Poonchki's own little lake inside his wheel.....

[rebel]

I adopted a dwarf hamster, Poonchki, (though he is the biggest dwarf I have ever seen!!!) in January and I love him to pieces. However, he has this gross little habit of peeing on his wheel. :lol: I had to buy him a new wheel a few days ago because he outgrew the dwarf-size hamster wheel. This new wheel is a Silent Spinner Exercise wheel, with a solid plastic running surface. For whatever reason, he loves to pee in his wheel and because the surface is solid, the urine just accumulates. So every morning the inside of the wheel is caked with a gross mess of pee, fur and shavings and there is actually a puddle pooling in the bottom of it. This also means that Poonchki runs in this mess all night. This can't be good for him! As far as I know, he has dubbed this as his pee corner. The other wheel I had was the same make but had a tiny slot in it which allowed it to drain. Everyday the shavings underneath it were drenched. For whatever reason, he likes peeing in his wheel- which in turn makes him a very smelly hamster. Does anyone have any ideas on how to reason with a hamster? lol Is there any way to convice him to find another pee place?

Thanks! :D

[haziebabie]

Yuck, smelly boy. :x Actually mine went through a phase of this. I was washing their wheels twice a day.. In the end I left it to dry and that night they never did it again so think they hated the clean smell or something.

As for yours, you could try that - but it sounds very wet.

Is there somewhere to move the wheel...? You could try making a potty area with some of the wet shavings and hope they get the hint, maybe you could do that where the wheel is now. Or try removing the wheel for a couple of days so they can establish a new pee place!!

Anyway, a couple of suggestions there...good luck!

[rebel]

Oh, yes he is a VERY smelly boy! His fur was all wet this afternoon because he was running in his pee-soaked wheel at some point today when I wasn't home to stop him. Any ideas for how to get hamster pee out of hamster fur??? (the fur on his back is actually spikey, he was that wet! His belly is just a mess!) Ugh! If he keeps this up, he won't be getting any kisses from me any time soon! lol. I'm going to try to move some of the wet shavings to a corner- that's a great idea haziebabie. I thought about taking the wheel out for a few days too, but I don't think he would ever forgive me. That wheel is his life! He'd go crazy without it. But if he doesn't stop this 'running in the rain' thing, I'm going to have to try it. He loves coming out to cuddle too (well, he loves coming out to run-- he only cuddles when he is contently eating a dog treat in the palm of my hand) but if I wanted to hold him today I swear I'd need rubber gloves and an oxygen mask! lol :lol: Ok, maybe I'm being a bit peephobic, but ugh, he's just so not cuddly when he smells so awful and his fur is so dirty! He's lucky he's so darn cute- I just can't help but adore him (yes, even when he insists on being gross!) :lol:

Thanks for the ideas haziebabie!
[attachment=0:162lce9i]Poonchki.jpg[/attachment:162lce9i]

[haziebabie]

He is very cute, you just can't argue with a face like that!! I did have a little giggle about 'running in the rain'! PMSL!

Just to reassure you that your hamster isn't the only grot bag around. My 'Baby' Spice managed to pee out of the top of her Imac Fantasy last night where the top meets..? She got it down the gap so this morning we had drips of wee down her cage and a puddle on the unit! Smelly girl! Will have to test out my own advice regarding wet sawdust in an appropriate corner! She was doing it in a corner but seemed to like the challenge of getting it out of the gap!

[souffle]

All our dwarfs tend to pee in the wheel. You really just need to wash the wheel every day, twice if needed. In saying that though he is weeing an awful lot if it is as bad as you describe. Campbells hamsters are prone to diabetes and this can cause them to wee a lot and drink a lot. How much is he drinking? Mark the bottle and see how much it goes down in a day. It should not be more than a few ml. Do you see him drinking a lot? If he seems to be drinking a lot then you can get test strips from the chemist to test for sugar in the urine. If this is positive then you can manage the condition with diet.
Hope he is just a 'mucky pup' though. He looks very cute in the pic :D

[rebel]

Poonchki drinks like there is no tomorrow. I was concerned about it being diabetes too. My other dwarf hardly drinks anything (and is rarely smelly-- or messy lol) comapred to him. I'm going to mark up the bottle to see, but I know that it's way more than a few mL a day. I'm also going to look for test strips. Thank you for confirming my suspicions- I'm certainly going to look into this further.

