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Old 07-20-2007, 09:24 AM   #1
Holly
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Default Diabetes in a Syrian? Or something else?

I know that diabetes can be common in certain dwarf breeds - how common is it in Syrians?

I'm asking because my beloved Mocha seems to be drinking and peeing a lot more these past few days

He seems otherwise completely normal for him - he's waking at the same time, seems as active as normal and doesn't look unwell in any way. He's a "bottle biter" so at first I thought the water was leaking into the cage while he was biting the spout. However the cage isn't wet and he's definitely peeing more so I've had to conclude he's drinking more.

What should I do? I can take him to the vet no problem but a) what will they actually do for him? and b) is the vet trip worth stressing him out over when he seems well in himself - I don't want them sticking needles in him etc if there's nothing they can actually do for him....if that makes sense??

Could it be something else? Does anyone know the symptoms of early kidney failure? If it is diabetes what foods should I avoid giving him (besides the obvious sugary commercial hamster treats)?

He's 8 months old and has otherwise been totally healthy.
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Old 07-20-2007, 08:11 PM   #2
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We always find they drink and pee more as they age, usually to no detriment to their health. Nelly is two and a half now and drinks a lot more then the others but is still as bouncy as ever though thinning in the fur deparment and showing age signs. His potty needs cleaned out more often than the others. Mocha is still youngish but they all age at different rates depending on their breeding and I am not sure the vet can do much for either diabetes or kidney failure however if you suspect infection of the blaldder/kidneys or anything else he might need seen. Try weighing him weekly and keep a chart so look for major weight loss. Hope he is OK anyway.
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Old 07-23-2007, 08:40 AM   #3
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I had two Syrian females who loved bite their bottle spouts. One would chew the spout and run her teeth down the spout. She would shove the spout in her cheek pouch over and over again. She would empty her bottle quickly doing this. She would pee lots too. Her corner would be soaked and I would have to remove the wet shavings every day and fill up her bottle again.

I was worried about Diabetes too. But the Vet said that it is very rare in Syrians. I tested her urine and there wasn't a problem. I tried just putting a quarter bottle of water in her cage at night but it was always empty by morning. My Vet doesn't want me to use water bottles at all because of the risk of tooth damage. I was worried she would damage her teeth or pouch so I switched her to a water bowl and that solved the problem. She drinks very little now. I think she was just fixated on her spout for some reason.

If your hamster does play with his spout a lot then I would try a water bowl and see if he drinks less. Urine from a diabetic hamster smells very sweet. If he is just drinking too much because he is playing with the spout, the urine will have almost no odour since it is mostly clear water.

If you think the urine has a sweet smell, you can purchase diabetes test strips (for humans) at the drugstore. A Vet can't do anything for a diabetic hamster. So if he tests positive, you will have to treat him with diet etc. but it is highly unlikely that he is diabetic.

If his urine has a rotten smell or is discoloured, I would take him to the Vet for antibiotics.

In my experience kidney disease doesn't make them drink more. It makes them drink less and their pee corner becomes dry. They do swell up a bit on their underside from water retention. When one of my females developed a kidney infection, the first thing I noticed was that her pee corner had a rotten smell and was a little orangey in colour since she had blood in her urine.
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Old 07-23-2007, 12:05 PM   #4
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Thanks both of you for the advice.

Mocha doesn't seem to be getting ill and, I think, less water has been gone from his bottle the past few days so I'm also wondering if he's drinking more as a side-effect of bottle biting.

I've finally given in and moved him out of my bedroom - I've done everything I can to stop him biting the bars and now he finds it really difficult to get at them he bites the bottle instead

Caramel is also a bar/bottle biter but (so far) she seems to be distractable - she's currently in the process of demolishing a wooden "swing" and seems to have forgotten the bars since I gave it to her
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Old 07-23-2007, 12:42 PM   #5
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We have had many hamsters with bowls of water who managed fine si I would not worry about giving him a bowl. We have had some gnaw through the metal of a spout. The only problem is that you cannot risk leaving them for a couple of nights in case they run out of water and always need a hammy sitter. Has Mocha got past the tunnel vesion on the bar stop chewing. What will stop him is if you take the platform out Holly as he wont be able to reach but you cant take all the toys out so he would prbably climb up on something!!! Naughty Caramel will stop when she has babies
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Old 07-24-2007, 02:43 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by souffle
Has Mocha got past the tunnel vesion on the bar stop chewing. What will stop him is if you take the platform out Holly as he wont be able to reach but you cant take all the toys out so he would probably climb up on something!!!
He hasn't really got past the tunnels (except that he now can sometimes get his front paws onto the roof bars and then swing his back ones up and chew like that )....which is why I think he's going for the bottle much more.

Caramel is not nearly as bad - she will chew wooden things that she's supposed to chew and forget about the bars - but not Mocha![/b]
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Old 07-24-2007, 08:04 AM   #7
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Your boy sounds a lot like my boy Georgie! He was a terrible bar chewer. He would chew so hard that he had a bald spot on his nose! I finally, switched him to an aquarium. He looked lost for the first day. He didn't really know what to do with himself without his bars! He became a much more contented hamster after though. He has a really big, cushioned wheel and he keeps himself busy on it.

I believe that the more intelligent (don't know if that is the right word) hamsters are desperate to get out to explore. By comparison, I have another male who couldn't care less about getting out. He has never chewed on his bars. He is perfectly content to stay in his cage with his huge wheel and toys. Georgie's purpose in chewing was to escape and play. So, I concentrate on letting him out to play every night. He plays on the couch when my husband is watching T.V. or when I am reading and he rolls around in his ball every other night for a good hour. He is a very smart boy and just needs lots of play time! Sounds like your boy Mocha is just like him!
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