How much water should he drink?

[alanjamesblair]

Total paranoid new hamster owner question: How much water should my Syrian male drink? After all his running (I let him run an hour in his ball, put him in his cage for a drink, then if he wants, more ball time, wheel time, or maze time he gets it) he's had maybe an ounce of water per day. Is this normal?

Also he had an accident on me recently, and after my initial reaction ("oh no!") I noted that his pee seems pretty yellow and strong. I know their pee is normally strong smelling, but I have no comparison. Should I be worried? He's exercising like Shwartzenegger and eating like DeVitto.

I checked the bottle and bubbles do come up when he drinks from it. He just doesn't drink often.

[Lougarry]

My hamsters drink very little, although they tend to drink more from a bowl than a bottle.

And yes, their pee is thick, cloudy and pungent!

[alanjamesblair]

Thank you!

[souffle]

An hour in a ball is much to long without a drink and breather! Being small they get hot quickly and also burn energy and need to drink and fuel up. Maximum is 20mins before a break is needed and do take care as frequent dehydration can damage the kidneys. Set a timer and give him more frequent breaks. Young hams especially don't drink an awful lot but you could increase his intake with a small amount of fresh fruit and veg.
There is an article here about this
Hamster Roll Around / Zoomer Balls - Good or Bad? - Hamster Central WIKI

[alanjamesblair]

Thank you Souffle! I'm so glad you told me that! I will definitely give him more frequent breaks! Thanks again!

[AJ Hamster]

It really does vary, it's even down to the food you give (different salt contents) and even the amount/type of veg.
My ham has a 150ml bottle and it only goes down around 3mm a night, he really doesn't drink a lot. I wouldn't worry if you've seen him using it
Their pee does stink to high heaven and is cloudy yellow/white

[Katelyn]

So if their pee is not thick and cloudy, are they drinking too much?