Eyes closed while awake and pee everywhere...

Ann333 · 02-25-2016, 06:24 PM

It seems like Chopstick is always walking around with her eyes closed. Is this normal? Also, she drinks ALOT and pees ALOT. Her bedding is sopping wet everyday. I thought my brand new glass water bottle might be leaking, so i swapped it with a bowl but I dont think she is spilling the bowl. And even then, the wet spots are on the other side of the cage as the water...... Is this normal? Am I just a paranoid new mom?

cypher · 02-25-2016, 08:54 PM

Walking around with her eyes closed isn't normal no, if a Russian ham starts to drink & pee excessively it's worth checking her urine for signs of diabetes, you can buy test sticks to do this yourself but it's also possible she could have a UTI so it may be best to get her checked by your vet.

Ann333 · 02-25-2016, 10:12 PM

Okay I'm off for the next three days I'll keep a close eye on her and get some of those strips.

Baby Grrr · 02-26-2016, 05:00 AM

Is thee crustiness around the eyes or does it look wet around them. By the way do not use a bowl! use a bottle. its better.

flowerfairy · 02-26-2016, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Grrr

Is thee crustiness around the eyes or does it look wet around them. By the way do not use a bowl! use a bottle. its better.

A matter of opinion surely? I use bowls for all my hamsters.

Ann333 · 02-26-2016, 08:53 AM

There is no discharge from her eyes at all. They are clear and bright when she does open them. I like the bowl better because it seems like it's easier for her to use and it is easier to clean and it makes me check it everyday. The bottle is easier to forget about. Also, the reason I switched to the bowl was because I wanted to test if it was the bottle leaking or if she was really peeing that much. I had a reason.

**Cinnamon Bear** · 02-26-2016, 11:00 AM

Those glass bottles sometimes don't work good. They don't give out any water. I had to return one and heard of this problem from other people.

Nancy's Hamsters · 02-26-2016, 11:24 AM

Easy way to solve the Water issue AND find out if it is leaking. Place BOTH in her cage. Place the half filled bowl directly underneath the Bottle sipper. If bottle remains full and bowl empties then you know the bottle is at the least not leaking. If the bowl fills up you will then know(without the cage getting soaked) that the bottle is the cause of the soaked cage. If the bowl remains half full and the bottle becomes empty it will just show you Chopstick prefers her water from a bottle

I would place my best bet on her being diabetic though

Based on your explanation of her getting her name. Most diabetic Dwarfs are highly aggressive to anything about them especially humans and other hamsters. They are in pain and stress, If you know of any human friends or family who are Diabetic you will find when the blood sugar is off balance they become VERY agitated and become angry(some to a rage) until hospitalized and get harsh medical treatment to stabilize their sugar glucose levels. I know of and 81 year old lady who when stable with her sugar counts is as sweet and docile as a newborn lamb. When she felt it was not worth living she let her sugar levels go out of control and actually assaulted a Police Officer when he and his partner came to check on her as she had threatened to kill herself.

Now back from the Hospital and in nursing care she is back to her calm and sweet docile self. Problem with Dwarf Hamsters is there is no insulin you can give them and no medication as to use such needs a blood sugar test daily to determine how much is enough and how much is too much.

You can place her on a strict no sugar diet but then you risk her nutritional levels being off and causing her to be worse then she is now. Wish I had happier words for you.

Ann333 · 02-26-2016, 12:20 PM

I've had issues with water bottles as well. So I did research before getting this one and it is supposed to be the best. It had great reviews. I am sure at this point that it is not a leaky bottle or a spilled bowl.

I have not tested her yet but I think that's what it is. My mom had her for 2 months and I have had her for 2 weeks. I went to get her a different food but there are not many options. If she is in pain should I modify her cage to make everything easier for her?? And the fact that she walks around with her eyes closed... What do I do? Poor thing I didn't know.... I have her current cage set up in a way that probably makes her hurt worse. Would a small 10 gallon with the basics be better? No levels that she has to climb?

cypher · 02-27-2016, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann333

I have not tested her yet but I think that's what it is. My mom had her for 2 months and I have had her for 2 weeks. I went to get her a different food but there are not many options. If she is in pain should I modify her cage to make everything easier for her?? And the fact that she walks around with her eyes closed... What do I do? Poor thing I didn't know.... I have her current cage set up in a way that probably makes her hurt worse. Would a small 10 gallon with the basics be better? No levels that she has to climb?

I think you need to get her to a vet as soon as you can to find out exactly what's wrong, if it is a UTI rather than diabetes then she probably will be in pain & a course of antibiotics should set that to rights.
If it is diabetes you need to be very careful with her food & avoid anything sugary or remotely sweet, grains are fine along with small seeds & fresh veg but no fruit, what are you feeding her on now? I know finding a good sugar free mix can be hard in the US, oxbow pellets are pretty good though.
As for the cage they generally do better with one level area & lots of substrate rather than lots of levels & that is even more the case with a sick ham so if you can make changes that will help her to get around more easily & make her more comfortable then I'd do it.

ETA Management of diabetes can be a bit complex, you need to be prepared for fluctuations in sugar levels & it can manifest in slightly different ways, Vectis has some really helpful info here.