Penny keeps gaining and gaining!

[Esmy]

Hi there, my poor girl Penny keeps gaining weight. I took her to the vet several times and they said she has arthritis, so it's being managed now with medicine and she is on a schedule of getting out in her running ball (not a fan of but vet suggested) and also playtime in her playbox. She eats Harlan Teklad food and her visit yesterday the vet suggested more strict feeding of it, reducing the # of blocks. I only took a guess and chose 3 but not 100% sure on what a good reduced amount is. She doesn't get treats.

She used to be 170g for the longest time and now that she keeps gaining, she's up to 236g and she's 1yr 8m old. The vet hasn't found any other reason (lumps, etc) for the gain. Her belly even drags on the ground when she walks.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[BrainGirl]

Did the vet do any blood tests? It could be hormonal changes that are causing her to suddenly gain all this weight. It doesn't just happen to humans;)

[racinghamster]

Hi Esmy. A vet will advise on many things but they are not nutritionists at best. Given Penny is a female hamster, she may be gaining weight due to hormonal changes, as BrainGirl suggested, or she may just be genetically pre disposed to be bigger. If the weight has come on gradually, chances are it could be a combination of immobility, hormones and age. Given her age now, I would let her enjoy life and if she`s otherwise healthy, enjoying her food and excersize, I wouldn`t dwell too much on this. Obviously you don`t want her becoming so obese that she can`t move, so perhaps look at the diet she`s on and decide if it needs gradual change? I`m not familiar with Harlan Teklad food but you want to look at the fat/oil content. She`s at an age now where she might benefit from a diet suited to maintenance/age.

High fibre, low fat. Older animals don`t require high amounts of protein as youngsters do or nursing mothers, so a steady protein is fine. It will be a case of looking at the Harlan food and decide if it`s too high in fat/oils, or if there are any sugars she`s getting in hidden form. Fat itself isn`t fattening, it`s when it`s combined with sugars or refined carbohydrate that it can cause weight gain.

I`m no nutritionist! So what we feed out hamsters comes down to examining what the content is and whether it`s doing them good or not. Block food is balanced, or said to be, but like the Supreme Science Selective food in the UK which is biscuit formed hamster food, I still feed a grain mix and only use the science selective as an additional extra. x

[Esmy]

No, no blood tests. They can test hamster hormones? lol My concern for her weight is it's increasing rapidly, about 10g a week! That and she's getting red spots on her belly from it dragging on the ground when she walks. The Harlan Teklad is considered one of the best foods you can give a hamster (well-balanced). I don't know of anything else I could give her that would be better and not more fattening. She won't touch Oxbow.

[BrainGirl]

There are several versions of Harlan Teklad. It is a laboratory diet and depending on what tests are being done different protein percentages (for one thing) are needed. I know there are 14%, 16%, 18%, and 19% protein diets available and the fat contents range from 4% to 9%!. It might be a good idea to give her a lower protein/fat version at her age.

[racinghamster]

If she`s been gaining weight weekly without eating more than she normally does, she could have something going on internally, even if the vet felt her tummy for any inconsistency. I truly hope not but you have to consider that she might have something internal going on Esmy. If her tummy is getting a bit red or raw from being low to the floor, depending on the floor substrate you use and being in the US and not the UK, I suppose Carefresh would be soft for her to walk around on or anything similar available in the stores near to you or online? What substrate are you using at the moment?

I really don`t want to speculate on which diet would be best as I`m in the UK, but if her rations have been reduced and she`s been gaining weight steadily, it may not be caloric intake that is the cause. Keep weighing her just to check if her weight steadies or reduces, but if it keeps going up without any additional food, I would suspect a tumour or other internal issue causing this, like metabolism.

Keep her happy, that`s the main thing. Monitor things and do look at the diet if there are other options. Slimfast for hamsters! That`s a joke by the way! I`ve seen mice become quite fat, yet the cage mates can vary in size, even when fed the same food. Fat animals don`t usually live long compared to thin counterparts, but being overweight can have reasons and not just overeating, which your hamster isn`t doing. x

[racinghamster]

Good point BrainGirl. We posted at the same time. x

[Esmy]

She uses the 2018 right now as do the others. Her bedding is Kaytee Clean and Cozy so the bedding is as soft as it can get. If it's something else, all I can do is wait for other symptoms. I don't have the money to spend on experimental testing.

[racinghamster]

I wouldn`t either Esmy. Invasive tests on small animals can be too stressful so don`t worry about that. She`s getting on now so realistically, your doing all you can and your a member on here. ;) We are all here to help and support as best we can.

