New Campbell's Hammy, Diabetes help.

[Stardust79]

So after losing Cookie a few weeks ago, I actually wasn't going to get a new hammy yet. But one popped up locally just 5 minutes away from me.
Apparently she is 8 weeks old, 1 out of a litter of 12. She was the last one left and I went and got her Sunday.
I am a little bit suspicious that she is not 8 weeks old, she is too big for a start. Have I ended up with the mum, I don't know!
Anyway, she is a Campbell's. But my concern is the amount she is drinking, the large amount she is urinating in her sand bath, I am talking about patches of urine around the size of a 10 pence piece. She is drinking every 1-2 hours when I am awake. At 11pm last night I gave her 150 ml of water, it is now down to 140ml. She was on Wagg food, which to me is not an ideal hamster food in my personal opinion, plus it contains grape. But I have had to buy some so I can slowly change her over to Burgess dwarf mix.

My questions are, because it's been 17 years since I had a Campbell's. Can an 8 week old hamster have diabetes already?
What is the ideal diet for her, and how much daily?
Does she need medication?

Also her eyes are quite squinty all of the time. The person who I got her from sounded genuine, she didn't want money for her, they seemed like lovely people. But I am unsure whether she is one of the pups! She appears a bit chunky/overweight. She is exercising a lot, she is tame. But she has a very large Zoozone 2 cage now with lots of exercise. Just need some advise really on what he diet should be and how much.

[cypher]

Sorry to hear you have concerns about your new ham, it does sound as though she may not be the baby you were expecting but it's hard to say without seeing her, do you have any photos yet?
Have you weighed her? It might be helpful to know & it would be good to keep a check on her weight anyway.
It is possible for them to be born diabetic, mostly we tend to see it develop later but that's not always the case.
You shouldn't need to take too long switching her over onto the Burgess dwarf mix which will be so much better for her.
They don't generally tend to over eat their mix so you don't need to worry about the amount of that you feed really, generally about a teaspoon a day is roughly what they'll probably eat, plus a bit extra to make a hoard.
Other than that it's mostly a case of avoiding any sugars including natural sugars so no sweet treats & very little in the way of sweeter veg or fruit but she can have healthy veg daily once she gets used to it, mealworms & a few extras now & then like sunflower or pumpkin seeds or a tiny bit of nut are still ok.
The diet should be generally fairly high in protein (particularly if she is a baby) & fibre with a reasonable amount of fat.
If you haven't read it already you might find the info on Vectis website helpful.
Vectis Hamstery and Exotics - Diabetes in Hamsters

[Stardust79]

Thank you for your reply. I have ordered some ketostix which will arrive tomorrow, so I can test her urine.
I have as of last night added half a teaspoon of Burgess dwarf and a quarter of a teaspoon of the Wagg and added 2 meal worms. She eats a lot! She has cleared the bowl overnight.
She appears otherwise healthy, but she is getting up from her sleep multiple times a day to drink and go to the toilet.

I have a video of her here, she looks smaller in the video than the size she actually is.

https://www.facebook.com/andrealouis...9893342140271/

[cypher]

She's very determined to get your ring off
It's hard to tell from a vid, she doesn't look particularly small but she does look quite young to me.
See what results you get with the ketostix, if she's drinking & peeing that much she could well be diabetic but there are other things that cause her to drink & pee excessively too so I would just keep doing what you are, gradually increase the Burgess in the mix & see how she goes for now.

[CMB]

She looks quite young to me. As my first dwarf looked longer and thinner when young. Now she is about 6 months old and is more rounder in shape.

My second dwarf is about 3 months old and is still looking longer and thinner. Maybe other dwarf owners will be able to comment.

[Stardust79]

Ordered the Ketone test and not glucose! Just ordered the correct one now! The amount of times she pee's, I won't have a problem getting a sample of urine.
Yes, she loves my rings more than her toys She is the most adorable hamster, she does occasionally nip, but not hard, in fact she has now stopped the nipping. I asked the lady who I got her from what she was feeding her, she said Wagg and cucumber. So I had to buy some wagg...I hate that food! She is loving the Burgess, and having fun burying pieces all over her cage, to then dig up later. Such a little character! I love her to bits.