Does he drink too much?

Penguin · 06-02-2016, 03:31 AM

Hey, I was wondering when do you draw the line saying that your hamster has been drinking too much?

Browney has been drinking an awful lot lately. I can't really figure out if it's because of the heat, or if something is wrong.
I filled his waterbottle yesterday around 10.30pm and saw him drink a couple of times before going to bed, but not a lot. Either way, this is what he has been drinking during last night. I could be wrong but I don't remember anything noticeably being gone when I went to bed at 3am. Meaning he drank this in a matter of 11 hours

I can get a better quality image if it's not really visible, but if I touch his cage he will wake up, so i figured through the bars was good enough.

The bottle doesn't seem to be leaking, the cobblestone below it is dry every time I check. My other hamster drinks as usual, but she isn't placed near the windows like Browney is.

Am I being paranoid?

cypher · 06-02-2016, 03:35 AM

It's not easy to tell but that does look like a lot of water, could it have leakedI doubt it could have leaked that much & dried out over night even if it is warm.
Is he peeing a lot, it's sometimes easier to go by how much they pee than checking the bottle.

Penguin · 06-02-2016, 03:46 AM

I'm not sure how much he pees, as he pees 3 different places that are hard to access. 2 of them he doesnt want me to access lol.
I did the math and it's about 10 ml. I don't even think Kiki drinks 3ml in a day.

I will try to keep track on how much he pees, though he wont be happy with me

cypher · 06-02-2016, 03:48 AM

10ml is quite a lot, it does vary but I would say 5ml is probably about the most they normally drink unless it's very hot or they're doing an awful lot of running!
It can be hard to keep check on how much or where they pee, Whisp is the same she hates me poking about to see if anything is wet! Probably the best thing to do though if he will let you, good luck!

Penguin · 06-02-2016, 06:43 PM

Alright he pees a lot too. So it's definitely not the bottle. During 24 hours he has been drinking somewhere between 15-20ml. I will call the vet tomorrow and ask about this. Though my vet is really good, she reckons that hamsters arent prone to diabetes at all (obviously thinking of syrians and robos)
So I will probably test for this myself

Nancy's Hamsters · 06-02-2016, 07:39 PM

Could you move him from the window and see if that makes any difference in his water intake? Also does he chew the bottle sipper, or try to pouch it? This behavior can cause a Hamster to take in far more water then it needs and causes lots of urination to occur.

Does he or his cage have a sweet smell to it as this would indicate Diabetes. Also can smell a bit like Nail Polish remover too. I pray you find what is the problem and it isn't any thing major.

cypher · 06-02-2016, 08:45 PM

If you can manage to test his urine I would, if it is diabetes the smell isn't always noticeable & you do need to test a few times as the levels can vary, a UTI is another possibility as they don't always appear ill with that & just drink & pee more.
Fingers crossed it's nothing too serious.

Penguin · 06-03-2016, 05:23 AM

I removed him from the window and it's not very hot today, though he is still drinking quite a bit. He doesn't chew the spout or anything like that though thanks for the tip!

His urine does smell a bit sweet indeed, I called the vet and explained her about the drinking and the urine smell and her first thought was diabetes, too. She asked my to bring a urine sample on monday when he will get another shot for mites. I'm very surprised about this as she told me it was extremely rare and refused to test my other hamster for it 6 months ago.

Can it be diabetes making him more itchy? Because he doesnt seem to itch less after the first shot against mites (this is a complete guess, I have no clue about any other major symptoms)

I'm sure that if it's an UTI they will find out through an urine test as well. Thank you both! While waiting for him to get tested, is there anything I should remove from his mix? Surely I dont want to feed him something that could potentially make him feel ill.
My guess is corn and sunflower seeds? Maybe peaflakes too?

cypher · 06-03-2016, 05:49 AM

I wouldn't start removing things from his mix until you know for sure what's causing the problem, if it is diabetes I wouldn't remove pea flakes, they have a good bit of fibre & vitamins & sugar levels aren't that high, corn is similar really, it does depend on the proportions in the mix to some extent, sunflower seeds are ok in moderation, the main thing is to try to give complex carbs, so grains & millet is good, plenty of fibre & only moderate amounts of fat.

Penguin · 06-03-2016, 11:16 AM

Alright, I will keep my hands from his food then. I bet that would leave him more pleased too. He doesn't seem ill though, maybe because I already feed him very little sugar, but besides the heavy drinking he hasnt changed at all so i guess that's good.

I will give him some more grains for now, wouldnt hurt. I hope it's something simple like diabetes. As far as I could find info on, hamsters with diabetes can still live a long and healthy life (: