Weighing hamsters?

[annc]

Now I have the playpen set up and can sit in and weigh my fur-babies, I'm thinking of weighing the hamsters. How often do you weigh yours?

What is the average weight for a 6½-month-old doe and and a 20-month-old buck? I suspect that Snowy is overweight!

[suga]

I don't know what the average weight is. I tend to weigh fuzee fi every 3 or 4 months - her weight is very consistent at around 130g

[Basia]

I weigh mine about once a month and they vary between 124g, my lightest male and 227g, my heaviest female.
Females do weigh more than males generally.

[annc]

Thank you.

[Holly]

I weigh my babies and youngsters once a week - it's probably overkill but I like to see how they are doing weight-wise. I also chart their weights - but the less said about that the better as I don't want to seem like some nutter

My older animals I weigh every other week or once a month - just to keep an eye on their weights - my older ones all seem to lose rather than gain weight and I think that's often the way with older hamsters.

As Basia says Syrian weights vary widely - breeders breeding for "type" in show hamsters breed for a heavy "chunky" look which obviously weighs more than the skinnier pet-shop type hamsters. My lowest weight is 118g (Treacle who has had two strokes) and my highest is Caramel (190g and 10 month old female) with Mars (189g and a four month old male) close behind!

Females are usually larger and heavier than males, also as Basia says.

[Spuds Mum]

Originally Posted by Holly

I weigh my babies and youngsters once a week - it's probably overkill but I like to see how they are doing weight-wise. I also chart their weights - but the less said about that the better as I don't want to seem like some nutter

Yup Holly and I are both a little obsessed with hamster weight, and tend to keep each other informed of all the gains and losses (mainly as we have lots of brothers and sisters between us so its nice to compare littermates).

My smallest male is 113g - a wheel obsessed hamster from a breeder.
My females range from 155g (our toothless girl) to 256g (our huge Vala), but most of them are around the 180-190g mark

[Holly]

Originally Posted by Spud's Mum

My females range from 155g (our toothless girl) to 256g (our huge Vala), but most of them are around the 180-190g mark

I was watching Animals 24/7 the other morning and they had a kestrel that weighed less than Vala :P

[Spuds Mum]

I guess that kestrel would need a forklift to pick her up and carry her off then?

She is lovely though - even if a hamster version of Jabba the hut!

[Yaffle]

What do you all use to weigh your hamsters? I've never weighed any of mine but I'd be quite interested to, especially with the pups as I would be able to see how much they're growing (which is at lightening speed!)

[souffle]

We use a small digital kitchen scales which weighs in 1g intervals. You can put them in a bowl then zero it to weigh them