What happens if....

[hamsterlover10109]

Hi there! I am researching hamsters and making sure i know everything about them before I get one...I am hoping to get a winter white and so I know they are diabetes prone and so i was wondering...will my hammy get diabetes if i give them to many mineral chews?

[Shannonmcn]

Hello, well done making sure you know everything you need to know before jumping in!

This is a decent summary from Erin's Animals who is a well respected hamster care youtuber, if you haven't looked up her channel yet you definitely should. Mineral chews aren't something to be concerned about, it's mostly sugary treats like the milk/yoghurt/chocolate drops you see in pet shops, anything that's stuck together with honey or high sugar fruits being fed too often.

That being said if a hamster is on a good base mix you don't need to give them mineral chews at all.

[cypher]

If you get a pet shop hybrid (it wouldn't be a WW) it may be more prone to developing diabetes, that doesn't mean they all have it but some will go on to develop it no matter how careful you are with diet & others can be fine no matter what they're fed but to reduce the risk you need to avoid feeding any sugar & keep natural sugars like fructose (in fruit) for instance as low as possible in their diet.
Mineral chews don't contain sugars as far as I'm aware although there may be flavoured or sweetened ones I've never come across for all I know!
You do have to be careful with anything like chews or treats, just read all the ingredients before you buy anything as so many things do have added sugar or honey.

[Vectis Hamstery]

Pure winter whites aren't usually particularly prone to diabetes, although hybrids are (and as cypher says hamsters from pet shops are likely to be hybrids). There are several things in the linked article that I don't agree with, for example picking bits out of food, and the assertion that hamsters not on medications could develop hypoglycaemia and therefore require sugary treats. I would recommend feeding a good quality balanced hamster mix ideally one without added molasses e.g. Harry Hamster or Burgess Dwarf Supahamster. I've rarely found hamsters to use mineral chews and I don't consider them or vitamin drops necessary for hamsters fed a good quality commercial mix

[cypher]

I agree about finding a good dwarf mix (there are a few good ones available) & not removing anything, you do have to be careful researching online as there is still some outdated information around, people used to think they should remove certain things from the mix but this really unbalances the overall nutrition reducing things like fibre, protein & complex carbohydrates that are actually really important for diabetes prone species.
I don't use mineral blocks either, I have tried them in the past but they were ignored! As Vectis says they don't actually need them.

[Shannonmcn]

I did not notice that Erin's post recommended to pick bits out, my bad! And I'm usually quite good at reading things thoroughly!

[cypher]

Originally Posted by Shannonmcn

And I'm usually quite good at reading things thoroughly!

You are! Happens to all of us sometimes

[Artisans_uk]

Originally Posted by cypher

I don't use mineral blocks either, I have tried them in the past but they were ignored! As Vectis says they don't actually need them.

A funny thing about the mineral block that I put in Bracken's cage earlier this year: I gave one to her and to Rue, the blocks have an alfalfa core, which I thought would be an interesting addition for the two girls to find. Both ignored them totally but I kept them in their cages.
Bracken is now 21mths old and is definitely a wise little older ham, little being very appropriate. Just recently, she has started to gnaw on the mineral block daily. I'm assuming that as an elderly ham, she now realises that there's something in the mineral block that she needs as she is even more fussy about her food. I'm glad that I left it in her cage.