Also, just wondering if it is possible to wipe his fur down with a damp cloth (and of course, dry him off too), or would that not be good for him? I'd hate to impose my human ideas of personal hygiene on him, but I also hate to see him licking his pee soaked fur.....

I did try moving some of shavings into the corner and he looked at me as if I was crazy. He went to smell them and then jumped back on his wheel, which he then peed on. I took the wheel out for no more than 5 minutes to wash it and he went completely bonkers! He was darting around the cage and climbing on his igloo- searching frantically for his wheel! I don't think I'll be able to try taking it out for any length of time! lol As soon as I put it back in, he jumped right back on it.

Haziebabie-Your hamster must be very talented! lol That sounds like it was a tricky feat to accomplish :lol:

[PKK]

Ah the old Urine Centrifuge Trick. I agree that it sounds like diabetes. He has such a lovely face!!

[rebel]

Ah the old Urine Centrifuge Trick.

:lol: lol! That's the pefect name for it!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the laugh! :lol:

[souffle]

He is almost certainly diabetic. There is a disussion group her which may help
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HoneyHams/
and an article here
http://www.hamstercentral.com/wiki/Do_y ... iabetic%3F (http://www.hamstercentral.com/wiki/Do_you_think_your_hamster_is_diabetic%3F)
I am sure you will find them helpful.
As for cleaning him, you could use a damp tissue but I'm not sure how much good this will do. Try and keep the cage as dry as possible by useing a very absorbant bedding like megazorb or carefresh. This is more absorbant than shavings. Use ripped white loo roll in bed and change frequently.
I would give him a sand bath to roll in. Charlie Chinchilla SAND in a shallow dish will absorb a lot of the smell and they enjoy the rolling.
Some people will use a hypoallergenic, non scented baby wipe to clean the hams too.

[rebel]

Thanks Souffle

Those links are very helpful, thank you for directing me there. I went out and bought test strips today, so hopefully I'll know for sure by tonight what I'm dealing with. It shouldn't be too hard to get a urine sample from him! I'm going to look for the more absorbant bedding this weekend too. I feel so bad for him. It can't be fun being drenched in your own pee. He suprised me today- he has his little attitude back. When we first brought him home from the shelter, he wanted nothing to do with anything human (someone found him running in their apartment and had no idea what he was and brought him to the shelter- so he was a free man for who knows how long) and anytime I put my hand too close to him he'd punch it with his two front paws. He hasn't done this to me for about a month, but today he started punching me again when I put my hand in his cage- although I did wake him up, so I deserved it.... but it just caught me by suprise because he isn't usually that cranky even when I do wake him up. I hope he's feeling ok.... poor little guy.

[rebel]

His glucose levels are as high as the kit will read ( 2 g/dL or more) :( I wasn't able to test his keytones because I was unable to get the strips that test both- however, I'll be checking with the vet to see if I can get them there. So, from here- I guess I should start regulating his diet (high protein, high fibre, low fat and a hypoglycemic)? When I get the keytone reading, I'll know whether I should be giving him pedialite or not. Right? Thanks for all the help everyone!

PS. He LOVES the carefresh bedding- he burrowed in it for hours!

[souffle]

Well you know now rebel. What a pity. Poor wee fella. I think a vet check would help as they might be able to prescribe a tiny dose of the Glipazide medication if it is suitable and that might help. I do hope the new diet will help ease his symptoms and give him a better life quality for a while yet. Glad he likes his carefresh too :D

[rebel]

I managed to get a test strip from the vet which tests many different things, including glucose and ketones. His glucose is still extremely high, but the test for ketones came up negative. Of the three types of diabetes listed (High Ketones, High Glucose; High Ketones, No Glucose; No Ketones, High Glucose), which has the best prognosis? Is there one that is less serious than the others?

