Hammy Weight Loss

[climber008]

Hi guys!

Recently a question arose to me about hamster weight loss, and I'd like to know a little bit more about it.

Obviously, I realize that there can be several reasons for weight loss: old age, sickness, etc. However, I was wondering why a healthy hamster would begin to lose weight?

If he/she is given plenty of food, and still seems to be losing weight, what could be the cause of this?

As some of you may know, I was planning on getting a hamster from my local breeder after things settled down in life a bit. However, my hammie breeder suddenly found out that she was allergic to hamsters and had to rehome all of her younger hams. I ended up adopting a 1 year old hammy from her, and I have been taking care of her ever since. Kornelia (the new hammy) had given birth to a "ghost litter" about a month before. After maybe a week from her adoption, she had lost all her "excess fat" from the birthing. However, she began to still gradually lose weight, despite her being completely healthy and reasonably young.

What foods or things can fatten Kornelia back up to a healthy weight again? I feed her a huge selection of foods, and she is NOT picky! Shel continues to eat LOTs of food (both fresh and normal foods), despite her shrinking size.

Is this a normal thing for a hamster to go through after a "ghost" pregnancy?

Thank you so much for any information you guys can provide me!

[climber008]

Another question! Would something like mealworms help? I have heard that giving mealworms to your hamster is good, but I have so far not tested this theory out.

[cypher]

If she's eating well & still losing weight then there's something wrong somewhere & just giving more food isn't going to help.
What do you mean by a huge selection of foods?
Is she eating a good basic mix? That should make up most of what she eats with the addition of a small piece of veg daily. In addition something like a small piece of chicken maybe a couple of times a week & a nut or two, or a few extra sunflower or pumpkin seeds would be healthy but they don't actually need more than that to be healthy.
mealworms are quite high in protein & can be fairly high in fat too so if your ham was lacking nutrients then yes, if she would eat them they could help but if she's already eating enough of the right things then it won't make much difference, there's only so much a ham will eat in one day.
How much weight is she losing?
If you really do think she's eating well & still losing weight I'd be inclined to get her checked over by a vet.

[climber008]

Originally Posted by cypher

If she's eating well & still losing weight then there's something wrong somewhere & just giving more food isn't going to help.
What do you mean by a huge selection of foods?
Is she eating a good basic mix? That should make up most of what she eats with the addition of a small piece of veg daily. In addition something like a small piece of chicken maybe a couple of times a week & a nut or two, or a few extra sunflower or pumpkin seeds would be healthy but they don't actually need more than that to be healthy.
mealworms are quite high in protein & can be fairly high in fat too so if your ham was lacking nutrients then yes, if she would eat them they could help but if she's already eating enough of the right things then it won't make much difference, there's only so much a ham will eat in one day.
How much weight is she losing?
If you really do think she's eating well & still losing weight I'd be inclined to get her checked over by a vet.

She is eating all the "normal" foods that a hammy should eat. Veggies, meat, hay, and her normal pellets and seeds.

I am beginning to think that she may be losing this weight because she used to be so --ergh, plump-- beforehand.

I was reading up on weight loss, and I heard that if you feel a hammy's backbone, then they are underweight; but I can not feel Kornelia's backbone.

I do remember thinking that I had never seen a hammy quite so large when I first got her, however, I will continue to viligantly moniter her in case of any health problems.

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by climber008

She is eating all the "normal" foods that a hammy should eat. Veggies, meat, hay, and her normal pellets and seeds.

I am beginning to think that she may be losing this weight because she used to be so --ergh, plump-- beforehand.

I was reading up on weight loss, and I heard that if you feel a hammy's backbone, then they are underweight; but I can not feel Kornelia's backbone.

I do remember thinking that I had never seen a hammy quite so large when I first got her, however, I will continue to viligantly moniter her in case of any health problems.

Hay is definitely something I would recommend not feeding regularly,as hamsters don't require it nor does it really have many benefits unlike for rabbits and guinea pigs where it is entirely necessary.Too much fiber could definitely be a problem here,but if you really want weight maintenance your food should be balanced in fat,fiber,and protein.The general rule with dogs,cats,and many other animals is that the animal in question should be sleek enough to see the vague outline of ribs if the animal turns a certain way but not so thin that ribs show completely no matter what stance or gait they are in.Just keep an eye on her for now,and you should be fine!

[cypher]

Do you know what conditions she lived in before you had her?
If she was in asmall cage with an unsuitable wheel or no wheel she may have been overweight.
Weigh her weekly if you don't already so you know exactly what she'losing & how fast.

[climber008]

Originally Posted by cypher

Do you know what conditions she lived in before you had her?
If she was in asmall cage with an unsuitable wheel or no wheel she may have been overweight.
Weigh her weekly if you don't already so you know exactly what she'losing & how fast.

She was in excellent care before, as I got her from a really good local breeder.

I don't have a scale, and I don't know where I could get one. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I could get one?

[AmityvilleHams]

Well since you're in the US I'd suggest Walmart,Target,and stores like that.Or,if you just can't find one anywhere,you should be able to order one off of Amazon or another online shopping site.

[cypher]

Any compact kitchen scale will do, you could probably get one from Amazon cheaply enough, I just looked & they have loads, something like this just as an example should be accurate enough, you need to put your ham in a large mug or something.
No doubt you can buy them locally too in any shop that sells kitchen stuff.
It is best to weigh them if you're concerned & just as part of a general health check anyway, guessing doesn't really tell us much!

[climber008]

Oh! Thanks guys! I'll try to look into getting one as soon as possible!