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Old 01-10-2020, 10:05 AM   #1
Vierville
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Default What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Hello. Of my four dwarf hamsters, Monty, a female Campbell's hybrid approximately 15 months old has always drunk more of her water than the rest of my hamsters.

She doesn't drink a huge amount but noticeably more than the rest nonetheless. She is and always has been slightly overweight and we avoid feeding her any sugary veggies or fruit. Her normal dry food consists of a mix of Puur and Versele Laga Mini Hamster Nature food and we feed her some broccoli, cauliflower, beans, snap peas, baby corn, cucumber, spinach, coconut, sunflower seeds, pecan nuts, flax seeds, linseeds and pumpkin seeds as well as the occasional mealworm.

She has never been an active hamster-she tends to not run much on her wheel but she does like her running ball.


I know that excessive water consumption is a sign of diabetes but what other signs should I be looking out for? Thank you all in advance.
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Old 01-10-2020, 11:09 AM   #2
Fluffagrams
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

The most obvious sign is often an increase in water consumption and this seems to increase as the condition progresses but there are other symptoms you can look out for such as a loss of condition, change in temperament and often diabetics will have a definite wet corner/patch when they may not have done so before. The urine can feel a bit sticky and does have a definite scent to it.

There's a wonderful article on diabetes on Vectis Hamstery's website, it's written primarily with Chinese in mind but a lot of the advice applies to other species too: https://vectishams.com/chinese-hamster-diabetes/
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Old 01-10-2020, 11:28 AM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Simply test her urine and then you'll know for sure, that's what i did with Percy who turned out to be diabetic.
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Old 01-10-2020, 01:59 PM   #4
Vierville
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Thank you Fluffagrams, I am going to do that. I appreciate the advice. RiaP, I didn't know there was a test one could do at home. Where does one get the test from?

Edit: Just read your article and will get Diastix to test her. Thank you for the info!

Last edited by Vierville; 01-10-2020 at 02:06 PM.
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Old 01-11-2020, 08:32 AM   #5
Vierville
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

So I've had a look locally and it seems Diastix or Keto-Diastix are not available here. There are 'keto-strips' from a large pharmacy chain's own brand but I'm not sure if these measure urine glucose, the product description was very vague as to what exactly they are for.

I just checked and Monty has drunk around 26ml in the last week which is actually not that much when I actually read the measurement. Compared to my other three though it is about twice the amount that they have drunken.

Is 26ml over a week for an adult dwarf a lot?
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Old 02-20-2020, 10:38 PM   #6
Yarin
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Hi Vierville,
I see your post I am a little bit concern, I have less knowledge about Hammy’s diabetes.
But would you mind sharing updated your hammy situation now?
Is she doing well now ? ��
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Old 02-21-2020, 11:30 AM   #7
Ria P
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

[QUOTE=Vierville;932007

Is 26ml over a week for an adult dwarf a lot?[/QUOTE]

Sorry, i only just saw this post. My diabetic dwarf drinks 26ml and more in 24 hours so i'd say that 26ml in a week is normal. I bought the keto stix on Amazon after trying various pharmacies without success.
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Old 02-21-2020, 05:52 PM   #8
Vierville
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Thanks Ria P, that is reassuring.

A friend has just got back from the UK and I asked him to bring me back some Diastix which I got today in fact. He also said they were only available through Amazon after trying Boots and a few other pharmacies.

Quick question- does the hamster need to fast before you take the urine sample?
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Old 02-21-2020, 10:58 PM   #9
Ria P
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Default Re: What are warning signs of a diabetic dwarf hamster?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vierville View Post

Quick question- does the hamster need to fast before you take the urine sample?
No, fasting is for a blood test.
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