Thanks!

[souffle]

The lack of ketones means he is still not breaking down his body muscle to provide energy so that is good rebel. Yours is showing the earlier stages but the glucose loss will eventually cause other problems and he may start to show ketones. Try and get him on the new diet and see if this reduces the glucose levels.
He may live a long while yet or he may only manage a few months depending how quickly the disease progresses and how the diet managment works.
Heres hoping he improves soon and stays happy.
xxxx

[rebel]

Thank you souffle!

Poonchki says thank you too:

[attachment=0:37q301fy]poonchki8.jpg[/attachment:37q301fy]

[souffle]

Awww Poonchki you are more than welcome you little cutie :oops:

[rebel]

:wink: lol :D

He actually seems to be doing a bit better- I'm hoping it's not just a coincidence and that it's an actual improvement. Ever since I removed his store bought food (full of corn- which was the main thing he would pick out and eat- of course!) and replaced it with his new made-especially-for-him mix (containing many different diabetic-hamster-friendly seeds, grains, and beans), his water intake has decreased drastically (by about 3/4!) and the lake has disappeared from his wheel. He is a much drier little boy (and a much better smelling one too!). The only thing I'm wondering about is if the mix I made him is good enough nutrient-wise. It contains mung beans, two types of organic quinoa, chick peas, brown flax seeds, black-eyed peas, red lentils, navy beans, yellow eye beans, kasha buckwheat, organic amaranth seeds, and millet. These are all things that I've read are good for diabetic hamsters.... but does anyone know if I should be adding anything else to better meet his nutrient requirements? I'm still looking for fenugreek... does anyone know if/where they sell the whole seeds?

I'm so happy (and I'm sure he is too) that he's not drenched anymore! :D

Thanks!

[haziebabie]

Thats really good news. I bet Poonchki is feeling a whole lot better too. Well done you!! Can't help with the nutritional advice sorry..sounds like you have done well though.

[souffle]

That is fab news rebel.
I got the fenugreek seeds in a health food store. Mind you I stopped using them as they made the hamster smell like a curry shop and he did not seem to eat the things at all!
Have you tested his urine again to see if there is any fall in the sugar levels?
I am so pleased he is a lot better and long may that continue. Will check out what seeds we used to use.

[rebel]

Thanks Haziebabie and Souffle! :D

I haven't checked his glucose levels in a couple of days because he hasn't been leaving me any puddles to check! lol But I am planning taking him out this afternoon and putting him in his big hamster playpen with his water bottle and wheel, so hopefully I'll be able to test him then. My mission this week is going to be finding fenugreek seeds. I also noticed that buckwheat can be used-- There are buckwheat seeds in his mix and I have buckwheat flour... does anyone have any ideas for how to create yummy hamster treats with it? I tried to make him treats (buckwheat flour, egg, water, wheat germ, small seeds from his food), but he wants nothing to do with them- he wants his real dog treats back. Luckily, my dog and cat absolutely love the treats I made, so they aren't going to waste! lol :roll:

Thanks for all your help! Poonchki and I appreciate it so much!

[rebel]

I checked his glucose this morning and its gone down a little bit! Yay Poonchki! :D

[helenf]

Does anyone have any advice for weeing in the wheel? One of my robos has taken to it. It's not pooling in there - but there are yellow stains and I just caught him with a slightly damp patch while running on the wheel and he'd obviously run in it.

It's making him/the cage smell and I just don't think it's good for him to run in his wee!

I've got a hamster toilet but it's big enough for a syrian so I think he will just sleep in it, but guess I could give it a go. Is it worth rubbing some tissue paper on the wheel (before I wash it) then ripping it up and putting in the loo thing? I haven't got any loo sand yet, but suppose I need that too or will it work with tissue?

[souffle]

It is pretty normal for dwarfs to wee in their wheels. We have never had one who didn't do it. You just need to clean it practically every day really to keep it fresh. The sand potty may help as ours bathe then pee in theirs.

[helenf]

Thanks, I'll just have to keep an eye on it for cleaning (and I'll try the loo thing anyway). What a little stinker! :D