Pizca is on a diet!

Lala Noma · 04-20-2016, 02:18 AM

Ok., lately I have been thinking that little Pizca was not so little... Well, she was maybe... Like chubby... And today I was forced to see the ugly truth. She is fat. Really fat. Massive. She is not able to roll in her sand. I can feel her weight in my hands. Her skin feels hard, like she has gases, but she moves normally and doesn't seem to be in pain, so...
My poor Pizca is on a diet. Any tips? Portions for a dwarf? Kind of food?

souffle · 04-20-2016, 02:48 AM

Have you had her vet checked? Hamsters do not normally get fat as they eat a balanced diet instinctively. What does she weigh? Has the weight increased suddenly? Is she drinking more? Activity level changes?
The way you describe her makes it sound like she is bloated rather than fat. This can be due to numerous factors and the commonest would be diabetes. Other causes of fluid retention are heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease as well as possible internal tumours.

Lala Noma · 04-20-2016, 03:27 AM

Weight: 56 g. She usually weights 48-50 g, she has never been a skinny girl. She eats, each day, half of a dessert spoon of seeds, a mix that I make with quinoa, rice, muesly, oat, etc. I got the recipe from a spanish forum. She eats it all, and then I give her versele laga for hamster and gerbil, extruded food, one full spoon, and she eats it all during the day. She has millet too, all the time. In the morning, she is asking for more. Twice a week, some veggies or fruits, but she doesn't like these too much.
Her activity is the same as always, she is shy during the day, and she wakes up exactly 12 p.m and spent the night in her wheel and running stairs up and down in the cage almost all night.
She drinks normally, but just today I didn't see her drink.
I give her ocasionally dried fuit, she loves it, but I know it has sugar. It is a hamster snack from cunipic, a spanish brand. The only new thing lately is a whemzee, she is mad about it and she bit it a lot. Can that be bad for her?
She seems to be healthy, happy as always, just... Fat

Lala Noma · 04-20-2016, 03:49 AM

Sorry for the bad quality, she is really fast!

souffle · 04-20-2016, 08:22 AM

56g is about average for a WW female. They can get more that that at peak. If she is / has a lot of WW in her they are that sort of sound shape. She's not a WW colour though so likely a hybrid. I'd cut the sweet treats and give veg like brocolli as her treat instead. Just stick with hamster foods. There sounds quite a lot of carbohydrates in the mix you are making up so feed the mix mainly.

Lala Noma · 04-20-2016, 09:20 AM

Oh, thank you! I feel relieved, I believed she was truly fat! And I have a hybrid! I didn't know that! Now, I know why my girl is so special and beautiful, hehe.
I'll follow your advice, less "mix by Lala" and more versele laga, isn't it? And no dried fruits. I'm going to buy brocoli today.
Thanks again, I really appreciate your help!

Thin Lizzy · 04-24-2016, 01:18 AM

Pizca is absolutely gorgeous and just perfect.

Pebbles82 · 04-24-2016, 01:32 AM

They love fresh veg

A little bit every 2 or 3 days would probably go down really well! As well as broccoli they can have carrot, cauliflower and cucumber - I vary what I give each time to keep life interesting and a variety of nutrients. Just a tiny piece though - thumbnail sized

She is lovely. Veg can be a treat too. Glad she likes the whimzee - that won't do any harm but they shouldn't have them too often (ie not every week).

Lala Noma · 04-24-2016, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thin Lizzy

Pizca is absolutely gorgeous and just perfect.

Hehe, my brother says she's just like a little "jabalí", I don't know how to tell it, like a wild pig.

Lala Noma · 04-24-2016, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

They love fresh veg

A little bit every 2 or 3 days would probably go down really well! As well as broccoli they can have carrot, cauliflower and cucumber - I vary what I give each time to keep life interesting and a variety of nutrients. Just a tiny piece though - thumbnail sized

She is lovely. Veg can be a treat too. Glad she likes the whimzee - that won't do any harm but they shouldn't have them too often (ie not every week).

She liked broccoli too! I give her a little piece of it and she loved it!