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Old 09-09-2020, 05:47 AM   #1
gettons_1980
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Default Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

Hello there,


I have two dwarf russian hamsters living in two disting cages (used to be together in one single cage up until June 2020 but then one started to bully the other one and I had to remediate somehow). They are 10 months old and I have noticed one of the two consumes more water than ther other. I am saying consumes and not drinks as I am not 100% sure what's happening to the water (in case is being wasted somehow, etc). The two cages are in the same room and what each hamster has is the following:


- n.1 hamster water bottle

- n1. small bucket with water in it (as a backup or simply an additonal choice)


What I noticed is that, by comparing the water bottles, one is clearly using double the water. With regards of the small bucket, I say I have not noticed anything strange, and I do refill every 3-4 days due to evaporation. Also I feed them with the same food.


So, summing up, judging by the water bottles, one of the hamsters apparently consumes double the water of the other.



Is this something which I should investigate further?
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Old 09-09-2020, 06:02 AM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

Quote:
Originally Posted by gettons_1980 View Post

Is this something which I should investigate further?
Yes, i would because Russian dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes but first of all i would check for more obvious reasons.
Is the bottle leaking water? Is the substrate or whatever is immediately below the bottle damp? You could try a new bottle to see if it makes a difference.
If not then i would get some keto sticks from Amazon and test the hamster's urine for glucose.
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Old 09-09-2020, 06:25 AM   #3
gettons_1980
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Yes, i would because Russian dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes but first of all i would check for more obvious reasons.
Is the bottle leaking water? Is the substrate or whatever is immediately below the bottle damp? You could try a new bottle to see if it makes a difference.
If not then i would get some keto sticks from Amazon and test the hamster's urine for glucose.

Hi Ria,


thanks for the quick response. That's what I was I was worried about.

Of the two, the one that currently drinks more is significanlty bigger than the other one I must admit.

In the past it was the other way round. I think the one being bullied (which is now bigger) was unable to eat properly and in fact was smaller. And the one which is now smaller was bigger.

In terms of food: I feed them with this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witte-Molen...G878PGPQ7MGand complement with 1 unit of either vegetables or fruit (carrots, spinach, sunflower, apple, salad, cheese) on a daily basis.

Also, with regards of the keto test strips I have no idea what that is but as long as I can get it without prescription I will find a way to obtain it.
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Old 09-09-2020, 07:11 AM   #4
cypher
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

The amount they drink can vary so do try to check the actual amount of water if you can & as Ria said check to see if the bottle leaks at all.
The food you have isn't really suitable, it contains fruit even though only a very small amount they shouldn't have it & it's very low protein.
a much better mix is the Rodipet food although still a little low in protein it's much more appropriate for them.
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Old 09-09-2020, 07:50 AM   #5
Ria P
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

The food recommended by cypher is the one i use as well.

I don't feed my dwarfs fruit at all because of the sugar content. They love cucumber, broccoli, kale etc. I'm also very careful with treats and nibble sticks, they get them but i avoid the ones with honey and always read the ingredients list. Dried mealworm treats add protein to their diet.

See how you go with the bottle and if that's working ok you are in the right place to get further advice.

It's easy to measure exactly how many mls a hamster drinks in 24hrs, it's not difficult to home test for diabetes and people on this forum are incredibly helpful should you have a diabetic hamster.

I know because i had one.
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Old 09-09-2020, 08:46 AM   #6
gettons_1980
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

Thank you, I have just ordered the Rodipet food to start with. Next I will check the water bottle for any leakage and also order some keto strips just in case. I will make sure I supply some vegetables along with their food and limit fruit/snacks.
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Old 09-09-2020, 09:03 AM   #7
gettons_1980
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

Quote:
Originally Posted by gettons_1980 View Post
Thank you, I have just ordered the Rodipet food to start with. Next I will check the water bottle for any leakage and also order some keto strips just in case. I will make sure I supply some vegetables along with their food and limit fruit/snacks.


In terms of leakage, I could not find any leak in the water bottle, thus I presume the hamster is actually drinking the water.

I thought I should also check the temperature in the cage and that is 26 celsius for both. In fact this makes sense as each has this cage https://www.avonturiashop.nl/78582-t...t-karat-80.jpg and the room temperature is in fact 26 celsius.

Later today when they are both awake I will also check their weight, just in case.
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Old 09-09-2020, 09:43 AM   #8
cypher
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Default Re: Dwarf hamsters and water consumption

26C is too warm for them really, ideally the temperature in the room where hams are should be around 18-21C, if it gets above that I put the fan on to cool things down a bit or take other measures to cool them down.
There’s a thread here with ideas for keeping cool.
Keeping your hamster cool

You can try weighing the water bottles daily, a gram in weight is 1ml so you can get a more accurate idea of how much they are drinking.
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