Diabetic Hybrid "Sunfire" Dwarf Hamster

EmilyS_79 · 11-15-2014, 01:49 PM

I just acquired a "sunfire" djungarian (a.k.a hybrid). It is a male. I believe he has diabetes but I'm not 100% sure. I have him on a mix of Supreme Hazel Hamster, Oxbow Health Handfuls, and Kaytee Lab Blocks. The previous owner said that he is 5 months old. She told me she got him at 4 weeks from Petco. I just want a Diabetic friendly hamster diet just in case he has diabetes. Even if he doesn't have diabetes, they are prone to it so I just want to prevent it if possible. Is their anything I should add, change or take away from his mix that he is on right now? Thanks

Pebbles82 · 11-15-2014, 02:02 PM

I'm not an expert on this I'm afraid, but I'm sure someone who is will come along! It sounds like a healthy mix.

NiceCrocs · 11-15-2014, 02:51 PM

Kaytee blocks have cane molasses in them, so I would eliminate those entirely.

Hazel and oxbow are both great foods for diabetes-prone species, the only thing to keep an eye on is the corn in the hazel hamster. Keep it to 1-3 pieces per feeding, as it's a bit starchy, but you don't want to remove it entirely because it has important nutrients

Thin Lizzy · 11-15-2014, 10:40 PM

There's a special Dwarf hamster mix that you can get at Pets At Home. Also try and avoid sugary pieces of fresh fruit. Broccoli and Carrot are perfectly fine for dwarf diabetic hamsters.
Is his urine dark and smelly? If he's looking lerthergic, has a greasy coat, hunched posture then these could be signs of diabetes and you should get him to a vet asap.

NiceCrocs · 11-15-2014, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thin Lizzy

There's a special Dwarf hamster mix that you can get at Pets At Home. Also try and avoid sugary pieces of fresh fruit. Broccoli and Carrot are perfectly fine for dwarf diabetic hamsters.
Is his urine dark and smelly? If he's looking lerthergic, has a greasy coat, hunched posture then these could be signs of diabetes and you should get him to a vet asap.

Lizzy, EmilyS_97 is in Montana. There are no stores anywhere in the US that sell Burgess Hamster Harvest. Fresh carrots should also be given very sparingly for diabetes prone species, as it's high in sugars compared to most other vegetables.

NiceCrocs · 11-15-2014, 11:14 PM

If you suspect he may be already diabetic, you can test his urine with a standard diabetes test strip from the drug store. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for diabetic hams to go downhill quickly, but if you catch it before it turns into full-on diabetes, he can live a long and happy life.

cypher · 11-16-2014, 02:29 AM

What makes you think he's diabetic?
As NiceCrocs says the best thing is to test with diastix if you're concerned, if you do get a positive result best get a vet to check your ham out & give you any necessary advice.
Otherwise just be very careful to check anything you feed for sugars of any kind & avoid fruit or starchy veg, the occassional piece if ok if your ham isn't actually diabetic but just a diabetes prone species. Also be careful not to overfeed things like sunflower seeds & nuts, they are good for them but only in small amounts.
It's good to weight regularly too as part of a general health check.