested using a teaspoonful of crushed seeds to 500ml of water.

[Christine Yule]

Fenugreek smells very sweet. It is also used as an artificial maple flavoring as well as in Indian spice mixes.

Yes, it is a distinct smell and I find that my Dwarves don't particularly like drinking it when it is very strong. After you get their sugar levels down, you might want to try diluting the tea a bit by using half as much crushed fenugreek with the same amount of water. But, keep a close eye on their sugar levels to make sure it stays down at zero.

P.S. I checked the ages of my two remaining Diabetic Dwarves and Toula is 24 months old and D.B. is 31 months old. Long live the Diabetics!