Colour of urine

[Angie B]

Hi, what colour can a hamster's urine be, please? Skittle's is sort of a chalky white, it's not sludgy, it's definitely very liquidy, but it's the colour I was asking about. I've not really paid much attention before but he's also getting a bit stinky, wondered if it was his age? He was 2yrs in February just gone, so he's a fair age now. He has arthritis in his back legs too and is on daily cat Metacam, one drop, wondered if that could make a difference? Sometimes his wee smells slightly of Metacam! He appears to be keeping himself clean though, which is good and he is happy in himself and eating/drinking (a fair amount actually), and is very active and up to no good when he wakes, so I'm not worried about him as such. Thanks!

[souffle]

It sounds pretty normal for a hamster his age. Metacam can affect the kidneys but at two years old his kidneys will be getting weaker and hamsters do tend to start drinking more and hence passing more urine. This can be more dilute and the potty / wet corner will need cleaned much more frequently. As the kidney function declines they do tend to look and act older. Try and not overload the system with to much protein at this age as they can't seem to handle it. We tend to stick with hamster food, porridge and fresh fruit and veg. Maybe a little tofu. I wouldn't worry too much and let him enjoy his retirement while keeping a watch on how much he is drinking. When the kidneys are severely affected they do actually stop producing urine and at this stage they need a vet to help them go in peace. Most do not reach the total kidney failure stage though so enjoy sharing time with him for now as normal

[Angie B]

Thank you, souffle. He does seem to urinate very well at present as his current chosen toilet corner gets quite wet and has to be changed daily. He does seem to drink a bit more nowadays, perhaps it's the meds/his age, but what is going in is certainly coming out! He really only eats hamster muesli and pellets (about equal daily ration) plus a couple of treats (small yogurt drops) and when we have veg then he has some - he loves peas, sweetcorn and beans! And he does have the odd bit of fruit but as he's not really had that much over time I'm wary of introducing new foods at his stage in life as I don't want to upset his tum.

We are definitely keeping an eye on him though and Niamh (she's 12, he's hers really) plays with him when she can as she is fully aware he's an old man now, bless him. She was quite chuffed yesterday - took him out of his cage after he'd had a wee and a drink and he fell asleep on her for a few minutes, awww