I`ve heard of the kaytee bedding I`m presuming it`s a similar product to Carefresh? Havn`t had time to look it up!

I would suggest looking at the lower end of the Harlan blocks as BrainGirl suggested. The 4 to 14% one. It might make a small difference, but then again, it takes time for these changes to happen and due to her being older and arthritic, her body may not respond much. But it`s always worth a try. x

[Esmy]

Yep, it's a soft paper bedding, softer than Carefresh. :) I agree about the Harlan, worth looking into. Thanks both of you!

[BrainGirl]

That is a higher energy food (18% protein/6% fat) so it might be good to start giving her fewer of those pellets and switching out for lower-energy food. Even if you have to start feeding a mixed-seed diet to achieve that at least you can be assured that she'll probably enjoy the variety. Maybe a few more veggies would help too.

racinghamster, I was thinking the same thing. There may be something else going on internally that isn't big enough yet for the vet to detect that would cause this rapid weight gain. It may be edema caused by organs beginning to fail and not removing waste products as efficiently but as long as she's still doing happy hamstery things and is not suffering then I wouldn't worry too much about getting to the bottom of it. She's a good age for a hamster and her body will start to slow down and organs will have more difficulty processing waste products. Reducing the protein in her diet may help with that.

[Esmy]

Hmm.. it's a trade-off. The 2016 is lower in fat and higher in carbs than the 2018. I'm not sure which is better. The 2014 has same amount of fat as 2016 but even more carbs.

2018
protein- 18.6%
Fat- 6.2%
Carbs- 44.2%

2016-
Protein- 16%
Fat- 4%
Carbs- 48.5%

2014
Protein- 14%
Fat- 4%
Carbs- 48%

EDIT
Ohhh what if I try her on Oxbow Rat? My mice love it!
Oxbow Rat Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 15.00%
Crude Fat (min) 4.00%

I wonder if I can put most of my hamsters on that food? Beanie is also 1yr 8m, Oliver is 1yr 3m, Gizmo is 3yrs old and the Chinese hamster brothers are 10m old.

[BrainGirl]

I seem to recall that the major difference is the Vitamin A content. It's a LOT higher for rats than hamsters. I'm not sure that would be safe.

[Esmy]

Wouldn't that apply to the Harlan Teklad too though since it's a rat food?

[BrainGirl]

The Harlan Teklad is a general rodent food, not specifically for any one species. That's just what I recall from looking at other brands that have species specific formulations.

[Esmy]

Well, it gives me something to think about and ask my vet next week, thanks. :)

[DrKMcK]

It's interesting Esmy. My Nutmeg has gained some weight too. I noticed it when I picked her up the other day. I'm currently watching her to see if she gains any more. She seems okay in herself, eating and drinking fine and playing on her wheel and being busy in her cage. I use Hazel Hamster and the Harlan Teclad blocks too. I guess you and I will just have to keep a lookout on the furries. :-)

[Reduce Reuse Hamcycle]

Congrats on all your hammies being so old! It's wonderful that they've gotten to live a long happy life with you. =] I hope the vet visits and diet modifications help! Sending good vibes and hope your way!

[racinghamster]

That`s a good point BrainGirl about oedema or fluid retention. Some older animals with heart problems can get this. I`ve also had a few older male mice with extended abdomens with suspected Ascites in older age. It`s impossible to pinpoint what`s going on sometimes but it`s always worth looking at the diet. I agree about looking for a seed mix diet like Hazel Hamster or one that has a good variety of things in it. x

[Esmy]

DrK it's weird, right? How old is Nutmeg now? My boys are so skinny and always stay a steady 130-135g and Penny.. well she was at a steady 170 for a while then suddenly started creeping up and now it's 236g and rapid! I gave her some of the Oxbow Rat to try and will call the vet tomorrow. She wasn't in when I took Penny in to be weighed. I hope Nutmeg starts slowing to a stop on her weight too. I do notice they are both females. Hmmm...

Thank you Hamcycle! :)

The problem I have with seed mix Racing is she would just pick out the seed and ignore the junky pieces like that colored stuff and the pellets. She wouldn't eat the pellets even if I left them in her bowl as the last thing to eat.

[Esmy]

I'm so worried. Penny must have a health problem. She's gaining 1g a day! She was around 220g before I left for a week recently and when I got home (Husband watched them), she was 236g when I got home, and now 3 days later she's 239g. :( I called vet office and am waiting for a response.